Joseph F. Byrnes; Professor Emeritus; Modern European History; Oklahoma State University. Joseph.Byrnes@okstate.edu
I came to the study of modern European History as a participant in a living tradition, a French Catholic congregation of missionary priests; my démarche since that time is reflected in teaching, research, and writing: world religions, social and institutional history of Christianity, and religious and national identity in modern France. I presume to present what the French would call an égo-biographie as the Preface for Catholic and French Forever: Religious and National identity in Modern France, viewable here. In my hours of archival work across the second half of my career as a Professor of Modern European History at Oklahoma State University, I have privileged research on the Catholic Church during the revolutionary decade of 1789-1799, and the religious experience and expression of churchmen and soldiers in World War I. The most recent books are Priests of the French Revolution: Saints and Renegades for a New Political Era (2014) and God on the Western Front: Soldiers and Religion in World War I (2023), a history of official religion (chaplains and soldier clergy) and everyday soldier religion on the western front—and so France, Germany, and England. Current dictionary projects are presented on this web site also.
Graduate Experience
Ph.D., University of Chicago, 1976, Religious Studies
M.A., University of Chicago, 1974, Religious Studies
M.A., University of Notre Dame, 1967, Liturgical Research
Professional Experience
Professor, History, OSU, 1988-2014
Professor, Religious Studies, OSU, 1986-1988
Associate Professor, Humanities and Religious Studies, OSU, 1981-1986
Assistant Professor, Humanities and Religious Studies, OSU, 1977-1981
Awards, Grants and Honors
DaVinci Fellow, 2007, DaVinci Institute (Oklahoma)
Professor of the Year Award, OSU History Club, 2002, 2009, 2014
Oklahoma Humanities Council Research Grant, 2004, Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris
OSU Department of History, Research Grants, 1995-2013
OSU Arts and Sciences Research Travel Grant, 2002, Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris
OSU Arts and Sciences Dean's Incentive Grant, 1999, Archives Nationales, Paris
Oklahoma Humanities Council Research Grant, 1998, Archives Nationales, Paris
Oklahoma Foundation for the Humanities Research Grant, 1996, Archives Nationales, Paris
Oklahoma Foundation for the Humanities Research Grant, 1994, Service historique de l'armée de terre, Chateau de Vincennes (Paris)
Oklahoma Foundation for the Humanities Research Grant, 1992, Archives Départementales, Rouen and Grenoble
NEH Travel to Collections Grant, 1991, Archives Nationales, Paris
Southwestern Bell Research Fellow, 1989, Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma Foundation for the Humanities Research Grant, 1990, Newberry Library, Chicago
Research Fellow, Institute for the Advanced Study of Religion, University of Chicago, 1981-1982
Research Fellow, Institute for the Medical Humanities, University of Texas Medical Branch, 1980-1981