Academic success. A massive congratulations to Adam North who has recently completed a PhD. His thesis title was “The Human Body as Object and Performance. Socio-Political Critique of Structural Racism Through Bodily Performance”, which was supervised by Michael Hoelzl and Alexander Samely and examined by Andrew Boakye and Judith Gruber. Adam also studied for a BA in Theology, Philosophy and Ethics (2020) and a MA in Religions and Theology (2021) with us at Manchester. Reflecting on his academic journey so far, Adam tells us: "Manchester has been an incredible place to study. Staff in R&T and throughout SALC have been amazing mentors in my academic career and I have learnt a lot from them. I have thoroughly enjoyed my studies, and I attribute this partly to being given the freedom to pursue my research interests. From early on in my UG degree I was encouraged to investigate my interests, and this was pivotal for developing my desire to inquire into the questions that really interested me. I’ve become obsessed with the importance of the body as a means of communicating and performing the truth and this has been the driving force behind my research. I have also had a great experience teaching students across SALC and R&T who show so much promise and have been a pleasure to teach. My hope is that I can inspire some students to find their research interests, just as I was inspired by the staff who have taught me at UoM. If any students want advice on pursuing an academic career or their work then please get in touch - I will always be available, even if I am not based in Manchester. What's next for me? I intend to continue my academic path, and I am currently applying for postdoctoral fellowships. I want to develop a project focusing on how populist politicians utilise humour to appeal to voters which is a continuation of my interest in truth-telling and performativity."
