Rachel Al Rubai

Rachel (she/her) is a doctoral student at the Department for the Study of Religion with a collaborative specialization in Mediterranean Archaeology. Her research investigates early female Christian ascetic communities and their development in the late antique Mediterranean from the 4th–5th century CE. She obtained her BA at the University of Toronto in History (2018), an MA in Medieval Studies at the Centre for Medieval Studies (2019), and a graduate diploma in Museum and Cultural Management focusing on Collections Management (2020). She is particularly interested in sacred space and material culture, the transmission of ascetic ideals through social networks, and uncovering female agency and amplifying the voices of women in history.