Going Beyond Belief Highlights

Public resource. Going Beyond Belief is an educational resource we in the Department of Religions and Theology have created in collaboration with the team behind BBC Radio 4’s ‘Beyond Belief’ programme. We have designed a series of webpages to support students in schools and colleges access a collection of innovative research produced by researchers at the University and the rich resource that is the Beyond Belief archive. “It’s a unique way to learn about Religions and Theology,” said Holly Morse, senior lecturer in Bible, Gender and Culture at The University of Manchester, who has co-ordinated the development of the resource. “We are particularly excited about the way the collaboration with the BBC Radio 4 Beyond Belief team gives students access to different kinds of material beyond textbooks.” Over the next few months we will be highlighting in the newsletter different topics covered by Going Beyond Belief, so keep an eye out!

Book Talk, Manchester Jewish Museum

Jewish Studies. CJS HRF Professor Tony Kushner will present his latest book, 'The Jewish Pedlar: An Untold Criminal History' at Manchester Jewish Museum on 31st July at 6pm. This thought-provoking work offers an imaginative investigation into a little-known historical crime, shedding new light on themes of migration, marginality, and Jewish life in Britain. The talk promises to open up fresh perspectives on overlooked aspects of Jewish and British social history. The event will also be an opportunity to learn more about the services of Jewish Historical Society of England (JHSE) and their membership scheme. £5 tickets for Under 30s. Further information and tickets here.

Staffing Update

Religions & Theology. Congratulations to Dr Sarah Parkhouse on her appointment to the post of Lecturer in Biblical and Early Christian Studies (fixed term). She will complete her British Academy Fellowship and take up her post from 1 Sept 2025.

Undergraduate Excellence in Religions & Theology 2024–25

Student prizes. Congratulations to this year’s prize-winners in Religions & Theology! Asha Joseph (first year) receives the Bishop Lee Junior Greek Testament Prize for the best examination result in New Testament Greek. Edward Bullock (second year) receives the Philip Alexander Prize for the highest module grade in undergraduate Jewish Studies. The Undergraduate Dissertation Prize for Religious Studies for the best dissertation is awarded to Dorothy Brock for her project ‘Mothering Martyrs: did politico-religious discourses on 'Mothers of Martyrs' during the Second Palestinian Intifada influence expressions of grief among women in the West Bank?’. The Brandon Memorial Prize for the best work in comparative religion is awarded to Arrchana Lingarajah for the dissertation ‘Can religiousness in ethnic minority youth be attributed to an attachment to their cultural heritage? An analysis using UK university students' practice and perceptions of their religious identity since becoming independent.’ The Dastur Kutar Prize for best undergraduate dissertation in Non-Western Religious Studies is awarded to Katia Moussallati for her work on ‘The Indigenization of Christianity in the Pasifika: From Coconut Theology to the Climate Crisis - How did the form of Christianity brought by the colonialists differ from the version of Christianity that was adopted by the colonised peoples of the Pasifika?’. Finally, the Religion and Social Responsibility Dissertation Prize for the best undergraduate dissertation that explores a social or ethical challenge at the intersection of religion and social responsibility is awarded jointly to Natalie Newell for ‘Jokes, Identity and the Line We Draw: A critical investigation into how the identity of a stand-up comedian informs the acceptability of their comic material’ and Annabel Egberts for ‘Levinas's Philosophy and Its Relevance in Understanding Contemporary Forms of Evil and Moral Obligation’.

Nominations for Outstanding Staff Awards

Staff excellence. Has a lecturer, supervisor or member of staff this year had a positive impact on your learning? Why not nominate them for a Faculty of Humanities Outstanding Staff Award. Students can nominate in eight Award categories, including Outstanding Academic Advisor, Outstanding Dissertation Advisor (UG and PGT), and Outstanding Teaching. A list of categories and criteria, as well as further information and links for the nomination forms, can be found on the Outstanding Staff Awards student intranet webpage. The closing date for all nominations is midnight on 21 July 2025.

Muslim Arts and Culture Festival Presentation

Islamic studies. On 24 May 2025, Kamran Karimullah spoke about Discovering Islamic Poetry and Manuscripts at MACFEST - Muslim Arts and Culture Festival, Rylands Library. Further information.

Methodist Studies Seminar Call for Papers

Methodist Studies. Papers are invited for the Methodist Studies Seminar, which will be held at the Manchester Wesley Research Centre, Nazarene Theological College, Manchester, co-hosted with Cliff College, on Friday 5 December 2025 (in person and online). The seminars provide an opportunity for established and emerging scholars of Methodist Studies to present the findings of their research and are designed to stimulate scholarship and thought about the broad range of Wesleyan and Methodist traditions, across a wide range of disciplines. Thus, the Methodist Studies Seminars welcome papers that relate to history, culture, theology, mission & ministry, literature, art, material culture, and other fields and issues as related to Methodism, broadly understood. Presentations should be prepared for 20 minutes, with discussion following. Persons needing to present on-line may be offered the opportunity to make 10-minute presentations. Please send the proposal including presenter’s name, institution, title, and an abstract of approximately 150 words to mwrc@nazarene.ac.uk by 7 September 2025. Persons will be informed of acceptance by 14 September 2025. A second round of proposals, submitted by 1 November 2025, will be considered with notification by 15 November 2025. The submission information (with no emails or phone numbers) will be used to advertise the event. Questions may be addressed to jlett@nazarene.ac.uk or to dbundy@nazarene.ac.uk.

