Mary Gates Endowment for Students

Samuel Abraham

Project

An Update to the Oxford Bibliography Entry for “The Oxford Movement”: Trajectories and Trends in Tractarian Scholarship

The Oxford Movement was a campaign by a group of nineteenth-century Anglican clergy to reform the Church of England’s understanding of theology, worship, ecclesiology, and much more. This movement has been the object of much scholarship, and in order to aid researchers who are studying the movement, my project was to update the existing 2009 Oxford Bibliography, reflecting the new research. Through this work, I found various trends in recent scholarship, which required me to change some of the structure of the article; there has been much interest in the international reception of Tractarianism, as well as in Christina Rossetti. The bibliography is now reorganized and up-to-date, with the new sources summarized and embedded appropriately in the article.

What I learned

I didn’t just become an expert in the Oxford Movement because of this project: I became a discerning scholar. I had to sift through a huge amount of scholarship and accurately understand what it all said. Presenting the research at the Undergraduate Research Symposium helped me to stay grounded and consider the impact of my work. The whole process made me a far better student.

Advice for future applicants

To find a project, ask your professors what they are working on and whether you can help! My project came from a professor asking me to join him in the research—having a knowledgeable mentor who was personally invested in the work made this a successful and enjoyable project.

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