New Publication

Dead Sea Scrolls. George J. Brooke has published "Ritual as a Locus of Narrative, Liturgical and Prophetic Time in Some Sectarian Dead Sea Scrolls" in Performance, Space, and Time in the Dead Sea Scrolls: Papers from the Eleventh Meeting of the International Organization for Qumran Studies, Zürich 2022, edited by Michael B. Johnson, Jutta Jokiranta, and Molly M. Zahn (Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah 154; Brill, 2025): 148–162. Further information.

Bogdanow Lectures 2026

Jewish Studies Event. We are delighted to announce that the Bogdanow Lectures in Holocaust Studies 2026 will be given by Professor Susannah Heschel, the Eli M. Black Distinguished Professor and chair of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College and currently the Gerard Weinstock Visiting Professor of Jewish Studies at Harvard University. Her scholarship focuses on Jewish thought in Germany during the 19th and 20th centuries, including the history of antisemitism. The Bogdanow lectures are titled: The Yellow Star in Church: Baptized Jews in Nazi Germany; and It's Happening Here: Antisemitism in the United States and will be held on 16 & 17 February 2026, 5.30pm Samuel Alexander SG.16.

Hanukkah Celebration

Event for everyone. All colleagues, students and the wider community are invited to take part in a public lighting of the menorah, with live music, hot chocolate and doughnuts. Tuesday 16 December, 6pm, Brunswick Park (outside Simon Building), no sign up necessary, just come along. Further information.

New Publication

Hindu studies. Rosie Edgley and our HRF Jacqueline Suthren Hirst, ‘Addressing plurality in Madhusūdana’s Gītā commentary’, in Brian Black and James Madaio (eds), Provincialising Pluralism: Difference and Diversity in South Asian Traditions, (London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2025), pp.321-344. Madhusūdana Sarasvatī was a prolific sixteenth century writer in the Advaita Vedānta Sanskrit tradition. The article argues that Madhusūdana uses this commentary to allow space for three different 'flavours' of contemporary Advaitin practice. Further information.

New Religious Studies Society

For students. We’re excited to announce the launch of the Religious Studies Society! The society is open to everyone, whether you’re studying religion or not, and we hope to create a diverse and welcoming community for anyone interested in faith, spirituality and philosophy, and the ways they intersect with culture and everyday life. We plan to have a wide range of events and socials to suit all interests, from interfaith discussions and guest lectures, study sessions and even club nights, so there will definitely be something for everyone! As a new society we’re excited to bring together students with shared interests and we can’t wait to welcome you to our events and build a new vibrant and inclusive community on campus. Please follow us on Instagram - rs_uom or drop us an email at religiousstudies@manchesterstudentsunion.com.

Community Conversation, hosted by Duncan Iveson

Religion, civil society, and the academy. An event entitled 'Religious tolerance in Manchester' took place 9 December at the University. Hosted by the President, Duncan Iveson, the aim of the evening was to acknowledge Manchester's difficult recent past and the Heaton Park Synagogue tragedy, and to use the university as a forum for discussing contested views among religious communities and civic society, and for academics to contribute to shaping those discussions. Religious and civic leaders spoke, including the Deputy Mayor Karen Green, preceded by an academic panel comprising Daniel Langton (on Judaism and antisemitism in the UK), Kamran Karimullah (on Diversity, Islam and Islamophobia in the UK), Eve Parker (on Religiosity and cohesion in Greater Manchester) and Hilary Pilkington (on the use and abuse of religion in extremist narratives). Further information.

Climate Change Film

Christian studies. The Religion, Theology and Climate Change project, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, has produced a short film to present some of its findings. Principal Investigator Peter Scott writes: “The project was always envisaged to have practical recommendations—taken together with the Report, this film makes these recommendations available to an audience beyond the academy.” You can watch the film here: Religion, Theology and Climate Change - YouTube.

Robotics Innovation Showcase

Digital humanities. Scott Midson was one of the speakers at the "Cradle: Robotics Innovation Showcase - Where Research Meets Reality" event on 27 November, representing the University’s Centre for Robotics and AI. Further information.

Board Member Position

International collaboration. Sarah Parkhouse has joined the board of North American Society for the Study of Christian Apocryphal Literature (NASSCAL).

New Publication

Jewish studies. HRF Helen R. Jacobus has published "Reconsidering the Redating of Five Jewish Documents in the 1990s: Updated Radiocarbon Dating Programs, Coins and Contracts From the Bar Kokhba Era,", co-written with Fiona Brock, Revue de Qumran 37.1 [125]: 3-39. Further information.

Student & Staff Festive Pizza Party

Event. Everyone from R&T and Liberal Arts are invited to a Festival Pizza Party, 4.30pm, Lime Cafe (bottom floor Samuel Alexander South Wing), Weds 3rd December.

Going Beyond Belief Highlights

Public resource. How do religions feature in sports today? On Adam North's Going Beyond Belief page on Sports and Religion, he explores commonalities between religion and sport, including rituals, communal traditions, leaders and role models, and a quest for transcendence. He asks questions such as can sports change the world for the better, and should we be critical of professional sports? This page, aimed at RS A-level students, is based on Adam’s PhD research and it is complementary to Radio 4’s Beyond Belief programme on the Olympics. This page could form the basis of an A-Level EPQ or it might be the kind of thing that inspires A-Level students to take their studies further after college or school!

Didsbury Lectures 2025

Christian Theology. Over the four evenings of 27-30 October, HRF Stephen Barton gave the Didsbury Lectures 2025 at the Nazarene Theological College, Manchester, on the theme, ‘The conversion of the emotions in early Christianity’. The lectures were live-streamed and are accessible on here on YouTube.