Professor of History Charles Keith delivered the 2026 Annual Distinguished Lecture of the GL Louis Religious Pluralism initiative at the National University of Singapore on January 31, bringing together scholars and students for an evening of discussion on the global history of Catholicism and empire.
The lecture, titled “New Histories of Catholicism and Empire,” surveyed two decades of scholarship examining how imperial conquest and colonial encounters shaped the modern Catholic Church, and how the Church, in turn, influenced imperial power during the 19th and 20th centuries.
The event opened with welcome remarks from Associate Professor Jack Meng-Tat Chia, assistant dean of research in NUS’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and co-chair of the GL Louis Religious Pluralism Research Cluster, followed by opening remarks from Associate Professor Nur Amali Ibrahim, co-chair designate of the cluster. Dr. Keith’s lecture was followed by a Q&A session that allowed attendees to engage more deeply with the implications of this evolving field of research.
The distinguished lecture is part of the GL Louis Religious Pluralism initiative’s ongoing efforts to foster interdisciplinary conversations on religion, power, and society in a global context.