Research Centres and Projects

British Centre for Durkheimian Studies

Director: Sondra Hausner

The Centre provides a forum and hub for the study of religion from Durkheimian perspectives. It sustains the publication of major monographs, edited volumes, and dedicated journals through its long-time partner Berghahn Books, and it promotes teaching in the social theory of religion at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Categories of Religion and the Secular in Islam

Director: Alexander Henley

CRSI is an interdisciplinary network of scholars interested in critical approaches to 'religion' and 'the secular/non-religious' as discursive categories in Islamic contexts. It aims to create a space to foster an emerging sub-field at the intersection of critical theory in Religion and Islamic Studies, encouraging cross-regional and inter-disciplinary discussions in order to rethink the way we talk about Islam and Muslims.

Centre for Theology and Modern European Thought

Director: Joel Rasmussen

CTMET was founded in 2007 and is based in the Faculty of Theology and Religion at Oxford University. It exists to promote the interdisciplinary study of the relationships between theology and other areas of intellectual life, and to provide a resource for teaching in this area, both in theology and in other disciplines.

Centre for the Reception History of the Bible

Director: Christine Joynes

Since its foundation in 2002 the Centre has played a pioneering role in establishing the importance of biblical reception, challenging traditional disciplinary boundaries. It aims to foster exchange between scholars working on biblical texts across the Humanities, creating a network that focuses on exploring the use and influence of the Bible.

Healthcare Values Partnership

Director: Joshua Hordern

The Partnership is led by Professor Joshua Hordern, who collaborates with a range of colleagues in Oxford and elsewhere. As we explore the values which shape healthcare today, the ethos of the partnership is to develop working relationships between patients, researchers, healthcare practitioners, managers, and policy makers.

The Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion

Directors: Alister McGrath and Andrew Pinsent

The Centre conducts research into religious beliefs and theological concepts in relation to the sciences. Research into beliefs focuses on the application of scientific tools to religious phenomena, such as in the Cognitive Science of Religion (CSR).

McDonald Centre

Director: Nigel Biggar

The McDonald Centre fosters conversation both between Christian theology and other disciplines, and between academia and those who shape public deliberation and policy. Into its discussions it draws scholars from around the world, as well as public office-holders, civil servants, policy-makers, and opinion-formers. By publishing the research it supports, the Centre communicates to academic, church, and wider public audiences.

The Oxford Psalms Network

Director: Susan Gillingham

The Network examines the wider impact of the Psalms in the development of Judaeo-Christian culture, language and identity from the earliest times to the present day, encouraging interaction between academics, curators, and the wider public through a series of activities and outputs by academic and other partners.