Professor William Naphy

Professor William Naphy
Professor William Naphy
Professor William Naphy

Fellow (Royal Historical Society)

Chair in History

About
Email Address
w.g.naphy@abdn.ac.uk
Telephone Number
+44 (0)1224 273928
Office Address

School of Divinity, History, Philosophy & Art History,
Crombie Annexe, Room 109
Meston Walk,
King's College,
University of Aberdeen,
Old Aberdeen,
AB24 3FX.

School/Department
School of Divinity, History, Philosophy & Art History

Biography

Professor Naphy received his doctorate (in Reformation History) from the University of St Andrews in 1993.  He was appointed a lecturer at the University of Manchester in 1993 and, in 1996, at Aberdeen where he was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 1999.  He was awarded a personal chair in 2007.  He is the author of six books with translations into six languages (including a translation, funded by the Norwegian government, into Serbo-Croat for an NGO raising awareness of homosexuality in Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia) as well as numerous edited volumes and articles in scholarly journals .   

He has made frequent appearances in the media (Channel 4; Grampian TV; BBC-Scotland; BBC-Radio 4: Start the Week) as a specialist on the history of witchcraft, plague, and sexuality.  He contributed extensively to the media in the discussions surrounding the Kirk's position on gay ministers.  He was historical consultant for Out in the World, a four-part series on the history of sexuality broadcast on Radio 3.

He is a leading authority on Calvin's Geneva during the sixteenth century as well as the history of crime and punishment in the early modern period  He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and member of the Sixteenth Century Studies Society

During the course of 2009 and events commemorating Calvin's birth in 1509, Professor Naphy participated in the T. V. Moore endowed lecture series at the San Francisco Theological Seminary along with the Rev. Dr. Setri Nyomi (General Secreary, World Alliance of Reformed Churches).  Professor Naphy also delivered a keynote address at the conference on Calvin and his Influence, 1509-2009 (Geneva, 24-27 May).

He speaks often to general audiences on gender, sexuality, witchcraft and Calvinism.

Qualifications

  • PhD Reformation History 
    1993 - University of St Andrews 

    Thesis Title: Calvin & the Consolidation of the Genevan Reformation

  • MDiv Historical Theology 
    1987 - Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary 
  • BA Latin 
    1982 - College of William & Mary 

External Memberships

Professor Naphy is one of the editors for the Manchester University Press series on Early Modern Europe.

Research

Research Overview

Calvin, Calvinism, Witchcraft, Plague, Geneva, Crime, Sexuality, Gender, Gay Issues

Current Research

Professor Naphy is currently working on the production of a two-volume study of sexuality, deviance, and criminality in early modern Geneva. The first volume will concentrate on 'unnatural' sexual activity (as defined by the Genevan courts), while the second volume will look at the wider issue of the control and criminalisation of other forms of sexual activity (for example, fornication and adultery).

Teaching

Teaching Responsibilities

  • HI1027 Making History
  • HS1001 The Scientific Revolution & the Origins of Modern Science
  • HI2027 The 'Other': History of Minorities & the Marginalised
  • HI304J/HI354J Historical Research for Visiting Students
  • HI305M/355M Aztec, Incas and Mayas: Empires on the Eve of Apocalypse
  • HI401C Morality & Sexual Mores in the Classical World
  • HI502W Scotland's Millennium: A Thematic Overview (online course)
  • HI1521 Renaissance to Revolutions
  • HI1527 American Civilisations
  • HI356J Thinking History
  • HI4516 Undergraduate Dissertation in History
  • HI4518 History in Practice
  • HI553D Scottish Witch-Hunting & the Rise of a Protestant Culture, 1590-1690 (online course)
Publications

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  • Der schwarze Tod: Die Pest in Europa

    Naphy, W. G., Spicer, A., Ruttermann, M.
    Magnus Verlag, Essen, Germany. 208 pages
    Books and Reports: Books
  • Verbotene Leidenschaft: Gesellschaft und Sexualitat von der Renaissance zur Aufklarung

    Naphy, W. G.
    Magnus Verlag, Essen. 222 pages
    Books and Reports: Books
  • Sex Crimes from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment

    Naphy, W. G.
    Tempus, Stroud, United Kingdom. 224 pages
    Books and Reports: Books
  • Sodomy in early modern Geneva: various definitions, diverse verdicts

    Naphy, W. G.
    Sodomy & Sexual Deviance in Early Modern Europe. Betteridge, T. (ed.). Manchester University Press, pp. 94-111, 17 pages
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters
  • Plagues, Poisons and Potions: Plague-Spreading Conspiracies in the Western Alps c.1530-1640

    Naphy, W. G.
    Manchester University Press, Manchester, United Kingdom. 242 pages
    Books and Reports: Books
  • Religion and Superstition in Reformation Europe

    Naphy, W. G. (ed.), Parish, H. (ed.)
    Manchester University Press, Manchester, United Kingdom. 272 pages
    Books and Reports: Books
  • Church and state in Calvin's Geneva

    Naphy, W. G.
    Calvin and the Church: Papers Presented At the 13th Colloquium of the Calvin Studies Society, May 24-26, 2001. CRC Press, pp. 13-28, 15 pages
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters
  • Genevan Diplomacy and Foreign Policy, c.1535-1560: Balancing on the edge of the Confederacy

    Naphy, W. G.
    Eidgenössische "Grenzfälle" : Mühlhausen und Genf: En marge de la Confédération : Mulhouse et Genève. Kaiser, W., Sieber-Lehmann, C., Windler, C. (eds.). Schwabe, Switzerland, pp. 189-219, 30 pages
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters
  • The Black Death : A History of the Plagues 1345-1730

    Naphy, W. G., Andrew Spicer, A.
    Tempus, Stroud, Glos, United Kingdom. 208 pages
    Books and Reports: Books
  • Calvin and Geneva

    Naphy, W. G.
    The Reformation World. Pettegree, A. (ed.). Oxford University Press, pp. 309-322, 13 pages
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters
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