Messy Methods in Researching Religion

Linda Woodhead, F. D. Maurice Professor, Department of Theology and Religious Studies, King's College London,Louisa Cadman, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography, Sheffield Hallam University,Nicole Graham, Lecturer in Ethics and Values, Theology and Religious Studies Department, King's College London

Linda Woodhead studies religion, belief, and values in modern societies using a range of qualitative and quantitative methods. In addition to her academic work, Professor Woodhead is a commentator on religious and cultural issues on radio and television.


Louisa Cadman's research interests concern the social, cultural, and political geographies of (mental) health, with a subsequent interest in how health intersects with contemporary spirituality.


Nicole Graham undertakes research within the field of humour and religion, exploring questions of the body, gender, and ethics. She has written on feminist laughter, the emergence and potential of the field of humour and religion, the acceptability of laughter in the early Christian tradition, and the ethics of laughter during game-playing. She is also the Media Officer of the Humour and Religion Network.

TEN COMMON MESSES IN RESEARCHING RELIGION, Louisa Cadman, Nicole Graham, and Linda Woodhead1. RESEARCH METHODS BETWEEN LAW, SOCIOLOGY, AND RELIGION, Lori G. Beaman2. LONG-TERM ETHNOLOGY AND THE SHADOWY IMPACT OF THE RESEARCHER, Marion Bowman3. USING TIME-SPACE DIARIES AND INTERVIEWS TO RESEARCH EVERYDAY SPIRITUALITIES, Louisa Cadman, Jennifer Lea, and Chris Philo4. THEOLOGICAL ACTION RESEARCH, Helen Cameron5. POWER AND THE STUDY OF RELIGION, Jeremy Carrette6. INSIDER RESEARCH INTO ABUSE IN MUSLIM COMMUNITIES, Rahmanara Chowdhury7. LEARNING FROM BUILDINGS, Angela Connelly and Michael Hebbert8. METHODOLOGICAL SYNERGIES IN RESEARCHING NESTED IDENTITY AND RELIGIOUS EDUCATION, James C. Conroy and David Lundie9. RE-INTERVIEWING, AND THE RESEARCHER-PARTICIPANT RELATIONSHIP, Abby Day10. DIGITIZATION AND COLLABORATION IN THE STUDY OF RELIGIOUS HISTORY, Rosemary Dixon, Simon Dixon, Inga Jones, Kyle Roberts, and Richard Gartner11. ENCOUNTERING ETHICAL AND OTHER ISSUES WHEN SHADOWING MUSLIM CHAPLAINS, Sophie Gilliat-Ray12. USING GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS TO UNDERSTAND RELIGIOUS CHANGE AND SECTARIAN CONFLICT IN NINETEENTH- AND TWENTIETH-CENTURY IRELAND, Ian N. Gregory, Niall A. Cunningham, and Ian Shuttleworth13. INVESTIGATING MEDIEVAL RITUAL THROUGH LITURGICAL ENACTMENT, John Harper14. USING FOCUSING TECHNIQUES TO RESEARCH THE EMBODIED KNOWING OF ECO-PAGANS, Adrian Harris15. COMMUNITY-BASED APPROACHES FOR VIOLENCE REDUCTION AND SOCIAL CHANGE IN KADUNA, NIGERIA, Colette Harris16. EXPLORING SEXUALITY AND RELIGION USING AN ONLINE QUESTIONNAIRE, Michael Keenan and Sarah-Jane Page17. A PERSONAL JOURNEY FROM THE SEARCH FOR MEANING TO A SOCIOLOGY OF THE SACRED, Gordon Lynch18. USING STORIES TO EXPLORE THE EVERYDAY PLACE OF SPIRIT AGENCY, Sara MacKian19. USING A SURVEY TO INVESTIGATE THE ROLE OF RELIGION IN YOUNG PEOPLE'S LIVES, Nicola Madge and Peter J . Hemming20. RECOGNIZING JESUS: VISUALITY AND THE STUDY OF RELIGION, David Morgan21. NAVIGATING AMBIGUITIES IN INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH COLLABORATION, Peter Nynäs and Johnny Långstedt22. RESEARCHING SPIRITUALITY WITH AND FOR VULNERABLE YOUNG PEOPLE, Elizabeth Olson and Giselle Vincett23. COMBINING METHODS IN A LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF RELIGION IN THE MEDIA, Elizabeth Poole and Teemu Taira24. FAILING AT RESEARCH? TRYING TO ACCESS A GYPSY PENTECOSTAL COMMUNITY IN THE UK, Melanie Prideaux25. AN OUTSIDER LOOKING IN, Andrew Sayer26. DEVELOPING 'MATERIAL' METHODS FOR THE STUDY OF DRESS AND RELIGION, Emma Tarlo27. USING A NARRATIVE METHOD TO RESEARCH YOUNG PEOPLE'S RELIGIOUS ENGAGEMENT, PAST AND PRESENT, Naomi Thompson28. THE CHALLENGES OF RESEARCHING AND PROVIDING INFORMATION ON 'CULTS' AND 'EXTREMISM', Amanda van Eck Duymaer van Twist and Sarah Harvey29. LOOKING BACK AT AN INTERVIEW WITH AN ANGEL, Terhi Utriainen30. WHAT EVIDENCE ON WHOSE TERMS? POLICY-RELEVANT RELIGION OR BELIEF RESEARCH, Paul Weller31. COMBINING METHODS (AND RESEARCHERS) TO INVESTIGATE RELIGION AND WELLBEING IN INDIA, Sarah White and Joe Devine32. USING ARCHIVES AND INTERVIEWS TO LINK PAST AND PRESENT IN THE STUDY OF CONFLICT AND PEACE, John Wolffe33. THE MESSINESS OF RELIGION ITSELF, Linda Woodhead and Ole Riis