All Talks, Seminars & Workshops

2021

Why I Started Talking to White People in environmental groups About Race

I’m delighted to be invited to share current research as part of this really important symposium on how Muslims in Britain engage with sustainability in the UK. In my presentation, I share some reflection that has been underway for several years now about how the environmental sector has been the site of racialised privilege, and in turn, how I think work ought to be structured in adressing this, particuarly for white privileged folks like me. Slides can be accessed here.

Birmingham OPEN (Open Pedagogy EUniWell Network) Webinar

In this brief presentation, I share a bit of the reasons I think that Open Education is awesome. Slides can be accessed here.

'Mapping' Religious Communities in the Birmingham: Assessing the Options

This presentation, drawing on past research, outlined some options for a steering group which manages the Birmingham Faiths Map. Slides can be accessed here.

Using “Liberation Bibliographies” in our Teaching - an Appreciative Inquiry

Presented with my colleague Gabi Witthaus to fellow teaching staff at UOB. We hosted a workshop to open up discussion on OER’s at the University, particularly focussed around the notion of liberation bibliographies (which was introduced to me by Gabi

Theology and Deep Time

For this paper, I shared a bit of work in progress under the banner of my ecological reconciliation project. Slides can be found here, and video of the session is up on peertube.

Disappearance and Novelty: Reflecting on the entanglements of 'conservation' and 'culture'

Political Theology/Theologies of Politics workshop series. Slides are here.

Discipleship in 2021 in Light of Climate Change

2020

Presentation on Representation in TRS

At the TRS-UK AGM, I presented a paper on problems with representation within the subject area. The presentation provided an orientation for delegates to recent work on racialised injustice and representation, and outlined some possible concerns to carry forward in a wider consultation process. Slides can be found here.

Why I Started Talking to White People (in Christian environmental groups) About Race

I’m learned a huge amount from the members of this colloquia who have been working for 2 years to compile theological insights, best practices and outreach strategies which can more intentionally connect with Black Majority churches in the UK. I’ll be sharing a bit of my experience decolonising British environmentalism over the past few years and getting input from this group of experts.

Faith and Action in response to the climate crisis

Paper presented

Sermon

Time to Act, Book Launch

Beyond Slow Food and Fast Change: Reconceptualising our Relationship to the Other-than-Human in Time

I’ll be presenting a seminar paper drawing on my most recent sabbatical research.

Talks, Seminars & Workshops

Upcoming and recent talks, seminars and workshops

Paper

Extinction and Religion

I’ll be presenting with my collaborator Stephan Skrimshire to the group Faith in Europe on some of the findings from our research project on Religion & Extinction.

2019

Crafting the Commons network meeting

At the network event, several of us shared a stories about commoning and for my contribution I brought a piece of speculative sci-fi in hopes this might open up some of the issues involved in commons work.

Urban Thinkers Campus

Plenary: Contemplating Extinction

Red Letter Christians: Vision Day

Future: Mapping Solutions

Talk given for design walk with a group of designers

'Spiritual placemaking’ in urban landscapes.

Paper co-presented at Valuing Nature Conference

Macro: A More than Human City (design walk)

Talk given for design walk with a group of designers

Spiritual Places and Creation Care

A brief training session given to a CMS trainee group

Extinction & Religion: Disappearance, Reappearance, and Novel Productions

A vignette paper presented at the ISSRNC conference

Slowly and quietly we go: Christian Environmentalism in the UK

Paper given to the University of Nottingham School of Geography seminar.

