Professor Rachel Muers

Professor Rachel Muers

Profile

I came to Leeds in 2007. I studied Theology and Religious Studies at Cambridge, and held the Margaret Smith Research Fellowship at Girton College, Cambridge from 2001 to 2003. I was then Lecturer in Theology at the University of Exeter from 2003 to 2007.

My academic interests and major publications centre around the relationships between modern Christian doctrine and ethics. 

I was the principal investigator on the AHRC-funded research project 'Vegetarianism as Spiritual Choice in Historical and Contemporary Theology' , on a British Academy project 'Women Reading Difficult Scriptures', and on the AHRC 'Everyday Lives in War' collaborative project 'Re-Imagining a True Social Order', working with Quakers in Britain. I am a member of the World Council of Churches Faith and Order Commission and the current president of the Society for the Study of Theology.

Research interests

  • Modern Christian theology
  • Theological ethics, especially intergenerational issues
  • Feminism and theology
  • Vegetarianism, diet and theology
  • Dietrich Bonhoeffer's thought
  • Biblical interpretation, particularly in connection with Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations
  • Quaker thought, particularly ethics and decision-making processes
  • Theology and the environment
  • Theology and social class
  • Interdisciplinary work between theology and ethnography

Research supervision

My current and recent research supervision includes projects on feminist theology and embodiment; gender and leadership in Pentecostal churches; the history of Quaker spirituality; theology and silence in music; contemporary Christian vegetarianism; Christianity and political liberalism; religious language and contemporary Quakerism; the theology of intersex conditions.

I would welcome applications from students wishing to conduct research in feminist theory and theology, Quaker theology, twentieth-century Christian thought (particularly Dietrich Bonhoeffer), theological ethics, food and theology, and theological aspects of Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations.

<h4>Research projects</h4> <p>Any research projects I'm currently working on will be listed below. Our list of all <a href="https://ahc.leeds.ac.uk/dir/research-projects">research projects</a> allows you to view and search the full list of projects in the faculty.</p>

Student education

My core areas of current teaching include human rights and religion; study of Christianity, especially modern Christian theology; and religion and public life. I'm enthusiastic about collaborative teaching, and often lead or develop courses that help students to bring together insights from different academic disciplines. I also teach on modules that involve external placements for students - for example in local schools.

Research groups and institutes

  • Centre for Religion and Public Life
  • Theology and Religious Studies
  • Centre for Philosophy of Religion

Current postgraduate researchers

<h4>Postgraduate research opportunities</h4> <p>We welcome enquiries from motivated and qualified applicants from all around the world who are interested in PhD study. Our <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk">research opportunities</a> allow you to search for projects and scholarships.</p>