Author Archives: stringerquartet

Aspirations

In a paper that I read recently on the im-materiality of religion, the author chose to use the word ‘aspiration’ as one of those elements that she described as an immaterial aspect of religion. The authors, Marian Burkhart and Maria Westendorp, were arguing that scholars of urban religion had become too fixated on the materialContinue reading “Aspirations”

Snow White in the Age of Social Media

Snow White acts as something of leitmotif throughout my current book on the nature and use of stories in religion. In each chapter I provide a different analysis of the tale and a different perspective or way of telling the story. In the chapter on ‘Function’ (which begins with the theories of Malinowski) I suggestContinue reading “Snow White in the Age of Social Media”

Walking Across Paris

Walking in Paris is a very different experience from walking in London. Above all there is less obvious difference and contrast within Paris, or at least within the centre of Paris. Normally, I would travel by Metro, but on my last trip, to visit the exhibition of a sale of some of Hélène Leloup’s collectionContinue reading “Walking Across Paris”

On Reading Dalrymple, Christians and the Middle East

I have just finished reading William Dalrymple’s From the Holy Mountain. I have to say that it was one of the most depressing books that I have read in a long time. The book outlines Dalrymple’s journey from Mount Athos through Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Egypt to the Coptic necropolis of Bagawat in theContinue reading “On Reading Dalrymple, Christians and the Middle East”

A Night at the Ballet

There is not nearly enough modern dance and ballet outside of London. Here in the Midlands, we have the Birmingham Royal Ballet and then various touring companies that may come to Malvern, Wolverhampton, the Hippodrome in Birmingham or elsewhere. Unless you are on the various mailing lists or know where to look it is veryContinue reading “A Night at the Ballet”

Africa, A Cry from the Heart

I am always very reluctant to treat Africa as a single space. There are too many differences and subtleties across the continent, even in so-called sub-Saharan Africa, for any generalisation to make sense. I am also very reluctant to present Africa, or Africans, as victims, or as living hard or difficulty lives. I would notContinue reading “Africa, A Cry from the Heart”

NSS and Student Engagement: What I Learnt from Swansea University

As I continue to write new blogs for this site, I have also been reviewing some of the blogs that I wrote in my seven years as Pro-Vice Chancellor and I have chosen to rewrite them as an occasional series of what I have learnt from my time at Swansea University. Over the last sevenContinue reading “NSS and Student Engagement: What I Learnt from Swansea University”

Atheism and Photography

Atheism has been around for many centuries. The early Christians were accused of being ‘atheists’ because they did not believe in the gods of the Greek and Roman world. Atheism as we know it today, however, as a rejection of all that is supernatural or non-empirical, is largely a product of the nineteenth century (withContinue reading “Atheism and Photography”

Saying and Not Saying

A recent email request has got me thinking this week. This was from a site that monitors published articles, and they wrote to ask if I had written the paper ‘Listening to the Language, Listening to the Words and Listening to the Spaces between the Words, Rhetoric and Pragmatics in the Performance of Christian-Muslim Relations’Continue reading “Saying and Not Saying”