Dr Tasia Scrutton

Profile

I joined the School for Philosophy, Religion and History of Science (PRHS) in 2012.

Prior to coming to Leeds, I held the Frederick J. Crosson research fellowship at the Center for Philosophy of Religion at the University of Notre Dame, USA (2011 - 2012), and was also an Associate Lecturer at the Open University (2006 - 2012). I did my PhD and MA at Durham University, and an MTheol Hons at the University of St Andrews.

I also had the pleasure of spending two periods of research at UFRGS in Porto Alegre, Brazil (2014 and 2015).

Research interests

I'm a philosopher of religion with particular interests in religion and mental health, and in philosophical approaches to emotion and psychiatry.

Most recently, I've been writing a book on Christianity and Depression, forthcoming with SCM Press. The book looks at (Christian and other) interpretations of depression - for example, that depression is the result of sin or of demonic possession; that depression is a biological and a disease; that depression is potentially transformative; that depression can be a Dark Night of the Soul. My book examines how these different interpretations affect people with depression. It also evaluates whether and when these interpretations are helpful and/or plausible.

More generally, I am interested in the relationship between religion, healing and well-being. Religions include not only beliefs held by individuals; they also involve communities and bodily practices, emotions, stories, sacred places, spaces and people. I'm interested in questions such as: what do religious practices and narratives add to the therapeutic value of religious beliefs? What kinds of practice are most conducive to well-being, and for whom? How can our theoretical understanding of religion and spirituality fully include people with cognitive impairments or mental disorders, rather than include them only in a secondary way?   

<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>

Qualifications

• M.Theol (Hons) (StAnd)
• MA (Dunelm)
• PhD (Dunelm)

Student education

I currently teach several undergraduate modules on the philosophy of religion, and on religion and mental health.

I also supervise PhD students on topics relating to my areas of research.

Research groups and institutes

• Centre for Philosophy of Religion

<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>