Research Trip

Political philosophy and religion. Samuel O'Connor Perks recently spent time in two archives in the US, the Marquette University in Milwaukee (a city with a long history of strong support for labour organising), where the Dorothy Day and Catholic Worker Papers are held, and the Saint Thomas University archives in Miami, where William D. Miller’s papers are held. Read all about his trip here!

Exhibition Release

Biblical Studies. CBS Hon. Research Fellow Siobhán Jolley has published 'Mary Magdalene: From Demons to Discipleship' on The Visual Commentary on Scripture, a free online commentary on Bible & Art. See it here!

Ehrhardt Seminar in Biblical Studies

Biblical Studies. Last week, the Ehrhardt seminar had a wonderful paper from Hilary Marlow, (University of Cambridge) on ‘The Land, the Poor, and the Rich: An Ecojustice Reading of the book of Amos’. The seminar will resume after Easter; please contact lev.eakins@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk if you are interested in joining us.

Careers Service News

In your final year of study? Take your first career steps with our Manchester Graduate Talent (MGT) scheme, where the Careers Service helps to source paid graduate-level jobs across the Greater Manchester region for UoM students graduating in 2023. Please see https://bit.ly/MGT2023 for more information. Penultimate year students, we still have 8 week, full-time summer internship opportunities waiting for your application! See https://manchester.ac.uk/sei for further information.

Cataloguing Project

Search for student volunteers. Manchester Jewish Museum is looking for student volunteers to assist in a cataloguing and family history project. The museum has been approached by a family who are in possession of a large collection of textile stamps. The stamps were used by the company M.A Btesh and Co. The museum is looking for assistance in cataloguing this collection with an aim to accession the stamps into the collections here and at The Science and Industry Museum. The student(s) would create a catalogue of the stamps, photographing and describing each example. There is an opportunity for the student(s) be involved in researching the history of the Btesh family business and adding to the museum’s collections. The museum aims to conduct oral history interviews with members of the Btesh family as part of the project. This project may be of interest to students of Sephardi Jewish or Manchester Jewish History. It may also appeal to anyone interested in gaining experience in museum documentation. Many of the stamps contain written Arabic and so an understand of Arabic would be a great asset to the project. If you are interested in taking part in the project, please contact Alex Cropper.

Rylands Exhibition Launch

Christian History. On Friday 31 March at 1:30 there will an exhibition launch for "Signs of The Times: Maps and Charts of History and Prophecy". The exhibition displays prophetic charts and maps at the Rylands from the Christian Brethren Archives. There will be public talks led by Prof Crawford Gribben (Queens Belfast) and Dr Andrew Crome (Manchester Met), and a chance for visitors to encounter rare material from the Rylands collections up close with special item encounters. The event is free and includes tea, coffee and biscuits. Details and sign up here.

Hobbies and Interests of Students and Staff

International Aviation Prize 2022. Daniel Langton has won the Pooley’s 'Dawn to Dusk' Microlight Trophy 2022 in recognition of his aerial survey of all 214 Wainwright peaks in the Lake District. The award was made in Feb 2023 at the RAF Club in Knightsbridge by Robin Keegan, Master of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots, and Sebastian Pooley. The competition was first established in 1964 with the objective "to encourage the most interesting employment of a Flying Machine within the limits of competent airmanship and to demonstrate the capabilities of pilot and machine in a day's flying, in the hours between Dawn and Dusk, whilst undertaking an original and praiseworthy objective.” Over the past 60 years, winning entries have been submitted from more than 14 countries including Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Canada, United States and across Europe. See ’The Biggles Bible’ for an attempt by Daniel to relate flying to religious studies. See also a recent flight over the Pennines (YouTube).

Grant Success

Buddhist Studies. Erica Baffelli has been awarded a Leverhulme Research Grant on "Fear and Belonging in Minority Buddhist Communities" (£333,746 over 48 months). 

Conference Presentation

Dead Sea Scrolls. George Brooke will present "The Rhetorical Ecologies of the Scrolls from Qumran" at the University of Lausanne on 21 March 2023 to open a symposium on rhetoric. Further details.

