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About Me

I am a historian of religious cultures in early modern England, investigating belief and practice during the ‘long’ Reformation c.1450-1700. My research relates to processes of religious change in their social and political contexts, and could be described as a social history of theology. I am particularly interested in life-writing, beliefs associated with/theological perspectives on the supernatural (principally angels and ghosts), and patterns of disenchantment and re-enchantment.

My first book was on belief about angels and how this changed during the period of the English Reformation and I also co-edited a guide to understanding and working with sixteenth- and seventeenth-century primary sources. My latest research is on early modern diaries and life-writing, and is currently focused around the archive of the pious antiquarian and protestant diarist Ralph Thoresby (1658-1725).

I am one of four co-authors of the many-headed monster blog https://manyheadedmonster.wordpress.com/, which explores early modern religious and social themes as well as many other aspects of the discipline of history.

Recent Publications

Laura Sangha, ‘The Social, Personal and Spiritual Dynamics of Ghost Stories in Early Modern England’, The Historical Journal (in press).

Laura Sangha, ‘Ralph Thoresby and Individual Devotion in late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century England’, Historical Research, 19.25 (2019).

Laura Sangha, Angels and Belief in England, 1400-1700 (London, 2012).

Laura Sangha & Jonathan Willis (eds), Understanding Early Modern Primary Sources (London, 2016).

Media Coverage

http://folklorethursday.com/folklife/protection-punishment-beliefs-angels-tudor-stuart-england/#sthash.ny9CMCAD.dpbs

Social Media

@_drsang

Country Focus

England

Expertise by Geography

United Kingdom

Expertise by Chronology

Pre-17th century, 17th century, Early Modern

Expertise by Topic

Higher Ed, Religion