English doctoral candidate Peter Diamond was named a 2026 Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellow last month.
The fellowship supports work that “demonstrates moral or ethical or theological/religious relevance with nuance, depth, and intellectual sophistication,” according to a May 11 press release from the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation. The dissertation — titled “Separatists among Separatists: Protestant Dissent and the Exile Narrative in Early America” — draws on historical archives to highlight the tension between faith, power, and resistance in early America.
Diamond is one of 20 doctoral candidates to receive the fellowship this year. Since its creation in 1981, the fellowship has funded over 1,400 recipients across the nation.
In an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian, Diamond explained that his work focuses on “Radical Protestantism” — in particular, the conflict between “the egalitarian ideas that emerged in that religious movement” and “the lived reality of colonial life, including dispossession, exploitation, and slavery.”
Diamond said his dissertation was inspired by his work at Penn Libraries with the creation of the Digital Beehive, which is “an interactive resource for studying” a manuscript written by Francis Daniel Pastorius from 1696 to 1719 that serves as “a compendium and digest of knowledge.”
According to Diamond, Pastorius’ writings connect “radical religious ideas with a lot of interesting political commentary on early American life.”
He said that Pastorius became one of the “anchor figures” of the dissertation, adding that he has also found other “radical dissenters who are still nonetheless very important to early American colonial life.”
“I became kind of obsessed with him as a figure to study,” Diamond said.
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In addition, Diamond noted the influence of his own experience growing up surrounded by a variety of religious traditions.
“I had these little pockets of exposure that were idiosyncratic and all over the map, but which were always meaningful to me,” he said.
Diamond, who occasionally attended synagogue while growing up, said that he was “really drawn to the scholarly and literary nature of Jewish practice” but added that he was similarly inspired by an experience visiting a Catholic monastery in Vermont.
Receiving the Newcombe Fellowship gave Diamond the “gift” of another funded year to pursue his research.
“Every year can make a huge difference,” he said.
Diamond explained his hopes to use the extra time to “deepen the research apparatus of [his] dissertation” by including relevant primary sources and manuscripts in his analysis.
“Now I feel like I have the time to produce something that feels revised,” he said.
