Lancaster Professor to direct £8.3million research fund
Professor Linda Woodhead has been appointed to direct an £8.3m research programme exploring religion and society.
The Religion and Society Research Programme, which will run for five-and-a-half years, is a new collaborative venture between the AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council) and the ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council).
It aims to explore current developments in the arts and humanities and social sciences communities, concerning questions of belief, human culture, society and religion. It will be the first UK research programme to foster collaboration across the arts, humanities and social sciences in order to understand the interrelationships between religion and society.
Professor Woodhead, currently head of the department of Religious Studies, said: “This research programme responds to the pressing need to advance understanding of religion in society by bringing to bear a range of disciplinary perspectives. It offers a unique opportunity to engage a range of constituencies, including religious groups and charities, the general public and policy makers.
“In the short term the programme will fund workshops and networks, which will enable the creation of new research partnerships and collaborations. In the longer term it will also support small and large research projects, which will explore different facets of religion and society across the globe. The programme will build capacity in this important area, and support both new and established researchers who want to take religion seriously.”
For further information go to
http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/apply/research/sfi/ahrcsi/religion_society.asp