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27 January 2022

Call for papers, Symposium on Hexing the Patriarchy, Manchester

Religious studies and witchcraft. Dr Holly Morse is pleased to announce a call for short papers and presentations (max 25 mins) for a forthcoming symposium: "Hexing the Patriarchy, Spellcasting for Change and Demonic Democracies: Explorations of Magical Activism and Enchanted Politics." Please send abstracts (max 500 words) and a short description of your practice and/or research to: holly.morse@manchester.ac.uk by 25 Feb 2022. Further information

Call for papers, European Association for Biblical Studies

Biblical Studies. George Brooke is serving his first year as President of the European Association of Biblical Studies which will culminate in the Association's annual conference being held in Toulouse 4-7 July 2022. The Call for Papers for the meeting, much of which will also be available on-line, has recently been issued. Further information.

26 January 2022

Presentation, Romania

Holocaust Studies.
Ion Popa gave a presentation entitled "Dissidence and Zionism in Romania, 1945-1955" (25 Nov 2021) which has been reported on in the December edition of Realitatea Evreiască, the journal of the Jewish Community in Romania, and can be accessed pp.5 and 22. Further information.

25 January 2022

New publication

New Testament Studies. Peter Oakes, ‘Popular Heroization in Philippian Funerary Epigraphy and Paul’s Letter to the Philippians’, Philippi, From Colonia Augusta to Communitas Christiana: Religion and Society in Transition, Steven J. Friesen, Michalis Lychounas, Daniel Schowalter, eds. (Supplements to Novum Testamentum; Leiden: E.J. Brill, 2022), 252-77. In this contribution to the published version of a major international conference held at Philippi in Greece in 2015, Peter Oakes looks at ideas about afterlife as represented on gravestones from Philippi, considering how they can inform debates about ideas of afterlife in Paul’s letter to the Philippians and in the New Testament more widely. Further information.

24 January 2022

Ferguson Lecturer 2022, Catherine Keller

Christian theology and climate politics
. Prof. Catherine Keller (Drew University) will give the 42nd Ferguson Lecture: "Apocalypse After All? Climate, Politics and Faith in the Possible". Thursday 3 March 2022, 4 p.m. (UK time). Free to attend, but you must register to receive the Zoom link; see further information.

Ehrhardt Seminar, Centre for Biblical Studies

Moses Gaster and biblical criticism. Maria Cioata, University of Manchester, 'Traditional Reactions to Modern Higher-Criticism: the Case of Dr. Moses Gaster' (Zoom only). 14:00 - 15:30 24 February 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.

23 January 2022

Conference paper, German Historical Institute, Paris

Holocaust Studies.
Ion Popa presented a paper "A Twisted Road: Post-communist Legal and Political Steps to Accessing the Archives of the Former Romanian Securitate (Secret Police)," at the conference "Strategies de blocages. L‘acces aux archives en France et en Allemagne dans une persepective internationale," organised by the German Historical Institute, Paris. Further information.

22 January 2022

Religion in the media

Religion and belief stories. The Religion Media Centre's experienced journalists and affiliated academics provide insight and analysis on current religion and belief stories in the news. Further information.

21 January 2022

Research Impact Advisory Group

Religious stakeholder network. In the Autumn of 2020, Alex Samely faciliated the establishment of an advisory group of civic and faith-based organisations to help develop ways in which the results of the Department’s academic research can be made more directly beneficial to contemporary society. Fifteen experienced stakeholders, representing a variety of organisations dedicated to improving aspects of civic and religious life, advise the Department as members of the Research Impact Advisory Group. We can draw upon the kind support of the following representatives of civic organisations, faith groups and inter-faith groups: Mohammed Amin, MBE, Co-Chair, Muslim-Jewish Forum of Greater Manchester; The Venerable Dr John Applegate, former Principal, Emmanuel Theological College; Rabbi Robyn Ashworth-Steen, Principal Rabbi, Manchester Reform Synagogue, trustee, Tzelem and co-chair, Greater Manchester Citizens; Natalie Collins, Women’s Liberation Collective; The Reverend Ben Edson, Director of St Peter’s House Chaplaincy, Manchester University; Peter Fahy, Chair of Trustees, We Stand Together and former Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police; Rosemary Hack, Director, Press Red; Canon Dr David Holgate, Canon for Theology and Mission at Manchester Cathedral; Jeremy Michelson, Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and Region; Dr Peter Rae, Vice Principal and Academic Dean, Nazarene Theological College; Gareth Redston, interim CEO, Manchester Jewish Museum; The Reverend Graham Sparkes, Luther King Centre for Theology and Ministry; The Reverend Dr Andrew Stobart, Head of Academic Strategy and Innovation, Cliff College; Annalisa Toccara, Head of Campaigns, Policy and Communications, Press Red; The Right Reverend Dr David Walker, Bishop of Manchester. Further information.

20 January 2022

External examining, SOAS, GTU Berkeley, and St Andrews

Zoroastrianism and Islam.
Alan Williams recently examined a PhD thesis for SOAS University of London on ‘The training of Zoroastrian priests in contemporary Mumbai’, and a PhD thesis for the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, USA, on "Polyphony and Divine Perplexity: Rumi’s Pedagogy of Storytelling in the Mathnawi", which developed literary theoretical ideas published in his own works. Alan is currently also an external examiner at St Andrews.

18 January 2022

Project award, AHRC network grant

Biblical Studies. Congratulations to Holly Morse who has been awarded an AHRC network grant of £22,950 for a project entitled 'Abusing God: Reading the Bible in #MeToo Age'. The co-investigator is Kirsi Cobb of Cliff College.

Project Award, Faculty of Humanities Research Fund

  Jewish and New Testament Studies. Daniel Langton has been awarded £9800 to fund a project entitled "What would Jesus (the Jew) do? Engagement with US Churches.” The aim is to develop resources that relate to an area of internationally-recognised research expertise in the subject area of Religions & Theology (R&T) and the associated Centre for Jewish Studies (CJS), namely, the Jewish background to the New Testament and the associated history of Christian anti-Judaism.

17 January 2022

Religions & Theology Research Seminar

Manchester Cathedral.
Dominic Budhi (University of Manchester) “'So That We May be Children of God Together': Manchester Cathedral's Public Theology of Racial Justice”. 16:00 - 17:30 17 February 2022 The Religions & Theology research seminar takes place on alternate Thursdays. This is a hybrid session and can be attended in person or online. 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.