Mairi Cowan

Prof Mairi Cowan is a historian of the late medieval and early modern world, with specializations in the social and religious histories of Scotland and New France. Her recent books and articles examine the connections between social discipline and the Catholic Reformation in Scotland; tensions of international theology, national politics, and local tradition in twelfth-century Glasgow; experiences of childhood in the Renaissance court of James IV, King of Scots; colonial efforts to “Frenchify” Indigenous people in seventeenth-century Québec; and Jesuit missionaries’ beliefs about demons in Indigenous societies of North America. She is currently writing a book about what a case of demonic possession in seventeenth-century Québec can tell us about daily life in early Canada. This research is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

At the Department of Historical Studies, Professor Cowan teaches courses on world history, colonial North American history, and European history. Whether in a large first-year lecture, an advanced seminar, or an independent reading project, she focusses on guiding students through authentic historical problems while helping them to develop the skills they need to discover, understand, and engage with the human past in a historically responsible way.

Media availability: TV, Radio, Print/Online