Dr. Rachel Davies is a research fellow of religion and theology in the Department of Medieval and Early Modern Studies at Australian Catholic University.
Rachel has been a visiting lecturer at Newman University in the United Kingdom and Walla Walla University in the United States. She has worked as a pastor and chaplain in the United States, and as a researcher and fundraiser for humanitarian organizations in India, Serbia, and Zimbabwe.
Born in Canada, she holds degrees from Walla Walla University (B.A., Theology), Heythrop College (M.A., Christian Spirituality, University of London), and Durham University (Ph.D., Theology).
Rachel’s research explores how premodern traditions dealing with spiritual poverty, suffering and the paschal mystery can enrich contemporary reflection on the nature of selfhood. Her first book, "Bonaventure, the Body and the Aesthetics of Salvation" (2020), used Bonaventure’s theological aesthetics and anthropology to address pressing anxieties around experiences of bodily diminishment.
Her current book responds to Mother Teresa’s critics by contextualizing her relationship with suffering within the history of Western mysticism, 19th century continental philosophy, European colonialism, and Indian politics.
Most recently, Rachel has become interested in how landscapes (e.g. deserts, gardens, forests, mountains, seas) function in mystical itineraries of the soul. Her next project will use this literature to develop contemplative practices aimed at healing the self’s relationship with threatened ecosystems, especially in Australia.