World Dance Day

Religion and dance. To celebrate International Dance Day (29 April), see Alan Williams's article 'Anniversary and Ecstasy: Rumi’s samā‘ / sema as expressive and commemorative rite' in From Daēnā to Dîn, ed. by C. Allison et al (Harrassowitz Verlag, 2009).

Postgraduate Summer Research Showcase

Calling postgraduates. The Postgraduate Summer Research Showcase is taking place on Thu 16 June 2022. Submit your poster abstract before 9 May for your chance to win one of three £350 prizes! You can also take part in the ‘Research in Action’ image competition to potentially win £150. The showcase is a great way to highlight your research, practice conference poster presentations and network with peers and academics across the university. You can use existing posters that you already have, or if you’re in need of some inspiration you can look at two previous winning posters on our webpage. Contact psrs@manchester.ac.uk if you have any questions. Further information.

Podcast, Screen & Talk discussion

Jewish Studies. Cathy Gelbin and Katja Stuerzenhofecker co-organized the online streaming and panel discussion of The Commissar (Soviet Union 1967) on 7 April 2022 under the auspices of the Centre for Jewish Studies. A recording of the discussion with international experts is now available. Watch on YouTube.

Research paper, University of Aberdeen

New Testament Studies. Andy Boakye presented a paper entitled 'Fallen Man, Risen Christ: Paul and the Polemics of Resurrection' at the University of Aberdeen Divinity school research seminar. 27 April 2022.

Doctoral and ECR training workshop

For UK-based Jewish Studies research postgraduates. The Centre for Jewish Studies at Manchester University is pleased to announce the sixth doctoral and early career research training event of the Northern UK and Dublin Jewish Studies Partnership. Advanced PhD students and post-doctoral researchers from Partnership institutions and other UK Universities can apply to participate in a range of online sessions taking place on 13-14 June 2022. Applications from outside the UK will be considered. The event will include sessions on interviewing for lectureships from an interviewer’s point of view, academics working in university/research administration, the role of research question/methodology in publications and funding applications, as well as current trends in the academic treatment of the Jewish Muslim Encounter and Filmic Representations of Jews in Post-1990s Europe. There will also be an event engaging with PGR/ECR researchers in Ukraine. Participants will be able to meet experienced staff for informal, one-to-one advice on any aspect of their research, career planning or publication priorities. For programme and further information, see http://www.manchesterjewishstudies.org/n-uk-js-partnership/. Register for this free event by submitting the online form https://forms.office.com/r/6ecGGvH0C7 by 20 May 2022.

New publication

Christian studies. PhD student Seoyoung Kim (supervised by Peter Scott) has published her first article: Seoyoung Kim, 'The story of the Samaritan woman and Jesus (John 4:1-42) focusing on water within an ecofeminist theological perspective' in Practical Theology (2022). Further information.

Book launch event

Christian studies. To launch the new book Lived Experiences and Social Transformations as part of Brill's Theology in Practice Series, LTI research fellow Wren Radford, will be in conversation with Phillis Sheppard and Heather Walton, hosted by Elaine Graham. 25 May at 7pm. There will be time for Q&A with attendees. Brill will also be offering attendees of the launch a 25% discount on the book. Free event, book tickets here: https://tinyurl.com/mwdsyuen

Women’s Talmud Day

Jewish Studies. To mark International Women’s Talmud Day (24 April), we highlight Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz’ ethnographic study Challenge and Conformity (2021) which explores the religious lives of Orthodox Jewish women in Britain. Women’s access to Talmud study is discussed in chapter 3 ‘The View from the Ladies’ Gallery: Women’s “Official” Life in the Community’. Further information.

New publication

Christian studies. R&T hon. research fellow Peter Nockles has contributed a number of entries including 'Hare, Julius Charles (1795-1855)'; 'Horne, George (1730-92)'; 'Hawkins, Edward (1789-1882' to The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, Andrew Louth, ed., 4th Revised edition (Oxford University Press, 2022). Further information.

