Professor of Anthropology of Religion and Associate Dean Jonathan Miles-Watson
| Biography | Over the last decade I have (at Durham) delivered modules in the areas of the study of mythology, pilgrimage, fieldwork methodology, theories of religion, religion in South Asia and the anthropology of religion. I have further contributed to modules that explore the anthropology of Islam and worldviews, as well as modules outside the department in related areas, especially anthropology. I am deeply committed to the idea of teaching as a process of facilitating the development of skill and the new possibilities emerging for teaching, which i was heavily involved with during my time as the department's Director of Education (2018-2021). I believe strongly in the importance of a welcoming learning community that is open to the benefits of diversity and I am keen to support good initiatives in this area. I am a steering committee member of the ProNE initiative and an active supporter of the University’s Race Equality Charter bid. My research has developed over the last 20 years to include religious practice in the Indian Himalayas, faith and civil society, sacred space, pilgrimage, ruptured landscapes, pilgrimage, sacred ecologies, material religion, Celtic religions, and structuralism. During that period, I have conducted both archival research and extensive fieldwork (in both India and the UK). I have active, developing, research interests in a) mixed-faith (dual-faith heritage) identities, b) The role of ‘belief’ in female football c) Reworlding religion: rethinking curriculum. At least one of these will form into something firmer in the coming months. I am currently seconded to the Faculty of Arts and Humanities where I serve as Associate Dean (PGR) and the Academic Director of the Northern Bridge Doctoral Training Consortium. Through these roles I lead on the development of the Humanities Graduate Research School at Durham and doctoral training across 7 partner universities. I remain, however, rooted firmly in the department and committed to supporting its important work, while increasing my connectedness to the wider university and academy. I will continue to welcome enquiries from prospective research students throughout my period of secondment and beyond. |
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| Research Interests | Dual Faith Heritage Pilgrimage Theories of Religion Anthropology of Religion South Asian Religions Religion and Sport Religion and Wellbeing Sacred Heritages Religious Capital Sacred Landscapes Material Religion Mythology Processes of Learning (enskilment) Fieldwork: India; Himalayas; Himachal Pradesh |
| Teaching and Learning | Over the last decade I have (at Durham) delivered modules in the areas of the study of mythology, pilgrimage, fieldwork methodology, religion in South Asia and the anthropology of religion. I have further contributed to modules that explore the anthropology of Islam and worldviews, as well as modules outside the department in related areas, especially anthropology. |
| PhD Supervision Availability | Yes |
| PhD Topics | Anthropology of Religion, Material Religion, Religion in Contemporary India, The Analysis of Mythology, Sacred Landscapes. |