University event celebrates triple achievements in research and publishing

Members of the University’s Culture and Society Research, Knowledge and Exchange Institute (RKEI) recently joined together to celebrate the publication of new books from Dr Dawn Llewellyn, Associate Professor in Religion and Gender; Morven McEachern, Professor of Sustainability and Marketing Ethics, and Dr Ben Fulford, Deputy Head, Humanities, Cultures and Environment.

Covering themes from feminism and religion through to poverty and austerity, the three works share trailblazing research which Chester academics are bringing to the fore. Pushing disciplinary boundaries, each publication is international in both reach and outlook.

In God’s Patience and Our Work: Hans Frei, Generous Orthodoxy and the Ethics of Hope (SCM Press), Ben argues that Frei’s theology and ethics offer unheralded but valuable resources for thinking about the social and political engagement of Christian communities in diverse societies.

Researching Poverty and Austerity: Theoretical Approaches, Methodologies and Policy Applications (Routledge), co-edited and co-authored by Morven, brings together research addressing the challenges of poverty and austerity, and the political-economic measures that perpetuate them.

Female Faith Practices: Qualitative Research Perspectives (Routledge), co-edited by Dawn, considers how women navigate and create spiritual and religious practices. The book also includes a chapter from Grace Thomas, a Professional Doctorate student in Theology and Religious Studies at the University.

Professor Tim Grady, Culture and Society RKEI Director said: “These three books cover very different themes, from gendered perspectives in everyday religious contexts, to the distressing impact of poverty, but they are united in a very visible activist spirit. Collectively they force us to think in very different ways about the political past and present.”

He added: “The book launch was a wonderful event; it was great to bring our researchers together to share in colleagues’ marvellous achievements.”

The Culture and Society RKEI draws together researchers from the Arts, Humanities, Social and Natural Sciences. Spanning a breadth of disciplines allows the Institute to forge new research collaborations and to direct this expertise towards public projects in Chester, the North West and beyond. The Institute has a strong global presence and regularly works with partners on an international level.

For more on God’s Patience and Our Work, please visit the SCM Press website, and for further details about Researching Poverty and Austerity, please go to the Routledge website, where more can also be discovered on Female Faith Practices.