Read the latest features from in and around the School of Divinity Tamsyn Radmall – Home for Good When Tamsyn Radmall (MA Hons 2016) first visited Edinburgh, her mind was quickly made up: this is where she wanted to study. Latin Americans at New College In the 1990s, the historian Andrew Ross described the New College student body of his day as increasingly cosmopolitan. “Now,” he wrote, “the continents of Africa, Asia, Europe and North America are evenly balanced in numbers, with the occasional and very welcome student from South America and Oceania.” Fast forward to 2025, when students (and faculty) from South and Central America remain equally welcome but have become less occasional. Decolonising the Museum: Arkotong Longkumer “When I was growing up in Kohima, Nagaland, in Northeast India, I heard stories about Rani (queen) Gaidinliu, a woman who lived nearby. People said that she was powerful, a prophet, and a leader.” So speaks Arkotong Longkumer, Professor of Anthropology and Modern Asia, of childhood memories of Gaidinliu (1915-1993), a Naga resistance leader arrested by the British as a teenager in the 1930s. Sebastian Moll reader of culture Sebastian Moll’s path has never been conventional. Amy Plender serving Grenfell Alumna Amy Plender (MA Hons 2015, MTh 2017) is a civil servant who works on the UK Government’s response to the Grenfell Tower fire. New School Promotional Films This year the School is working hard to boost recruitment so, we commissioned two new promotional videos, an undergraduate and postgraduate one. New Courses on Old Languages Syriac and Sanskrit This year, New College launched new courses on two ancient languages with great significance to religious traditions across the world: Syriac and Sanskrit. Esther Mombo becomes Honorary Doctorate In 2024, Esther Mombo received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh Mary of Guise The Mary of Guise plaque was installed under the Archway in the New College Quad Changing the Prison Service Our students go on to many different careers. We spoke to Sophie (MA Hons, Theology) about her path from New College to the prison service. New College Festival The School of Divinity's Book Festival returns for a second year Dr Eric Lewis Williams Telling stories that should be told Will Lyons Raise your glasses The Lord Lyon Working between worlds Rachel Muers Driving tradition forward Winter Tales Winter Tales was an exciting innovation for the School of Divinity, bringing novelists, poets and storytellers together with readers of all ages. This article was published on 2026-02-06
