News

A new study by Dr Tobias Müller explores the manifestations of masculinity within Pentecostal Christianity.Taking a north London church as his case study, Müller identifies three specific elements that combine to form what he terms “entrepreneurial heroic masculinity”. The study was released online in July and is available to read free via the jour…

The 2024 Entangled Otherings workshop was held at the University of Cambridge on 4 & 5 July. The main sponsor was the DAAD–Cambridge Hub for German Studies. In January, the convenors issued an open call on the topic Islamophobia, antisemitism, and philosemitism after October 7. The resulting workshop featured 15 talks. Sessions were closed to the p…

Muslims are often stereotyped as oppressors of women. The stereotype is powerful enough to have produced targeted education for Muslim boys in Germany. In a new joint article for the journal Men and Masculinities, Esra Özyürek and Jacob Lypp document contradictions in the masculine ideal represented in such education.Lypp and Özyürek begin their ac…

Last month, CIP was glad to host a one-day student symposium entitled “Rupture and Reconciliation”. Lia Kornmehl and Dr Hina Khalid came together to convene an interdisciplinary forum for scholarly conversations on these distinct, though interrelated, motifs.The panels explored such questions as: how do mystics of the past, and theologians of today…

On 19th June 2024, the Cambridge Interfaith Programme and the Faculty of Divinity hosted a book launch for Dr Anna Lefteratou’s recent monograph The Homeric Centos: Homer and Bible interwoven (Oxford University Press, 2023).The event attracted a sizeable audience on site in Cambridge and was also livestreamed via Zoom. A recording is available to w…

“The knowledge and practice embodied in our religious and belief communities are integral to proactively creating the strong and resilient relationships required for the immense challenges that lie ahead. We therefore seek, and indeed claim the right, to bring our ideas and insights, along with others, to the policy-making table.”Yesterday (26 June…

The Cairo Genizah preserved documents spanning more than 1000 years of Jewish history. But its contents represent considerably more.In a new open-access study, Dr Nick Posegay reports on the survival of fragments from a Christian Arabic Psalter. This psalter manuscript, Posegay argues, was produced in the late 9th or early 10th century CE, making i…

On Thursday 23 May, the Cambridge Interfaith Programme welcomed Professor Sir David Khalili for a keynote lecture exploring “The Art of Peace”. Over the course of 50 minutes, Sir David reflected on his life story and the myriad ways in which his art collecting has enhanced inter-cultural communication and understanding. The event was opened by Nazi…

The conference Being with Water OTHERWISE (April 15-16, 2024) brought together scholars, practitioners, and activists from diverse backgrounds to explore the intricate intersections of religion, water, and sustainability. Over the course of two days, participants engaged in thought-provoking discussions, presentations, and workshops that offered pr…

Seeing Muslimness is an interdisciplinary conference for scholars, researchers, and practitioners.The main organiser at Cambridge is Madiha Noman—a PhD student in the Faculty of English and affiliate of the Cambridge Interfaith Research Forum—acting in partnership with Abdul Sabur Kidwai of King’s College London. Here is their call for papers:Seein…

Earlier this month, Hina Khalid and Ankur Barua co-hosted a Mehfil—a “gathering to entertain or praise”, to extend students’ exposure to South Asian soundscapes. The event was supported by the Cambridge Interfaith Research Forum’s small grant scheme.They report back:On a sunny Friday afternoon, the Lightfoot Room attracted a large “participant audi…

In January, Professor Sriya Iyer began work on the Social Consequences of Religion initiative, a multistrand programme from the Templeton Religion Trust. Iyer is leading scoping work on Religion and Economic Development, courtesy of a $260,000 landscaping grant.The following news item was first published by the Faculty of Economics:Funded by the Te…

Are you organised and efficient? Do you have excellent interpersonal and administrative skills? Would you like to support research and outreach in the domain of interfaith relations?The Cambridge Interfaith Programme is recruiting a part-time administrator to work closely with our Programme Manager and Academic Director to support and enhance CIP’s…

Cambridge Interfaith Research Forum Student Symposium, 14 June 2024Religious life is characterised in equal parts by rupture—where concepts and commitments are stretched, broken down, and re-imagined, and reconciliation—where concepts and commitments are re-formulated, brought together, and harmonised. This student-led symposium seeks to explore i…

The Cambridge Interfaith Programme is proud to be a member of the Inter Faith Network for the UK and profoundly disappointed that the Government has withdrawn its funding offer.Below are extracts from two letters addressed to the Minister for Faith and Communities and the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities:From June 2023: …