Susanna De Stradis
Division
- War, Power, International Affairs
Classification
- Assistant Professor
Discipline
- American and Global Catholicism
- American Religious History
- 20th Century US History
Contact
sd1855@msstate.edu
662-325-3604
Address
- Allen 232
Susanna De Stradis
Department of History
Mississippi State University
232 Allen Hall, Mississippi State, MS 39762
ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
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2023- |
Assistant Professor Department of History Mississippi State University
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2022-2023 |
Postdoctoral Research Associate John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics Washington University in St. Louis |
EDUCATION
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2017-2022 |
Ph.D. in History, University of Notre Dame Dissertation: “Making Democracy Safe for Religion: The Catholic Argument for the ‘Nation Under God’ (1939-1965)” Committee: John T. McGreevy (Advisor); Kathleen S. Cummings; Darren Dochuk; Richard W. Garnett (Notre Dame Law School); Sarah E. Shortall
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2017-2019 |
M.A. in History, University of Notre Dame Comprehensive Examination Fields: Global Approaches to Catholic, US, and World History (Prof. John T. McGreevy) 20th-Century United States History (Prof. Darren Dochuk) Law and Religion in US History (Prof. Linda Przybyszewski)
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2015-2017 |
M.A. in History and Civilization, University of Pisa (Italy) Summa cum Laude Thesis Project: “‘In this Sign shall you conquer!’: Francis J. Spellman’s Military Vicariate and the Mobilization of American Catholics in World War II (1939-1945)”
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2012-2015 |
B.A. in History, University of Pisa (Italy) Summa cum Laude Thesis Project: “The Catholic Corporative Project in Cold War America: The Case of the Industry Council Plan (1945-1960)”
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2012-2017 |
Licentiate in History and Paleography, Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa (Italy) (Five-year education and research fellowship completed in tandem with B.A. and M.A. degrees at the University of Pisa).
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RESEARCH INTERESTS
American and Global Catholicism; 20th Century US and Global History; American Religious History.
PUBLICATIONS
Refereed Articles and Book Chapters
“Rome, Catholicism, and the Nation-State in America: Re-Centering a Debate?” In Religion Compass. First published: May 19, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec3.12459
“The Catholic Corporative Project in Cold War America. The Debate on the Industry Council Plan (1940-1960).” In A Christian Revolution: Dialogues on Social Justice and Democracy Between Europe and the Americas (1945-1965) Edited by Marta Busani and Paolo Valvo. (Roma: Studium, 2023): 83-105.
“Defending the Nation Under God: Global Catholicism, the Supreme Court, and the Secularist Specter (1946-1963).” Religion and American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation 32, no. 2 (2022): 267-303.
“Prospettive romane sugli Stati Uniti: I documenti della Congregazione Affari Ecclesiastici Straordinari e del Sant’Uffizio.” In La Santa Sede, gli Stati Uniti e le relazioni internazionali durante il pontificato di Pio XI: Studi dopo l’apertura degli archivi vaticani (1939-1958), edited by Roberto Regoli and Matteo Sanfilippo. (Roma: Studium, 2022): 258-269.
“Devozione a stelle e strisce. Cattolicesimo e americanismo nel Vicariato militare di Francis J. Spellman,” Archivio italiano per la storia della pietà 31 (2018): 347-382.
Public-Facing Writing
“Catholicism: A book discussion with John T. McGreevy.” American Catholic Studies Newsletter. January 19, 2023.
https://cushwa.nd.edu/news/catholicism-a-book-discussion-with-john-t-mcgreevy/
“Not Quite Silenced: What newly released documents tell us about the censoring of John Courtney Murray.” Commonweal. November 22, 2021. https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/not-quite-silenced
“J. C. Murray, the Vatican, and the Lay State Challenge.” The Immanent Frame. January 28, 2022.
http://tif.ssrc.org/2022/01/28/j-c-murray-the-vatican-and-the-lay-state-challenge/
GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS, AND AWARDS
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2023 |
Eli J. and Helen Shaheen Graduate School Award in Humanities at the University of Notre Dame ($5,000) |
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2020 |
Religion, Spirituality, and Democratic Renewal Fellowship, Social Science Research Council (SSRC) ($12,878) |
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Finalist for International Dissertation Research Fellowship, Social Science Research Council (SSRC) |
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Rome Seminar Fellowship, Notre Dame Global Gateway ($3,500) |
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Peter R. D’Agostino Research Travel Grant, Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism ($4,810) |
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2019 |
Eisenhower Foundation Research Travel Grant ($975) |
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Graduate Student Research Award, Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts ($4,537) |
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2018 |
Graduate Summer Travel & Research Grant, Nanovic Institute for European Studies ($3,067) |
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Graduate Student Research Award, Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts ($1,907) |
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2017 |
Five-Year Full Tuition and Stipend, University of Notre Dame Department of History |
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International Travel Grant for Archival Research, Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa (Italy) (€3,300) |
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2016 |
International Travel Grant for Archival Research, Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa (Italy) (€3,030) |
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2014 |
Summer Language Instruction Grant (German), Fondazione Amici della Scuola Normale (€1,500) |
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2012 |
Five-Year Full Tuition and Stipend, Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa (Italy)
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PRESENTATIONS AND CONFERENCES
Conferences
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2023 |
Selected Participant. “Beyond the Murray Affaire: The Holy See and American Religious Freedom (1945-1958).” Séminaire annuel – Les archives du pontificat de Pie XII: recherches en cours. École Française de Rome. February 8, 2023.
