Thu 23 Oct 2008
Actually Katharine’s only originally from Bristol, but is now at Lancaster in the religious studies department. She’s researching conceptions of truth in postmodern religious networks, including emerging church bloggers. So we had heaps to talk about, including where we may fit after our PhDs are done and there’s nobody to look after us. It’s interestingly difficult being in some interdisciplinary field involving or including religion, especially in lands where religion should be taught and researched among, and only among, religious people. Communications specialists and sociologists and whatnot are not interested in conceptions of theology, and theologians don’t want to know you when you study what’s on the ground rather than what’s in the cloister.
But we got lost together in London, found ourselves at the Palace and then the Abbey, so we enjoyed our time together. I really appreciate that she came all the way down just to hang out with me. It was fantastic.
October 23rd, 2008 at 19:35
I scrub up pretty good, don’t I? You can even see my transcribing injuries!!!
It was great to meet up in person and thanks so much for the excellent salad. How restrained was I?!? Could have really packed in the brie! My gym coach is going to be pleased with me this week!!! Anyway, it was very lovely of you to buy me lunch. Thanks again.
I remembered a conversation I had with my supervisor about what discipline I was in and she said “theology.” Damn it!!! Lancaster University is very into interdisciplinary stuff and funding bodies are increasingly into collaborative research between universities so I guess all we can hope is that things start to go our way and that by the time we’ve both written up the academic world will have shifted and will embrace us with open arms!!!
I forgot to ask you if you’d heard any more about Bryan Murley’s emerging church research recently. He seems to have gone very quiet.
October 23rd, 2008 at 19:35
Oh, and have a good flight(s) back tonight. Hope you manage to find Hyde Park in the meantime. Love Katharine x
October 23rd, 2008 at 20:36
Ouch! That’s a little hard on the theologians, Paul. Well, at least some of us
October 24th, 2008 at 00:27
Katharine,
Yeah it was fantastic to finally sit down with you F2F after so many years via the webbby thing. I’m really attracted to the idea of interdisciplinary religious research. If there’s anything happening postdoc-wise or teaching-wise up there, could you let me know?
And I haven’t heard a peep out of Bryan Murley in ages. His research was quite popular among the bloggers in my own sample, so I thought I’d hear a lot more by now. I’ve even emailed him a few months ago and heard nothing.
October 24th, 2008 at 00:28
Stephen,
Harsh but true. But not for you, you’re lovely
.
October 24th, 2008 at 12:47
Thanks, Paul. Made me feel all warm and fuzzy up here in my ivory town (from which I can see and hear the end of lectures parties beginning to warm up). Ah, undergrad life.