Samuel O'Connor Perks

I am an intellectual historian and philosopher of culture. My research interests lie at the intersection of religion, politics and culture, primarily in the 20th century. I obtained my PhD from the Institute of Philosophy, KU Leuven, where I wrote a thesis on the interaction between Catholicism and modernist architecture. I am currently in the process of transforming this into a book with Brill publishers. My current Leverhulme funded project engages with modern Catholic socio-political ideas, and in particular, those relating to conversion and processes of radicalisation, especially in the context of labour solidarity and critiques of capitalism. The title of the project is "Radical Conversions: Catholicism, Welfare, and Labour in the 20th Century" and draws on both political theology and intellectual history through the lens of four activist intellectuals: Peter Maurin, Dorothy Day, Simone Weil and Marie-Dominique Chenu. 

I have published articles on modern Catholic thought and aesthetic theory in the Architectural Theory Review, the Journal of Art Historiography, and the International Journal for History, Culture and Modernity among others.