Dr Caroline Starkey

Profile

My work focuses on minority religions in Britain, blending the historical with the sociological. I obtained my PhD from the University of Leeds in 2015. Prior to this, I recieved my undergraduate degree in History from the University of York (1999), and took two MA degrees, first in Social Work (Hull, 2003, DipSw) and later in Religion and Public Life at Leeds (2008). From 2003–2010, I was a social worker in various statutory and voluntary settings.

I joined the University as a Teaching and Research Fellow in 2015, and was appointed as Associate Professor in 2018.

Alongside my research, I am a member of the British Sociological Association Sociology of Religion Study Group (SocRel), and the Co-Chair of the American Academy of Religion Buddhism in the West Unit. I am an editor of the Journal of Global Buddhism.

Research interests

My research is focused on religion and spirituality in contemporary Britain, and spans a range of traditions, themes and approaches. I have frequently focused on the establishment, development and adaptation of religions of Asian origin within the British Isles, particularly Buddhism. I have researched, and published on, gender and ordination issues in contemporary British Buddhism, secular mindfulness, and the narratives of 'Westerners' who convert to Buddhism. I conducted the first national survey of Buddhist and Jain buildings in England (as part of a larger research project, funded by Historic England with Professor Emma Tomalin). I continue to enjoy piecing together the rich and varied sociologies and histories of minority faith communities through their built landscapes, and much of my ongoing work has an investigation of religion, space, and place at its heart. I have also undertaken research work on the Church of England and attitudes towards sexuality with Professor Grace Davie (Exeter).

My latest monograph is under contract with Oxford University Press and is an exploration of Spiritualism in post-industrial Britain, particularly since the Second World War, a period of presumed decline and social irrelevance. I love bringing together historical archival material with contemporary ethnography, and my interest is understanding how historical experiences shape contemporary religion and spiritual practices. My next project will focus on divination, and I am also currently writing about the spread of Buddhism in inter-war Britain.

Professional memberships

• British Sociological Association Sociology of Religion Study Group (SocRel)
• American Academy of Religion
• UK Association of Buddhist Studies

Student education

I have taught on a range of modules within the School that cover the social scientific study of religion, including research methods, across undergraduate and post-graduate levels. My current focus is leading and teaching on our interdisciplinary Liberal Arts programme. 

Research groups and institutes

• Centre for Religion and Public Life
• Gender
• Heritage
• PRIA
• Religion
• Theology and Religious Studies
• Women, Gender, and Sexuality

Current postgraduate researchers

• Chrissie Thwaites
• Laura Wallace
• Gloria Adaeze Adichie
• Erin Clark