New post: Language Tutor in Modern Hebrew (part time)

Language Experience for All Programme (LEAP). "You must possess near-native command of both Hebrew and English; demonstrate excellent language-teaching skills; and have an educational background appropriate to the delivery of the specified duties. Experience of teaching and assessing advanced Hebrew language skills at tertiary level, in person and online, are essential. Experience teaching in UK higher education and a track record in curriculum development are highly desirable..." Deadline: 13 May 2022. Further information.

Research project, Howarth Art Gallery

Art and heritage. R&T hon. research fellow John Broadley has participated in a research project at Howarth Art Gallery, Accrington. The research involved using the collections at the Local Studies Library to identify the original paintings that form the gallery's original collection as well as tracing the chronology of the acquisition of that collection. This is part of the gallery's centenary celebrations (delayed due to Covid). Further information.

New publication

Christian studies. R&T hon. research fellow John Broadley, edited with Peter Phillips, Not Bread But Yeast: Selected Writings of Michael Williams, Catholic Archives Society (Manchester: Koinonia Press, 2022).

Online resource

Religion and Gender. The 'Religion, Culture and Gender Guides' site was created in 2014 by Katja Stuerzenhofecker, Lecturer in Gender Studies in Religion, in collaboration with students on her undergraduate course unit Religion, Culture and Gender. It explores different aspects of gender issues in Jewish and Christian communities in contemporary Britain, with contributions from individual students who have produced electronic Guides for inclusion in the archive as part of their course work. Further information.

New publication

Christian Studies. Peter Scott, ‘Theology after Marxism?’ in Marxism Religion and Emancipatory Politics, edited by Peter McMylor Graeme Kirkpatrick and Simin Fadee (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022). The volume has been published in the ‘Marx Engels and Marxisms’ series and is the outcome of a colloquium organised by colleagues in the School of Social Sciences at The University of Manchester. Further information.

Earth Day

Christian Theology. To celebrate Earth Day (22 April), we highlight some recent studies by  Peter Scott, including 'Political theologies in the Anthropocene', in Eco-Theology: Essays in Honor of Sigurd Bergmann. H-G Heimbrock & J. Persch (2021); 'Rethinking love in the Anthropocene: The work of love towards nature in the age of technological substitutability' in Love, Technology and Theology ed by S. Midson (2020); and 'God's Work Through the Emergence of Humanity' in T&T Clark Handbook of Christian Theology and Climate Change, eds. H.P. Koster & E.M. Conradie (2019). Peter Scott also joins a panel on “Re-ordering Nature: Philosophy, Ethics, Theology and the New Science of Gene Drives” at the May 2022 conference Contestations In Land And Agriculture (landcontestations-conference.com) to be held at the University of Oxford, and is a member of the Religion and the Natural Environment workshop hosted by the Centre of Theological inquiry in Princeton.

New post: Lecturer in Liberal Arts

Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Religious Studies. "You will be key to the delivery of the Liberal Arts programme and should be committed to interdisciplinary research and teaching and interested in cross-cutting methodologies, issues and themes across the humanities. You must have a PhD or equivalent in a relevant field of specialisation, namely interdisciplinary religious studies, and demonstrable teaching experience at university level..." Deadline: 9 May 2022. Further information.

Careers Service

Opportunities and events. Are you graduating in 2022? Looking to kick-start your career in Manchester? MGT advertises paid graduate-level roles within a range of organisations, including UoM! Sign up to the MGT 2022 Facebook Group and Vacancy Bulletin to hear first about our new roles. Interested in teaching either RE or another subject after graduation? Applications to join Teach First are still open until 5th May. Further details can be found on the Teach First website.

