Centre for Religion and Public Life
The Centre for Religion and Public Life
A hub of research, impact and public engagement activities at the intersections of religion and public life in local, national and global contexts.
Religion in Public Blog
The Religion in Public blog provides an ongoing analysis on the role of religion in public life, both locally, nationally and internationally.
Read our blogsOur research
The Centre for Religion and Public Life (CRPL) studies the complex and critical role of religious belief and practice in contemporary society, locally, nationally and globally.
The Centre brings together academic staff and research students in the School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science, as well as from other Schools at the University of Leeds. Director of the Centre is Professor Johanna Stiebert.
Members of the Centre employ various methodological perspectives – such as sociology and anthropology of religion, theology, biblical, religious and cultural studies – as the Centre foregrounds interdisciplinarity as critical to the study of religion and public life.
Research in the Centre is concerned with contemporary religion in relation to a wide range of current issues, such as gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, diaspora and globalisation, media, and development. The geographical contexts range from the city of Leeds, the UK and Europe, Africa and Asia. We have expertise in diverse religious traditions, such as Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, and new religious movements.
Find out more about our events and activities, and work in and around the Centre, in our weblog, Religion in Public.
Events
CRPL Research Day on Diaspora, Diaspora Studies, Antiquity and Modernity
An interactive research day/workshop with two Early Career Researchers, Dr Alexiana Fry & Dr Rivkah Gillian Glass. Part 1 (10.00-13.00) - SR Worsley 9.59 and Part 2 (13.00-17.00) - Worsley SR 8.49
Tuesday 19 March 2024, 10:30 - 17:00
More on CRPL Research Day on Diaspora, Diaspora Studies, Antiquity and ModernityOur expertise
Discover the subject specialists who lead our research: influential thought leaders who contribute to public policy, from postgraduate research students to internationally-renowned academic staff.
More on Our expertiseOur projects
The Centre for Religion and Public Life's research examines how religious beliefs and practices are interrelated, and how these connect with ethical convictions that impact upon action in the world.
More on Our projectsResearch clusters
Work in the Centre is clustered in the following research areas:
Religion, Activism and Social Justice
Work in this area is multidisciplinary, making use of anthropological, sociological, philosophical and theological approaches and concerns a wide range of global contexts
More on Religion, Activism and Social JusticeReligion, Ethnicity and Diaspora
This ethnographic research focuses on both local, national and international levels, and is mostly concerned with South Asian Muslim and Sikh communities and traditions.
More on Religion, Ethnicity and DiasporaReligion, Ethics and Practice
Research covers philosophical, theological, ethnographic approaches, and the relation between beliefs in an afterlife and ethical or political engagement; religion, animal ethics and environmentalism.
More on Religion, Ethics and PracticeReligion, Gender and Sexuality
Research in this area makes use of anthropological, sociological, geographical, theological and textual approaches, building on feminist, queer, and postcolonial perspectives.
More on Religion, Gender and SexualityReligion, Health and Wellbeing
Work is empirical, examining the role of religious communities in public health, and also theological and philosophical, how religion contributes to human flourishing and spiritual well-being.
More on Religion, Health and WellbeingReligion, Media and Material Culture
The work explores South Asian traditions and communities in Britain and makes use of ethnographic, sociological and media-studies approaches.
More on Religion, Media and Material CultureReligion, Politics and the State
This work is multiscalar, ranging from neighbourhoods, local and national governments, state institutions such as the police, and international bodies.
More on Religion, Politics and the StateImpact
Impact activity is central to the work of the Centre. Our research strengths in the study of contemporary religion in local and global contexts require us to understand impact and public engagement in various forms as an integral part of our research – for example, in our work with local religious communities within the Community Religions Project, now spanning more than 40 years. This is the case for research in theology and biblical studies as well as religious studies. Discover more about our impact.
News
Doctoral student elected to prestigious RSA Fellowship
Cee Swakamisa has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society for the…
More on Doctoral student elected to prestigious RSA FellowshipWelcome to Dr Tendai Mangena as British Academy Global Professor
We are delighted to welcome Dr Tendai Mangena to the University of Leeds. On…
More on Welcome to Dr Tendai Mangena as British Academy Global ProfessorWelcome to Dr Megan Robertson as UKRI Fellow
The School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science, University of…
More on Welcome to Dr Megan Robertson as UKRI FellowBritish Academy Global Professor Award for Dr Tendai Mangena
The British Academy has awarded a prestigious Global Professor Award to Dr…
More on British Academy Global Professor Award for Dr Tendai MangenaCommunity Religions Project
Since 1976, the Community Religions Project (CRP) has conducted empirical research on religion and religions ‘near at hand’ in the cities of Leeds and Bradford and beyond.
The CRP has been one of the key hubs of research activity in the Theology and Religious Studies at Leeds for nearly 40 years, involving both academic staff and students at all levels in research and engagement with the diverse cultures and religious communities in different localities within the UK.
Contact us
The Centre Director is Professor Johanna Stiebert
Links to our key people
- Mikel Burley, Associate Professor of Religion and Philosophy
- Caroline Fielder, Lecturer in Chinese Studies
- Alistair McFadyen, Senior Lecturer in Systematic Theology
- Seán McLoughlin, Professor of the Anthropology of Islam (Muslim Diasporas)
- Philip Mellor, Professor of Religion and Social Theory
- Mel Prideaux, Professor of Religious Studies (Teaching and Scholarship)
- Tasia Scrutton, Associate Professor in Philosophy and Religion
- Mustapha Sheikh, Lecturer in Islamic Studies; Co-Director of the Iqbal Centre for the Study of Contemporary Islam
- Jasjit Singh, Associate Professor of Religion
- Stefan Skrimshire, Associate Professor in Theology and Religious Studies
- Caroline Starkey, Associate Professor of Religion and Society
- Johanna Stiebert, Professor of Hebrew Bible
- Aled Thomas, Teaching Fellow
- Emma Tomalin, Professor of Religion and Public Life
- Adriaan van Klinken, Professor of Religion and African Studies
- Robert Vanderbeck, Professor of Human Geography and Head of School
Explore our profiles for more information about our academic team.