Current Students

Jennifer Riley

My PhD explores how religion and spirituality interact with the practice of healthcare. Research at the interface of religion and medicine is thriving, but healthcare practitioners’ views and experiences have rarely been the subject of robust qualitative research. To expand understanding in this area, I am using mixed qualitative methods to collect stories from healthcare practitioners, representing a variety of fields and different career stages, and several different faiths as well as none, including those who consider themselves 'spiritual but not religious.' I focus particularly upon religious and spiritual change at the level of the individual: what effect does working in healthcare have upon people's religious and/or spiritual beliefs, practices, belonging(s)? How does working within a so-called 'medical worldview' affect one's personal 'worldview'? In placing individuals at the heart of my data collection and analysis, I draw heavily on the 'Lived Religion' framework with a narrative emphasis. As such, this work has potential to contribute to wider understanding of the nature of religion and spirituality in day-to-day life, particularly as they interact with work and emotion. 

https://www.dur.ac.uk/directory/profile/?mode=staff&id=17154

Supervisory Team: Prof. Douglas Davies, Theology and Religion (Durham), Prof. Chris Cook, Theology and Religion (Durham).

Start Date: October 2017