Publishing success in culture and society at the University of Chester

Members of the Culture and Society Research, Knowledge and Exchange Institute (RKEI) came together to launch three new books from Deborah Wynne, Professor of Nineteenth-Century Literature;  Dr James Holt, Associate Professor of Religious Education and Dr Dawn Llewellyn, Associate Professor of Religion and Gender in Theology and Religious Studies. 

James has produced a new guide for understanding Hinduism aimed at education practitioners. He set out to capture the diversity of Hinduism to better prepare teachers for the classroom environment in his book Understanding Hinduism (Bloomsbury 2024). 

Deborah’s book is a collaboration with Amber Regis from the University of Sheffield and approaches the family through the lens of the arts. The book, The Edinburgh Companion to the Brontës and the Arts (2024), includes chapters from fellow Chester academics: Professor Simon Grennan and Professor Melissa Fegan.  

Dawn’s volume, The Bloomsbury Handbook of Religion, Gender and Sexuality (2024), explores the intersections between religion, gender and sexuality, contains 25 separate chapters. The book has come together as result of longstanding collaborations based on the power of feminist friendship. 

Professor Tim Grady, Director Culture and Society, RKEI, said: “These three books are testament to the richness and vibrancy of research at Chester. But they are also the works of collaboration both internally and externally with other academics and with the wider community. The careful and details research underpinning all three books has been years in the making; it’s wonderful, therefore, to see all three books now out in print. It was brilliant to launch them with colleagues – once again a warm congratulations to the authors!”