Spiritual Temporalities Among Christian Environmentalists in Britain in the Twenty-First Century

Paper given as part of a panel at the EAR conference

'State of the Art' on churches and environmentalism

Presentation to a practitioner group of church and NGO leaders

2018

Three Faiths: One Question - Why do good people do bad things? (Panelist)

I served as a panelist for this (first) interfaith veritas forum

Co-facilitator: ecolise forum on mapping the grassroots

discussion for practitioners on leveraging geospatial data to aid their work

Researching (in) Spiritual Landscapes

workshop and seminar delivered to doctoral cohort in environmental humanities at Stockholm University

Participatory research with practitioners and policymakers

talk given to colleagues on participatory research methods

Sacred Landscapes and Herbal energy

presentation on research and key questions facing the topic of spiritual landscapes to a group of expert practitioners

“Mapping” Religious Communities in the UK: Borders, Boundaries and Big Data

lightning paper on the shockingly bad situation wrt geospatial data on religious groups in Europe

Research methods and data analysis in Practical Theology

Presentation on data analysis methods to a group of scholars at the the UK Professional Doctorate Summer School

Religion and social values for sustainability

presentation on work in progress to a group of scholars in environmental values

Presenting mapping.community

I was delighted to participate in the intermapping practitioner symposium this year. This is an amazing group of activitists, hackers, anarchists, and professional developers trying to use digital maps for the common good.

What is possible in the Digital Humanities?

talk (primarily on geohumanities) given to group of faculty at UOB

The Scottish Communities Report

Presentation on preliminary research findings on Scottish Environmental Community Groups at the SCCS board meeting

What is the temporality of climate change activism

My paper/presentation will be titled “What is the temporality of climate change activism - some reflections on place attachment and the politics of nostalgia” Panel details are as follows: Thursday 19 April 2018, 2-5pm

Looking at finance and the economy through Jesus' eyes

Was Jesus a political radical pushing for systemic reform or a conservative voice for personal responsibility and stewardship of one’s own resources? We will find the truth together by looking at some key biblical texts and discussing what a Christian view of economy might look like.

Digital Research Conversations: Security

I’ll be presenting as part of a panel on digital security and scholarly research this March as part of a series Birmingham University’s BEAR group has been hosting on “Digital Research Conversations.

Theological Insights on AI – Big Data and Self-learning in Social Research

I’ll be presenting as part of a workshop this March on Theological responses to AI, hosted by the Christian Academic Network.

Slow energy policy in a time of global emergencies

I’m very much looking forward to delivering a paper at Cambridge on 30 January 2018. My host is the Energy@Cambridge research initiative. My full title for the presentation is: “Slow energy policy in a time of global emergencies: the perils and promises of energy policy and religious communities”

2017

Navigating the space between the “ideology of expertise” and the solipsism of sectarian community

My contribution to a panel on the future of practical theology

Facilitator for Break Out Session on Hate Crime

I hosted two break-out sessions with about 150 community religious leaders on the subject of Hate Crime for the West Midlands Mayor’s Faith Leaders Summit.

Why should Christians care about Climate Change?

I hosted a session for members of Quinton Christ Church on why Christians should care about climate change. It was great fun! Alas, I forgot to record my comments, so nothing to share here.

Mapping Churches Lab Day

As part of my ongoing research on the Mapping Community project, we ran a laboratory day in the Digital Cultures Studio here at UOB. I presented a brief keynote with some of my thoughts on mapping, data research, and empowering churches to make better organisational decisions in the full light of data.

Big Data and Christian Ethics

paper presentation for our departmental seminar

Panelist: The Future of Christian Ethics

panelist on the ‘future of Christian Ethics’ as part of an event by KLICE celebrating their 10th anniversary and looking ahead to what’s next

Work integrated learning on an undergraduate module

presentation for colleagues on some work we’ve done enhancing my course Religion in the Public Sphere to create student projects that involve work with local employers, charities, etc.

Session on Christianity and the Common Good

taught a session as part of the Ripon College Cuddesdon Summer School on Christianity and the Common Good

Researching scientists and activists

presentation on my research for a group of restoration ecologists, environmental scientists, philosopher and theologians as part of a week-long inaugural workshop discussing the relationship of theology and restoration practice

Enhancing Public Understanding of Activists, Religion (and Religious Activists!) through the Geo+Digital-Humanities

talk on how I use digital research to research activists and religion

What are the ethics of the science and religion debate?

paper presentation for the centre for global ethics seminar

Digital Humanities projects in 2016

2016

Is Climate Change a Moral Issue?

presentation on climate change for a lively group of visiting sixth form students