Careers Service News

For undergraduate students. If you’re a first year undergraduate and want to find out more about working in a particular sector, apply for Behind Manchester’s Doors before midnight on 24 March to visit two different organisations, practise your networking skills and get some project experience for your CV! Click here for further information.

New Publication

Contemporary Christian theology. The fruits of Raj Patta's PhD thesis has been published with Palgrave Macmillan. The book is titled "Subaltern Public Theology: Dalits and the Indian Public Sphere" and it maps and critically analyzes global and Indian public theologies, engages public theology from sites of subalternity, extends conversations of Dalit theology, and explains ‘theological subalternity’ and ‘subaltern public’ as companions for a subaltern public theology. Further information.

Postdoctorate Funding Success

Holocaust Studies and Jewish-Christian Relations. Congratulations to CJS honorary research fellow Ion Popa for the renewal of his Gerda Henkel Scholarship (2023-2024) on the topic 'The Holy War: Churches' Counter-Secularism and the Destruction of European Jewry'. He will continue to be based in Manchester for the next year.

Book Launch

New Testament Studies. PhD graduate Richard Britton hosted a launch for his book "Romans and the Power of the Believer" on 18th Feb at Providence URC Church, New Mills. The book was introduced by his former supervisor, Peter Oakes, and the discussion was led by Gordon Stewart. The book uses critical theory, papyri, ancient farming texts, and even the Book of Mormon to offer a new reading of Romans. Further information.

Lunchtime Concert

Islamic Poetry. R&T has co-financed a lunchtime concert of music with poetry by the 13th century Persian poet Rumi, translated by our very own Professor emeritus Alan Williams. It is called The Story of The Old Harpist. 1.10–2pm, Thursday, 9 March, Martin Harris Centre. Further information.

PhD Success

Religion and Theology. Elia Maggang recently passed his PhD viva. The thesis is titled “A Trinitarian Pneumatology of the Indonesian Maritime” and was supervised by Peter Scott and Scott Midson. The examiners were Sigurd Bergmann and David Law. During his PhD, he published “Blue Diakonia: the Mission of Indonesian Churches for and with the Sea” (Practical Theology, 2022), “Blue Disciple: A Christian Call for the Sea in Peril” (International Journal of Public Theology, 2022); “Emphasizing Fish, Fisher and the Sea for the Mission of Christian Church in the Context of the Marine Ecological Crisis: A Response to the Ten Commandments of Food” (Mission Studies, 2021). Congratulations Elia! 

Ehrhardt Seminar in Biblical Studies

Biblical Studies. 8th March, Mary Mills (Liverpool Hope University/Maryvale Institute) 'Landscape Transformation in Isaiah 34–35: Between Utopia and Dystopia' at 2–3.30pm. The seminar will take place both in Mansfield Cooper 4.08 and on Zoom. To register to attend online, please email lev.eakins@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk. 

Upcoming Conference

Film studies. Jonathan Hourigan is chairing a conference, NOTES ON BRESSON, 30-31 March. The conference marks 80 years since the release of Robert Bresson's first feature film, Les Anges du Peche and 40 years since the release of his final film, L’Argent. Bresson's uncompromising approach to filmmaking, the ethical and spiritual enquiry embedded in his films and his singular, distinctive conception of cinema combine to ensure that he remains a hugely influential figure. Speakers include filmmakers, writers, educators, philosophers, film studies academics, curators, theologians and fine artists. For students of Religions and Theology, those films that draw on Christian literature and especially Bresson's unmade film of Genesis may be of particular interest. The conference devotes its final session to Genesis, with the participation of Professor Sean Burt (North Dakota State University). Free registration for UoM students. Register here.

Scriptural Encounters

Reading challenging sacred texts. Scriptural Encounters bring together different faiths to debate and discuss controversial topics. This is a new series on Religious Tradition and the Problem of War, beginning with a focus on the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. There are two sessions: 21st March and 25th April, 4-5.45 pm, both on Zoom. Further information.

Lunchtime Seminar

Medical philosophy. Jon Kuo (University of Manchester) will present "Personal Belief and Conscience in Public Health Law" at the lunchtime seminar ran by the PhD students at the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine. 24/03, 1-2pm. Further information.