Ms Amy L. Daniels

Amy L. Daniels is a Lecturer in the Department of Ancient Studies at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. Currently, she is a visiting fellow at the Department of Classics at the University of Oxford, under the Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx) Visiting Fellowship programme, collaborating with Prof. Stephen Harrison at Corpus Christi College. Ms Daniels’ research explores the intersection of social identity, and power in the texts of Augustine of Hippo. Her current PhD work examines St. Augustine’s sermons against the Donatists, using a decolonizing discourse-historical approach. She has previously published on decolonial perspectives in classical studies and was awarded the Erasmus+ Scholarship to attend Radboud University’s Summer School on Critical Discourse Studies. Ms Daniels holds an MPhil in Ancient Cultures and a BA Hons in German Studies, both from Stellenbosch University, and has extensive teaching experience with a focus on decoloniality.

During her fellowship at Oxford, Ms Daniels will advance her project, “St Augustine Against the Donatists & Their Martyrological Causa.” This study aims to uncover how Augustine’s rhetoric shaped religious and social dynamics in North Africa, potentially challenging Roman hegemony. By analysing Augustine’s discourse, her work seeks to illuminate African perspectives within early Christian conflicts, contributing to a more inclusive understanding of historical narratives.