Karen Wenell

Prior to joining the Department of Theology and Religion in Birmingham in 2011, I was co-editor of the Expository Times (2005-2011), and Lecturer in Creativity, Culture and Faith at the University of Glasgow (2006-2011), where I had previously completed my doctoral research, focussing on ideas about land as sacred space in Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity. 

I am interested in the ways that religious resources (especially those with wide cultural significance) inform ethical ways of thinking about key contemporary challenges. My new monograph, Locating the Kingdom of God: Performing Sacred Boundaries, offers a new look at an ancient concept that has been performed in numerous ways since its origins. In the book, I demonstrate how non-physical space can be formative for identity and ethical relationships with others, touching on issues from consumption and environmental concerns to rights, solidarity and decolonisation. 

Previously, I was Principal Investigator on the AHRC Network Grant ‘Women, Faith and Humanitarian Interventions’, part of the wider Global Challenges Research Fund. With co-investigator Andrew Davies and project partners Global One. This network focussed on the need for gender- and faith-sensitive humanitarian programming to meet Sustainable Development Goals, outlining priority areas for women and girls in spaces of activation, support and empowerment. 

Other funded projects have explored intersections between religion and culture. I was co-investigator on the AHRC-funded workshop (led by Damian Sutton) ‘Not Just for Christmas: Consumption, Popular Culture and Religious Observance’, exploring ethical consuming and environmental concerns as they relate to cultural and religious narratives of Christmas and everyday life. As part of a team of researchers, I investigated the role of textbooks and representations of religion in Religious Education provision across the UK as co-investigator on the large grant ‘Does Religious Education Work?’, led by Jim Conroy under the AHRC’s ‘Religion and Society’ programme.

Currently, my work focusses on religious festivals and their environmental and ethical impact, looking in particular at the cultural and religious stories and icons of Christmas.