James Sommerville

Ph.D. Candidate
Renaissance and Early Modern European History

Education:

B.A. University of Toronto w/honours
M.A. Queen's University

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About

I am a PhD candidate under the supervision of Professor Anthony D'Elia. My dissertation will regard the life-world and spiritual exercises of Marsilio Ficino of Florence (1433-1499). What ontological convictions and ontic constructions enabled Neoplatonic philosophy, Christian theology, and Galenic medicine to intersect and thus make present the worldview of Renaissance intellectuals? How did such intellectuals shape their lives in response to this worldview? And how did the shape of their lives in turn make such a worldview appear to them as common sense? Through a re-reading of Ficino's philo-theosophical texts and medical instructions, I hope to answer those or similar questions.

Aside from my dissertation research, I am interested in the whole of European history, from the medieval through to the modern era. My dream is to one day teach a course regarding modern western civilization. I am particularly interested in the histories of the classical-republican tradition, state formation, fascism, occultism, and science. I have also given a lot of thought to the structure of conspiracy theories as a general phenomenon and to the culture and sociology of western conspiracy theorists, especially the manner in which the past is 'used' by such theorists. Lately I have also been attempting to expand the horizons of my historical knowledge, exploring a fraction of the vast literature concerning the causes of the so-called Great Divergence.

Outside of academia, I am a devoted practitioner of a martial art called Systema, a Russian method of combat training emphasizing calm, fluid motion and natural, controlled action in response to complex, dangerous events. For fun I tend to read comic books and listen to music.

Awards

2010-2011 William C. Leggett Graduate Fellowship
2011-2012 Ontario Graduate Scholarship