Celebrating the 180th Anniversary of New College with Alec Ryrie – 'The World’s Reformation: How Protestantism Became a Global Religion'

Join us for a panel event with historian Alec Ryrie, exploring the global history of early Protestantism in ‘The World’s Reformation: How Protestantism Became a Global Religion’ (Yale UP, 2026). From the sixteenth to the eighteenth century, Protestants carried their faith far beyond Europe, travelling from Lapland to Chile and from Barbados to Taiwan. Yet their missionary ambitions were often entangled with colonialism, enslavement and profound moral failure. Drawing attention to the non-Christian communities Protestants encountered across Africa, the Americas and eastern Asia, Ryrie examines both the aspirations and repeated failures of this global Reformation. This thought-provoking discussion asks why this complex history and its consequences still matter today.

This event is part of our celebration of 180 years of New College, and joining Alec Ryrie will be several of our own New College academics working on the history of Christianity as a global religion: Felicity Loughlin, Simon Burton, Emma Wild-Wood and Pedro Feitoza. The event is sponsored by the Network for the Study of the Long Reformation and the Network for Global Christian Theology and History.

Please join us afterwards for drinks in our historic Rainy Hall and browse the pop-up bookshop, run by Golden Hare.

Accessibility

We are committed to providing an accessible and inclusive attendee experience. In line with fire safety regulations attendees using a wheelchair must be able to self-transfer to an evac chair in order to safely evacuate the building.

If you have specific accessibility needs or accommodation requests please let us know during registration or contact us in advance by emailing divinity.news@ed.ac.uk.

Additional information can be found at Accessibility Information: New College (https://www.accessable.co.uk/the-university-of-edinburgh/central-area/access-guides/new-college-school-of-divinity)

Venue & Travel

The event will take place at New College on the Mound. Please access via the glass door through main gated entrance.

New College is very accessible on foot, bike and bus. We would encourage all attendees to consider sustainable travel options to the event. Car parking is not available and limited only to nearby street parking:

Find parking bays – The City of Edinburgh Council (https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/parking-spaces/find-parking-bays/1)

Further information on the venue and travel options can be found at

Travel Options (https://transport.ed.ac.uk/travelling-here/central-area)

Description supplied by the event organiser.