International Conference Papers

 

Biblical Studies. Colleagues and HRFs have headed over to Uppsala University in Sweden this week (June 23-27 2025) to attend and present at the international Society of Biblical Literature/European Association of Biblical Studies conference. Siobhán Jolley is presenting two papers: "Sacred Art and the Secular Gaze: Reinterpreting Biblical Themes in Belfast" and "The Mother of All Revisions? “Feminism,” Conservatism, and an Emergent Filmic Canon in Mary (2024)", and Kengoro Goto (NTC) is presenting "Introduction of Four External Benchmarks for the Assessment of the Regional Association of Biblical Texts". Siobhán and Holly Morse co-organise and convene the session on "Intersectional Feminism(s)". CBS HRFs including Paul Middleton and Mat Collins are also presenting. Further information.

Book Launch Speaker

Biblical studies. George Brooke was a speaker at a book launch in Oxford on 11 June to mark the publication of Hindy Najman, Scriptural Vitality (OUP, 2025).

NTC Sydney Martin Lecture 2025

Annual lecture. Please plan to join the 2025 Sydney Martin Lecture with Dr. Manon Ceridwen James on Monday, 23 June. Her lecture title is Just a Joke? Insights from Theology, Humour and Comedy. Nazarene Theological College, Dene Road, Didsbury. 7.30-9pm Register here.

Rylands Blog Post

Biblical Studies. Peter Oakes and Sarah Parkhouse have written about the pilot project exploring the treasure trove of Coptic manuscripts at the John Rylands Library, "Far from Being in the ‘Most Useless’ Place: Linking John Rylands Coptic Manuscripts with the Coptic Community" on the Rylands blog. Read the entry here.

Academic consultation, Belgrade

Jewish Studies. Daniel Langton will be attending a three-day meeting in Belgrade as a British representative as part of the Holocaust Research Institute Partnership Network Meeting (UK and Southeastern Europe) to consider the question of source competence and historical skills in Holocaust and Jewish Studies within the European academy. 16-19 June 2025. 

Take Part in the Graduate Outcomes Survey

Did you graduate from UoM between February and April 2024? You’ve been sent the Graduate Outcomes survey via email! It aims to understand your perspectives & your current status. Find out more here.

New publication

Jewish Studies. MA student Yehudis Fletcher has co-authored a chapter entitled 'Judaism: Our Revolt-ing Women: Bringing Women Together to Highlight Abuse in Jewish Communities Today' in Abuse in World Religions edited by Johanna Stiebert (Routledge, 2025), 7-23. Further information

Book Presentation

Biblical studies. Siobhán Jolley presented her recently published book 'Reimaging the Magdalene: Feminism, Art, and the Counter-Reformation' to the Feminist Theology Network on 28 May.

Conference Paper

Religion and politics. Samuel O'Connor Perks gave a paper at the 'Money Talks: Futures for the Economic Humanities', University of Edinburgh, May 28 & 29. His paper was titled: 'Disagreements about Enchantment: An Exploration of Diverging Historiographic Commitments'. Further information.

Plenary Session Paper

Religion and the Environment. Two members of the Religion, Theology & Climate Change research team, Fin Malcolm and Gemma Edwards, are speaking at a plenary session of the Alternative Futures and Popular Protest conference, 3-5pm on Monday 16th June in Humanities Bridgeford Street Building (opposite Arthur Lewis), University of Manchester. There’s tea and coffee in the foyer from 2.40pm and the session is in the big lecture hall off the foyer.

Art and Christianity International Conference Workshop

Art and religion. Siobhán Jolley was part of a group representing Art + Christianity at "Creation Day & the Nicaea Centenary: Crystallizing the Ecumenical Dream of the New Liturgical Feast" conference, 5-7 May 2025, Assisi. Siobhán led a workshop about developing and commissioning art to support the celebration of the new ecumenical feast, Creationtide. Further information.

Manchester Wesley Research Centre Annual Lecture

Annual lecture. The Manchester Wesley Research Centre invited you to join in person and online on Tuesday 17 June 2025 at 5pm (UK time) for the 2025 MWRC Annual Lecture given by Prof Randy L. Maddox, the William Kellon Quick Professor Emeritus of Wesleyan and Methodist Studies, Duke Divinity School. The title of his lecture is ‘Charles Wesley and Lady Huntingdon: Erstwhile “Best of Friends”’. The lecture will take place online and at the JB Mclagan Chapel at Nazarene Theological College. You can register for a link to attend the event online here.