Religions & Theology Research Seminar

Religion & Theology. The departmental research seminars (download full schedule here) will take place 4pm–5:30pm at Mansfield Cooper 2.04 and via Zoom. The first in the series is Seoyoung Kim on 29th September, presenting the paper "Glocal church praxis on water justice". For Zoom access, please email: wren.radford@manchester.ac.uk or scott.midson@manchester.ac.uk. 

New Publication

Christian studies. Peter Scott has contributed a chapter, ‘Theology after Marxism?’ to the book Marxism, Religion, and Emancipatory Politics, published by Palgrave Macmillan in August 2022. Further information.

International Advising

Collège de France. Professor Emeritus George J. Brooke will be in Paris (6-7 October 2022) as a member of the International Strategic Orientation Committee (COSS) of the Collège de France, providing advice on the medium and long-term strategy of this prestigious institution founded by Francis I in 1530.

Reading group, Phenomenology

Phenomenology. The Phenomenology Reading Group will resume this semester, reading Kant's Critique of the Power of Judgment. The provisional sequence of meetings will be on Wednesdays at 5–6.30 pm: 12 October, 26 October, 9 November, 23 November, 7 December and 21 December (tbc). The group will meet by zoom. Please get in touch with the convenor Alex Samely (alex.samely@manchester.ac.uk) if you wish to join. Further information.

Careers Service News

Welcome to new students and welcome back to our returning students! To search for careers opportunities, book places on events and to arrange careers, application and CV advice appointments, register on CareerConnect, our online opportunities and events portal. To get the most from the Careers Service during this academic year, make sure that your profile in CareerConnect, our online opportunities and events portal, is up to date. If you give us permission to contact you, we will then use the information you provide us about your occupational areas of interest and your ‘Careers Readiness Stage’ to send you tailored emails suggesting relevant support and events. It all takes just a couple of minutes – simply log into CareerConnect, select the ‘Me’ dropdown menu at the top of the screen and click on ‘Profile’. Remember, our support is open to all students in all year groups, and UoM graduates (for up to two years after the end of your course), regardless of whether you have absolutely no idea of what you want to do in the future or you have started to form some ideas. Our website has a comprehensive overview of the support that we offer.

Postgraduate success

Biblical Studies. Congratulations to Siobhán Jolley who, having completed her PhD under the supervision of Holly Morse and Peter Oakes, having worked closely with the Centre for Biblical Studies, and having co-taught on several of our courses, will be the next Ahmanson Research Fellow in Art and Religion, which will involve looking after the art and religion programming at the National Gallery, undertaking research into the collection, and teaching on the collaborative Christianity and the Arts MA with King’s College London.

Public lecture, Heaten Park Synagogue

Jewish Studies. On Sunday 7 August, PhD student Rob Kanter led a talk on ‘The Jews in North Africa during the Holocaust’ at Heaton Park Synagogue. This was part of the synagogue’s fast day programme for Tisha Ba Av (9th Av). The interactive presentation explored the complexities and varying experiences of Jews in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia from 1940-1943. The aim of the presentation was to broaden the audience’s understanding of the Holocaust beyond the European mainland.

Online Museum Tour

Jewish Studies. Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz gave an online tour exploring Tisha B'Av through Museums on 7 August 2022, hosted by the London School of Jewish Studies. The tour visited the British Museum in London, the Pergamon Museum in Berlin and the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem in order to explore how the Assyrians and Babylonians attacked the ancient Israelites and understand what this means for us today.

Keynote Lecture, Austria

Philosophy and religion. Michael Hoelzl has been invited to give a keynote paper at Pro Scientia, in Horn, Austria, on 8th September. The title of the paper is "Philosophical and ethical origins of the European project" and is part of a week-long international conference on "Europe".

British New Testament Society Conference, St Andrews

New Testament Studies. Manchester students and staff presented papers at the British New Testament Society Conference hosted by the University of St Andrews, 18–20 August 2022. Siobhán Jolley gave a paper titled ‘There’s Something About Mary, The Memification of St Javelin and Magdalene-Madonna Conflation', and Kent Brower from Nazarene Theological College was on a book review panel for Helen Bond's The First Biography of Jesus: Genre and Meaning in Mark’s Gospel (2020). Sarah Parkhouse gave a response to Julia Lindenlaub's paper ‘John the Evangelist in Medieval Gospel Books: Apocryphal Traditions of Gospel Composition’ and took part in a panel session on funding for New Testament scholarship. 

International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition

Biblical Studies and Christian Theology. In recognition of the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition (23 August), see... HR Jacobus, 'Slave Wives and Transgressive Unions in Biblical and Ancient Near East Law' in Brenner A, Lee ACC, editors, Leviticus and Numbers (Augsburg Fortress, 2013), 55-75. Also, see Andy Boakye's public lecture on Thomas Clark's Anti-Slavery address at Manchester Cathedral (28 Oct).

Career Service News

Currently studying as a postgraduate student? The Careers Service is here for you! We have lots of available resources to support you with your next steps whilst you finish your degree. Visit our dedicated postgraduate website pages to find out more: http://ow.ly/wRrQ50K6vPG. We have lots of help on offer for our undergraduate students too throughout the vacation period so do check out our Support page. As always, to search for job opportunities, book places on events (including employer webinars and workshops), and to arrange careers, application and CV advice appointments, register on CareerConnect, our opportunities and events portal.

AHRC Colloquium, Abusing God

Biblical Studies. We are pleased to announce the first colloquium of the AHRC Network Abusing God: Reading the Bible in the #Metoo Age. The theme of the day will be coercive control. The day will be structured around presentations from 4 pairs of speakers who have worked collaboratively in preparation for the event. Starter papers from each speaker will be pre-circulated one week before the event to all attendees (these may be written or recorded). Participants are requested to read/view them in advance. Only a 10 minute summary of each paper will be delivered on the day. If required, please bring your own paper copies. Speakers will also co-present for 15 minutes on their collaborations with plenty of time reserved for questions and discussion. The speakers include Lisa Oakley (University of Chester), Colin Perkins (Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser, Diocese of Chichester), Katie Cross (University of Aberdeen), Rosemary Hack and Matt Britton (Press Red), Siobhán Jolley (University of Manchester), Beth Keith (St Mark's Broomhill and Broomhall, Sheffield), Meghan Hansen (University of Oxford), and Robyn Riggans (WORTH- Women on the Road to Healing) To book tickets for either the in person or online event go to: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/abusing-god-reading-the-bible-in-the-metoo-age-coercive-control-tickets-370510014427 Vegan/vegetarian lunch and refreshments will be provided on the day. In order to facilitate the meeting being as inclusive as possible, attendees have the option of choosing either an in-person or a virtual ticket. For low-income attendees who would wish to attend in-person, we have small travel grants available. For more information on the grant or any other aspect of the conference, please contact the organisers: abusinggodahrc@gmail.com. Roscoe Building, University of Manchester, 10am-4pm on Sat 10 Sept 2022.