Religion

Every commune had to have one - Diana Webb explains how the cult of a holy man or woman and civic PR went hand-in-hand in medieval Italy.

Greg Walker reassesses the evidence for believing that Lollard 'known men' and other evangelicals acted as the underground army that undermined the medieval Catholicism of Henry VIII's church.

Edward Norman on the Eastern promise of Western sainthood to be encountered in the Church of the Bom Jesus in Goa.

Peter Heehs describes how Hindu revivalism stiffened resistance to colonial rule in British India.

The debate over the role of women in the Anglican church continues to rage in the UK. A historical look at the role of women in Christianity is presented.

A mission to the heathen? Hugh MacLeod looks at working-class attitudes towards organised Christianity in fin de siecle Berlin and other urban centres.

Akbar Ahmed looks at the legacy of a Moorish past for the present Spain.

Maria Dowling considers the contribution of Henry VIII's queens in promoting new learning and religion at the Tudor court.

Akbar Ahmed offers the most timely review of how history and stereotype have often combined to make Western Orientalism a hindrance rather than a help in mutual understanding between two cultures.