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2022 |
Invited Participant. “A ‘Vatican Atlantic Alliance’? Pius XII and the Role of US Papal Diplomats in the Cold War.” Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism. Rome Global Gateway. Rome (Italy). November 18, 2022.
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Invited Participant. “The Vatican, US Catholics, and the Cold War: New Perspectives.” Conference “Global Religion and American World-Making,” University of Notre Dame. April 8-9, 2022.
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Invited Participant. “The Pius XII Archives: New Roman Sources for the History of Global Catholicism.” Conference “Mapping Rome.” University of Notre Dame. March 17-19, 2022.
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Invited Participant. “Culture War(s) Within to Win the Culture War Without.” American Catholic Historical Association (ACHA) Annual Meeting, New Orleans. January 6-8, 2022.
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2021 |
Invited Participant. “The Catholic Debate on the ‘Guilds’ in Cold War America.” European Academy of Religion Annual Conference “Religion and Change,” Münster (Germany). August 30-September 1, 2021.
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Invited Participant. “Roman Perspectives on the US and American Catholicism (1945-1958): Open Questions and New Sources.” Research Meeting “War and Genocide, Reconstruction and Change: The Global Pontificate of Pius XII.” Co-Sponsored by the Deutsches Historisches Institut and the École Française, Rome (Italy). June 14-16, 2021.
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2020
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Canceled due to Covid-19. Invited Participant. “The Holy See and the United States in the Pacelli Era: New Sources, New Perspectives.” Conference “The Holy See and the US in Pius XII’s Archives: The State of the Question and the Archives.” Co-Sponsored by the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism and the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome (Italy). March 5-6, 2020.
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2018 |
Selected Participant. “‘In this Sign you shall conquer’: Catholicism and Americanism in the Church’s Mobilization for World War II.” Columbia University Department of Religion Graduate Student Conference “Legitimacy – Mythology – Epistemology: Religion and the Concept of the Political,” New York. April 7, 2018.
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Selected Participant. “‘In this Sign you shall conquer’: Catholicism and Americanism in the Church’s Mobilization for World War II.” Texas A&M University Annual Graduate History Conference “Conflicts and Resolutions,” College Station, TX. March 23-24, 2018.
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2017
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Declined. Selected Participant. “Fighting for the Catholic Soul of America: Dilemmas and Peculiarities of U.S. Catholic Mobilization in World War II.” European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) General Conference. Oslo (Norway). September 6-9, 2017. |
Invited Talks and Workshops
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2022 |
Workshop Presenter. “Winning the War, Winning the Peace: Some Crusaders at Last?” Meeting of the Midwest Intellectual History Group. The University of Chicago. October 20-21, 2022.
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2021 |
Invited Speaker. “Roman Arguments for the Nation Under God: The US Catholic Church from Everson Through Engel.” Freedom of Religion Seminar, Notre Dame Law School. October 25, 2021.
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2020 |
Invited Speaker. “Roman Arguments for the Nation Under God: The US Catholic Church from Everson Through Engel.” Church, State, and Society Colloquium, Notre Dame Law School. February 24, 2020.
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2019 |
Invited Presenter. “Roman Arguments for the Nation Under God: Cardinal Spellman and the US Church from Everson through Engel (1947-1962).” 10th Annual Law and Religion Roundtable. Toronto (Canada). June 20-21, 2019.
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2018 |
Invited Presenter. “‘America Fights for God-Given Rights:’ A Catholic Reading of American Freedoms in World War II.” 9th Annual Law and Religion Roundtable. Philadelphia. June 21-22, 2018. |
TEACHING
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2023, Fall |
Instructor, “Modern US History” Mississippi State University
Instructor, “History of Religion in America” Mississippi State University
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2023, Spring |
Instructor, “Catholicism Confronts Modernity: A Global History from the French Revolution to Pope Francis.” Washington University in St. Louis
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2020, Spring |
Teaching Assistant, “Catholicism Confronts Modernity.” (Prof. Sarah E. Shortall) University of Notre Dame
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2019, Fall |
Teaching Assistant, “History of Global Catholicism.” (Prof. John T. McGreevy) University of Notre Dame
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2019, Spring |
Teaching Assistant, “History of Modern Africa.” (Prof. Paul Ocobock) University of Notre Dame
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2018, Fall |
Teaching Assistant, “The New American Nation, 1787-1840” (Prof. James M. Lundberg) University of Notre Dame |
PROFESSIONAL AND ACADEMIC SERVICE
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2022-present |
Dissertation Committee Member for:
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2021-present |
Participant. Midwest Intellectual History Group.
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2021-present |
Participant. International Research Project “Occidentes. Horizons and Projects of Civilization in the Church of Pius XII.” Co-Sponsored by Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan (Italy); Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome (Italy); University of Navarra (Spain); Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Lisbon (Portugal). https://occidentes.hypotheses.org
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2020-2022 |
Planning Committee Member. Conference “Global Religion and American World-Making.” University of Notre Dame. April 8-9, 2022.
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2019 |
Steering Committee Member. Conference “Global History and Catholicism.” University of Notre Dame. April 4-6, 2019.
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2018-2020 |
Co-Director. Colloquium of Religion and History. University of Notre Dame. Organizing and leading a weekly workshop attended by faculty, graduate students, and guest presenters working on any topic in religious history. |
LANGUAGES
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Reading comprehension
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French, German, Spanish, Latin, Ancient Greek
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Elementary knowledge |
Russian |
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
American Historical Association
American Catholic Historical Association
Society for United States Intellectual History