This was my first Socrel Conference and I have to say that I found it such a valuable and engaging experience that I joined the group straight away on my return. It certainly was an intensive programme with early starts and late finishes, and I must admit that I wondered beforehand whether I would find enough to interest me. However I actually found myself facing very hard decisions about which panel to miss.
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PhD successes!
One of the vital features of the life of a department of religious studies (and of every other field or subject) is supervising PhD students. Since 2001 we have celebrated the successful completion of PhDs by twenty of our students. Our most recent PhD graduates were awarded their degrees at a ceremony in London’s Barbican Centre in March 2014. They were Dr Sarah Flew and Dr Max Fras. Sarah’s thesis was about the finance of Anglican home missions in late Victorian London. Max’s was about the Catholic Church and public life in post-Communist Poland. We look forward to seeing publications arising from these theses soon.
Welcome!
Welcome to our blog. ‘Contemporary Religion in Historical Perspective’ is the broad research theme of the Religious Studies department at The Open University.
As a department we seek to apply a range of approaches and methods to a wide array of religious and other-than-religious phenomena. We are interested in contemporary religion, and its interactions with culture, society and politics. However, we are also fascinated by issues of continuity and change, and seek to inform our study and understanding of religion with historical perspective. Last year we ran an international conference on this theme, and this blog will encourage further reflection on the various themes and issues explored.
Contributors to this blog will include department members, Associate Lecturers from the Open University’s regions and nations, and our various Ph.D students. We’ll talk about ourselves and our work and interests, we’ll comment or contribute to news-worthy discussions, and we’ll celebrate developments in the study of religions.
Dr Graham Harvey (Head of Department) and Dr John Maiden (Director of Teaching)