Religion and society

The Director of a national research programme which aimed to significantly advance our understanding of religion and society will outline its impact in a keynote lecture at the University.

Speaking as part of the Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK's lecture series, Professor Linda Woodhead will highlight some of the significant outcomes emerging from research commissioned under the Research and Society Programme.

The £12M collaborative programme between the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Economic and Social Research Council aimed to facilitate interdisciplinary research and to bring research into policy and public debate.

In total, 75 separate research projects were funded under the initiative, including the Cardiff projects Religious Nurture in Muslim Families, led by Professor Jonathan Scourfield of the School of Social Sciences, andLeadership and Capacity Building in the Muslim Community, by Dr Sophie Gilliat-Ray of the Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK.

Dr Gilliat-Ray, Director of the Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK said: "The Research and Society Programme is of major significance and findings from research commissioned as part of it are changing the way we think about religion in Britain and around the World.

"We're delighted to welcome Professor Woodhead to Cardiff to present some of the important contributions to policy and practice emerging as a result of the programme and to discuss its enduring legacy."

Professor Woodhead's lecture takes place on Tuesday 19^th March at 7.00pm in the John Percival Building. The event is free to attend and places can be reserved at http://islamukseriessixthlecture2013.eventbrite.co.uk

The Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK is based within the University's School of History, Archaeology and Religion. Opened in 2005, it is now a leading institution for scholarly teaching about Islam and Muslims in contemporary Britain.