Joshua Madrid

Josh’s research interests lie broadly at the intersection of war, religion, and nationalism. Particularly, Josh is drawn toward the social, cultural, and religious histories of warfare and how they are portrayed in collective memory.

Josh’s doctoral research looks at the history of Roman Catholicism in England during the Second World War. It seeks to understand how Catholics in England related to ‘total war’ and adapted to the modernization – and particularly the secularization – of British society. By utilising resources gathered from Catholic print media, diocesan, national, and Vatican archives, Josh’s project constructs a blended approach to understanding how Catholics operated in wartime England and worked to reasserted their position within wider British society. Through this approach, Josh argues that religion – and especially Catholicism – exerted a significant influence on cultural mobilisation Catholics throughout England. Ultimately, this project demonstrates the importance in considering the interaction between religion and war and how war can break down and redefine religious identity within national boundaries.

Prior to attending UCL, Josh received an MA in the History of Warfare at the University of Birmingham, and a BA in History at Regis University in Denver, USA.

PhD

Supervisor: Prof Heather Jones (Primary) and Dr Michael Collins (Secondary)
Working title: English Catholics in the Second World War: Understanding the Social and Cultural Roles of Religion in Modern Warfare
Expected completion date: 2024

Publications

‘Where Loyalties Lie: English Catholic Responses to Bombing in the Second World War,’ in British Christianity and the Second World War, edited Michael Snape and Stuart Bell, (London: Boydell and Brewer) - February 2023

Conference Papers and Seminars

‘The Survival of “Christian Civilization:” The Role of English Roman Catholics in the Second World War, 1939-1941,’ Paper presentation, American Catholic Historical Association / American Historical Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, USA – 5-7 January 2023
‘Opposition and Obedience: The Role of Archbishops Thomas Roberts, SJ in the Second World War,’ Paper presentation, Society for the History of War Annual Conference, Amsterdam, Netherlands – 24-25 November 2022
‘The Survival of “Christian Civilization:” The Role of English Roman Catholics in the Second World War, 1939-1941,’ Paper presentation, Beckett House Conference, Shrivenham Defence Academy – 4-6 July 2022
‘Opposition and Obedience: The Role of Archbishops Thomas Roberts, SJ in the Second World War,’ Paper presentation, Beckett House Conference, Shrivenham Defence Academy – 7-9 July 2021
‘Religion in Wartime: British Catholic Bishops and their Response to Bombing in the Second World War,’ Paper presentation, Postgraduate History Conference, University of Nottingham Trent, Nottingham, UK – 13 November 2019
‘Remembering US Minorities’ Experience in World War II,’ Lecture, University of Birmingham War Studies Lecture Series, Birmingham, UK – 5 February 2018

Teaching

Postgraduate Teaching Assistant, HIST0007 Writing History, UCL

Research

I work on English Catholicism in the Second World War. In my doctoral thesis, I examine how Catholics in England reacted to and adapted to ever changing environments due to the exigencies of the Second World War and worked to integrate more closely with wider British society. However, more broadly speaking I look at the interrelationship between religion and warfare. I seek to understand how religion can influence war and what impact war has on the institutional churches.

Awards and Scholarship

Presidential Travel Grant – American Catholic Historical Association, December 2022
Royal Historical Society Travel Grant – December 2022
Richard Chattaway Scholarship for Research on Modern Warfare – UCL, November 2022
USA Postgraduate Scholarship for Study – University of Birmingham, September 2018
Harold L Stansell, SJ Award for Excellence in History – Regis University, May 2018

Professional Activities

Council Member, Young Alumni Advisory Council, Alpha Sigma Nu Honor Society – January January 2022-December 2023
PGR Academic Representative, University College London – 2022-2023