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Dr Martha McGill

About

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I went to school in Orkney, so my university years in Edinburgh never felt too dark or windy. I completed a PhD in History in 2016, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, then held postdoctoral fellowships at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, Edinburgh, and the Warburg Institue, London. Since 2018 I have been a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Warwick. I am also on the Council of the Scottish History Society.

I live with my partner and small children, and spend my non-work hours playing board games and singing The Wheels on the Bus on repeat.

McGill

Research

I research British supernatural beliefs in the early modern period (c. 1500-1800), and have published various books and articles. I am interested in how stories about the supernatural reflect changing ideas about religion, natural philosophy, local or national identity, and conceptions of the body and mind. My current project is entitled ‘Bodies, Selves and the Supernatural in Early Modern Britain’. You can read more about it here.

I love sharing my research with broader audiences, and am a Foundation Fellow of Warwick’s Institute of Engagement. I have organised talks, interviews, performances and an exhibition. For more details, including free online content, see the Talks & Events page.

Teaching

I have been teaching History modules since 2012, and have worked for the universities of Edinburgh, York and Warwick, as well as Pomona College, California. I have taught and supervised both undergraduate and postgraduate students.

I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and take a keen interest in developing engaging teaching materials. My most ambitious project, undertaken in collaboration with a group of undergraduate students, is a pair of card games that offer a fun and educational introduction to the early modern witch hunts. I have also produced other games, role-plays, quizzes and interactive activities for use in History modules, which are collated on the Resources page.