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We are pleased to share the call for papers for Political Theologies 2026:Political theologies of constitutions, the rule of law, and the common good23-24 April 2026, University of CambridgeThe constitution functions not only as a legal framework but also as a symbolic and practical foundation for societal life. This brings to the fore the role of …

Bootcamp: Religion + Policy (25–26 June 2025) was convened at the Faculty of Divinity with a cohort ranging from MPhil students through to postdoctoral scholars.Bootcampers included researchers based in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, History, Law, and Sociology as well as Divinity. The event spanned two days. The lead convenor Dr Iona Hine was p…

Congratulations to Dr Emily Qureshi-Hurst and Dr Anastasia Badder!Both have won recognition for their recent publications.Science & Religion book of the yearDr Qureshi-Hurst has won Book of the Year for her study, Salvation in the Block Universe. The award comes from the International Society for Science and Religion, which complimented the excepti…

A third student-led symposium took place on Monday 23 June 2025: Temporality and religion.Divinity PhD students Imad Ahmed and Luke Wilkinson initiated the theme. They brought in assistance from Arwa Hanif Al-Qassim (a PhD student in Education) and Ferhat Kafali (an MPhil student on the Religion and Conflict pathway).A co-written call for papers yi…

On Tuesday 29 July, the Cambridge Interfaith Programme was pleased to partner with Dr Marietta van der Tol (Trinity College) to welcome Lord Khan, the UK Government Faith Minister, along with aides active in the faith, communities and resettlement brief.This was a first conversation, following up on connections made at the UK Inter Faith Week repor…

Over three days in June, the Second Parliamentary Conference in Interfaith Dialogue convened in Rome. Three scholars from the Cambridge Interfaith Research Forum attended: Dr Ayesha Ulhaq [AU], whose newly-minted PhD documents the emotional geography of British Muslim women; Dr Marietta van der Tol [MvdT], whose latest book documents intolerance in…

Attending the Cambridge Alumni Festival this September? Our team has plenty of options lined up—On Friday 26 September we’re offering a rolling programme of workshops. Building on the success of last year’s series, we’ve planned for refreshments and the chance to stay and chat with researchers after each session. Options include:God, midrash and li…

A student-led decolonisation conferenceOn Tuesday 17 June 2025, the Faculty of Education hosted Whose Knowledge Is It? – a student-led decolonisation conference organised by a group of postgraduate researchers committed to interrogating knowledge hierarchies and colonial legacies within academic institutions.Maryam Bham, PhD candidate and Cambridge…

Dr Anastasia Badder has teamed up with academics in Southampton, London & Cambridge to host this year’s virtual conference with the European Association of Jewish Studies. The conference centres around the theme “Translating Maimonides” and the call draws attention to Maimonides’ resonance among diverse religious and non-religious communities.From …

Across three panels on May 2 2025, speakers explored various dynamics of the “inter” on the intricately “inter-religious” landscapes of South Asia in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.This hybrid symposium was co-convened by Dr Soumen Mukherjee (Smuts Visiting Research Fellow in the Centre of South Asian Studies), Dr Ankur Barua and Dr Hina Khalid…

Knowledge exchange with Footsteps BCF & friendsOn 30 April 2025, the Cambridge Interfaith Programme team brought together a combination of guests and interested scholars to consider the broad topic of faith in climate action. The following report was prepared by Noah Rouse, a Faculty of Divinity graduate and alumnus member of Cambridge Interfaith R…

Navigating complex discourse:Cambridge insights on defining Islamophobia in 2025In a May 20 seminar at the University of Cambridge, scholars, practitioners, and students convened to delve into the complexities surrounding Islamophobia, antisemitism, and their intersections with broader societal frameworks. The session, rich with insights and debate…

CIP postdoc Dr Anastasia Badder has been spending a day-a-week working with the Faith & Belief Forum, a national NGO. The goal is to spend nine months identifying synergies, testing scope for research collaborations, and (when possible) observing current interfaith practice “in the wild”.Reflecting on the second quarter, Anastasia writes: As in my …

Finishing or finished your doctorate? Keen to pursue further research in the domain of inter-religious relations?Inviting expressions of interestThe Faculty of Divinity is inviting expressions of interest from recently completed or final stage doctoral students whom the Faculty might support in this year's round of applications for British Academy …

Austrian novelist Eva Menasse has written the foreword to a new German edition of Esra Özyürek’s Subcontractors of Guilt.As publishers Klett Cotta ready a series of events in the German-speaking world, we offer an English summary of Menasse’s remarks—courtesy of Cambridge MPhil student Valentin Herdeg.Can Muslims become part of “the West”? If so, h…