Conference paper report, EABS

Biblical Studies. PhD student Sherry Ashworth was amongst those contributing to the EABS' Graduate Symposium in Prague, with a paper entitled 'It's complicated: The relationship between Esther and Mordecai in the Book of Esther, mediated by Charles Dickens' novel, Bleak House' (30 March 2022). She reports: "At the very end of March I presented a paper at the European Association of Biblical Studies’ Graduate Symposium. The Symposium is intended for PhD candidates who might not have presented before (like me!) and is a very supportive, while scholarly rigorous, event. It was fascinating to meet other biblical scholars from all over Europe, and as ever, I was impressed at how excellent everyone’s English is, and was keenly aware that many students were presenting in a second language. I was struck by the diversity of methodologies, given that the Bible is such a small text – it’s a bit like the Tardis in there! The conference organisers took us for a tour of Jewish Prague, led by the Jewish Museum director. This is an emotionally gruelling experience, as the devastation caused by the Holocaust is very immediate and tends to drown out the other aspects of Jewish history, such as the ancient cemetery with the grave of the Maharal of Prague, AKA Rabbi Loew, the inventor of the legend of the Golem. The tour ended with a visit to the beautiful Spanish Synagogue, which is used by the progressive Jewish community of Prague, and so plays host to bat mitzvahs, thus looking toward an egalitarian Jewish future in the city."

Final dissertation briefing

Dissertation help for third years. Andy Boakye has arranged a series of slides to help with last minute preparation for your dissertation. He will also host an FAQs clinic on Mon 25 April at 3pm via Zoom, details to follow. Note: Dissertations are due in via Turnitin by noon on 28 April (5 May for DASS students). For further information and advice, contact andrew.boakye@manchester.ac.uk

Call for Papers, Abusing God, Manchester

Biblical Studies and Gender. Call for papers for the first colloquium of the AHRC funded "Abusing God: Reading the Bible in the #MeToo Age" network We are pleased to announce the launch of a new AHRC Network with a call for papers (maximum of 30 mins) from academics and practitioners at any stage of their career for the first of two colloquia on the theme of Abusing God: Reading the Bible in the #Metoo Age. With this call for papers, we seek contributions that address the theme of coercive control. We are especially interested to have papers that address critical responses to the #MeToo movement and abuse. The conference aims to address a range of perspectives including ethnicity, race, class, disability, sexuality, gender and sex. We welcome presentations in a range of forms, including but not limited to papers, interactive presentations, q&as or other creative formats. Once abstracts have been received, the conference organizers will pair academics and practitioners on the basis of their interests in order to facilitate collaborative reflection. Please send abstracts (maximum 300 words) and a short bio to: Holly Morse and Kirsi Cobb at abusinggodahrc@gmail.com by 13 May 2022.

Symposium, Hexing the Patriarchy, Manchester

Religious Studies and witchcraft. "Hexing the Patriarchy, Spellcasting for Change and Demonic Democracies: Explorations of Magical Activism and Enchanted Politics." This one day symposium at the University of Manchester on 26 May 2022 will bring together activists and academics who practice and research the growth of magical knowledge and magical activism in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, particularly within the UK and Ireland. The aim of the symposium is to explore interdisciplinary issues relating to magical practices and the increased visibility of enchanted politics in modern and contemporary social media, artistic, protest and popular cultures. For the full programme of speakers and link to free tickets for the in person event please see https://hollymorse.wixsite.com/hexingthepatriarchy If you would like to join the event online, please email the organiser holly.morse@manchester.ac.uk

BBC Radio 4, Beyond Belief

New Testament Studies. Andy Boakye appeared as part of a panel discussion on 'Resurrection'. 4pm, 18 April 2022. Listen again.

World Art Day, Biblical Studies

Biblical Studies. To celebrate World Art Day (15 April), see Holly Morse's online exhibition entry 'Eve's Punishment' in The Visual Commentary on Scripture (Kings College London, 2019) and the online exhibition 'Jerusalem: Fall of a City: Rise of a Vision' (Nottingham, 2017).

World Art Day, Practical Theology

Practical Theology. To celebrate World Art Day (15 April), see Clare Radford, 'Creative arts-based research methods in practical theology: constructing new theologies of practice' in Practical Theology 13:1-2 (2020).

Blog entry, Teach-Explore-Apply

Religious studies and inclusion. Holly Morse has written on the subject of inclusion for Teach-Explore-Apply, the blog for the Institute of Teaching and Learning. "It’s important to recognize that students are academics too, studying alongside us, but earlier on in their journey. Even if they don’t plan to pursue academia in the long term, while they are here students should feel like a part of our community. They are becoming experts in a field, and in order to respect that journey you have to take a holistic approach to education..." Further information.

