Overview

Title: The Role of Religion in Societies Emerging from Covid-19

Supervisor: Professor Gladys Ganiel (SSESW)

Context:

The PhD candidate will conduct research related to the changing role of religion on the island of Ireland, in the context of society emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The research builds on an existing collaborative research project, ‘The Changing Role of Religion in Societies Emerging from Covid-19 (RECOV-19)’, involving Queen’s University Belfast, the University of Montreal, the University of Bremen, and the University of Warsaw, which is funded by the Trans-Atlantic Platform.

The candidate will be part of a wider research team analysing the pandemic in four contexts: Canada, Germany, the Republic of Ireland/Northern Ireland, and Poland.

The project is investigating three main areas:

1. Discourses around health, illness, and science (including promoting the observance, or not, of lockdown restrictions and public health measures like vaccines)
2. Changing relationships between religions and the state (including how religious groups have contributed to debates emerging from the pandemic, like addressing inequalities and mental health issues)
3. Religious adaptations to the digital world (including incorporating digital innovations like blended online/in-person approaches to religious practices)

The PhD proposal should focus on one of the following areas emerging from the project:

1. Changing religious practices among women, north and south, including declines in women’s religiosity in the Republic when compared to Northern Ireland
2. Young people and religious practice during and after the pandemic
3. How religious groups adapted digitally during the pandemic and whether or to what extent digital forms of religion persist after pandemic lockdowns

The studentship:

We are seeking an outstanding applicant who cannot only demonstrate knowledge and skills but also a strong passion and commitment to advancing knowledge in the sociology of religion/religious studies –internationally and on the island of Ireland.