Postgraduate Research Day on 22 January 2024

On Monday 22 January 2024 the Centre for Religion and Public Life hosted a Postgraduate Day focused on research, impact, and networking.

The day had two main aims: first, to bring postgraduates working on both some aspect of religion and some aspect of public life into one space to present and talk about research; and second, to discuss this thing called “impact.”

Yan Kalampung

UKRI (UK Research & Innovation) defines impact as, “an effect on, change, or benefit to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or quality of life, beyond academia.” Impact can be a significant part of a researcher’s life. It forms a big part of external grant applications and (in the UK) of the REF (Research Excellence Framework), which is the research and impact evaluation of British Higher Education. Impact is also a big part of higher education elsewhere (e.g. in the USA, where it is called “outreach” or “service”). And yet, impact tends to get little front-and-centre attention in postgraduate contexts.

Gloria Adichie

As it turned out, however, the research day revealed that all participating postgraduates – whether already familiar with the term “impact” or not – are inspired by making a difference and by communicating their ideas and findings beyond the academy, too.

Risaw Walis

There were fourteen presentations by postgraduates, covering a host of diverse themes: female prophecy, the role of religion in women’s movements of the Nigerian-Biafran War, Salvation Army parent-toddler groups, spirituality in eco-actvisim in Laos, utopian readings of Exodus, trauma and healing in Ecclesiastes, indigenous land rights in Taiwan, Jewish graveyards in Bradford, purity culture in the UK, inter-reading biblical texts with Indonesian novels, the theology of Paul Tillich, art and activism, and inter-religious strife in northern Nigeria.

Sophia Lambert

There were also presentations by Boluwatife Ajibola, the Deputy School Manager and impact wiz of the School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science, and by Jack Palmer-White of the Good Faith Partnership.

Boluwatife Ajibola

CRPL received research development funds, which were gratefully received and which paid for lunch at Sushi M

Lunch at Sushi M

The next CRPL research day is on Tuesday 19 March 2024. The theme is diaspora and antiquity. Leading the research day will be Denmark-based early career researchers Drs. Alexiana Fry and Rivkah Gillian Glass.

Andrea Still