Reading Group, Phenomenology

Jean-Luc Nancy's The Muses. All meetings will take place on Wednesdays, at 5pm via zoom. Please contact Professor Alex Samely (alex.samely@manchester.ac.uk) for a zoom invite. Next meetings: 20 April, 4 May. Further information.

Religions & Theology Research Seminar

Poverty and theology. Dr Chris Shannahan (University of Coventry) “Transforming Structural Injustice’: Poverty, Theology and Discipleship in an Age of Austerity” 16:00 - 17:30 12 May 2022. The Religions & Theology research seminar takes place on alternate Thursdays. This is a zoom-only session. Please register to receive the Zoom link by emailing andrew.boakye@manchester.ac.uk. Seminars last 90 minutes including a 30 minute Q&A session.

Blog entry, EDI at Manchester

Religious studies. Holly Morse has written on Equality and Diversity from the perspective of religious studies. "For us in the Department of Religions and Theology, equality and diversity are at the heart of our work. As an educator in the field of religion, I see a major aim of my research, teaching and outreach to be the endeavour to prepare young people to be engaged, sensitive and fair-minded citizens, who understand, engage with and celebrate difference and diversity. From work supporting the Church of England’s Anti-Racism Initiative, to research on austerity and its impact on religious life, and extensive work on tackling anti-semitism and supporting better Jewish-Christian relations, helping to improve religious literacy as a means of supporting greater equality is at the core of our department’s work..." Further information.

Public lectures online, Jewish and Muslim studies

Jewish and Muslim Studies. CJS Hon. Research Fellow Michael Hilton announces the coming programme for the course 'Judaism and Islam: A shared history' that he is leading with Dr Harith Ramli. 10 May: 'Why we love Jerusalem.' Jewish and Muslim traditions and teachings about the holy city. 14 June: 'The Jewish Orientalists.' The little-known story of the leading Western scholars of, and enthusiasts for Islam, who came from Jewish backgrounds. This lecture, the culmination of the course, is the Rabbi Dr David J. Goldberg Memorial Lecture. On Zoom and in-person. Liberal Jewish Synagogue. Booking and further details from Debi Penhey.

Research paper, Parkes Institute, University of Southampton

Biblical Studies and gender. Holly Morse will give a talk entitled ''Falling for the Devil: Eve and the Witch in Modern Feminist Activism and Anti-Witchcraft Ideology'' for the Parkes Institute for Jewish/Non-Jewish Relations, University of Southampton, via Zoom on 10 May at 18.00. Further information.

Panel event, Oxford University

Religion and Environment. Peter Scott joins a panel discussion on recent developments in agriculture technologies, as part of the conference 'Contestations in Land and Agriculture', taking place 16-18 May 2022 at Christ Church, Oxford, and hosted by the Laudato Si' Research Institute and the McDonald Centre for Theology, Ethics and Public Life.

Ehrhardt Seminar, Centre for Biblical Studies

Esther and Dickens. Sherry Ashworth, University of Manchester, ‘It's complicated: the relationship between Esther and Mordecai, mediated by Charles Dickens' Bleak House.’ 14:00 - 15:30 05 May 2022. The Centre for Biblical Studies weekly seminar series. Sessions will take place in a hybrid format - attendance is possible in person or online via Zoom. To register to attend online, please email siobhan.jolley@manchester.ac.uk.

Screen & Talk, film showing

Jewish Studies. The Centre for Jewish Studies and the Department of Drama at Manchester University are pleased to announce that the next Screen & Talk event will be the streaming of ‘The Commissar’ Aleksandr Askoldov’s topical Soviet film The Commissar (1967) tells the story of a pregnant Red Army commissar, who stays with a Jewish family to give birth during the Russian civil war in Ukraine. Co-written by the Ukrainian Jewish writer Vassiliy Grossman, the film was among the rare productions of its era that featured Jewish protagonists and referenced the Holocaust in ways that subtly undermined the Soviet-state narrative of revolutionary heroism. The film and its director were immediately banned after completion and Commissar premiered internationally only at the 1988 Berlin Film Festival, when late Soviet Glasnost policies had finally enabled the film’s release. 7 April 2022, 5.45pm GMT, online, register here. Further information.