Lauren Morry

Thesis Title:

Liturgies of Encounter: The Character of Shared Spaces and Interactions Between Anglicans and Muslims in the Church of England’s Diocese of Birmingham

Supervisor/s:

Professor Mark Chapman and Professor Sondra Hausner

College:

Lady Margaret Hall

Research Overview:

I study Anglican-Muslim relations in England from 2005 to the present day. In particular, my DPhil thesis explores how the Church of England has undertaken relations with Muslim communities on institutional and local levels, with a case study in the Diocese of Birmingham. Central to this endeavour is an analysis of the role of the established Church in religiously diverse England and discussion of the dynamics of ‘Church and State’ as well as ‘religion and public life.’ In my analysis, I make use of spatial theory to explore how space mediates interreligious relations, as well as the roles of civic and ‘sacred’ spaces. I am also interested in how categories such as ‘religion’ and ‘sacred space’ are employed in scholarship and popular discourse.

About:

I have an academic background in the Great Books and Religious Studies (BHum, 2017) as well as Social Anthropology (MPhil Cantab., 2018). I employ mixed methodologies including ethnography and textual analysis.