Vincent Roy-Di Piazza

DPhil Student

vincent.roy-dipiazza@history.ox.ac.uk

Research Topic

The interaction between soul and body in Emanuel Swedenborg's philosophical, anatomical and theological writings

My doctoral research focuses on the soul-body theories of Swedish parliamentarian, natural philosopher and mystic theologian Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772), a topic he explored all his life, both prior and after he claimed to receive the ability to speak with the spirits of the dead. This thematic study will proceed to a substantial revision of Swedenborg's intellectual development. My broader themes of research include Scandinavian science, the religious Enlightenment and currents related to Swedenborg's posterity (spiritualism, occultism, Romantic literature, anti-slavery, mysticism). Within the context of Nordic, British and French studies, I also have a particular interest for literary representations of the afterlife, history of anatomy, traveling literature, and discourses on the North / Borealism.

Supervisor: Professor Robert Iliffe

Current doctoral scholarships:

• Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC-DTP) | British Research Council

• Gilbert Ryle Scholar | Linacre College, University of Oxford

• Doctoral Scholar of the Swedenborg Society (First recipient) | The Swedenborg Society, UK

Education:

• BA, English Studies | Sorbonne Nouvelle

• BA, Nordic Studies | Sorbonne

• MA, Religious Studies | École Pratique des Hautes Études (First class honours)

• MA, History and Philosophy of Science | École Normale Supérieure de Paris (First class honours)

Latest publication:

'Ghosts from other planets': plurality of worlds, afterlife and satire in Emanuel's Swedenborg De Telluribus in mundo nostro solari (1758) | Journal article | Annals of Science, September 2020

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00033790.2020.1817557

Teaching:

• ‘History of physics'
• ‘History of madness and mental healing in a global context’
• ‘History of science’
• ‘The Scientific movement in the 17th century’

Personal page:

https://oxford.academia.edu/VincentRoyDiPiazza