Professor Graeme Smith

Bio:

Professor Graeme Smith

Role 
Programme Leader for MA in Theology, Imagination and Culture

Usual office hours & location 
Monday and Wednesday (in college)
Tuesday (remote)

About 
Graeme studied theology at the University of Leeds, BA & MA and the University of Birmingham, PhD. He has previously taught at the Westminster College, Oxford, Oxford Brookes University, St Michael’s College, Cardiff and Cardiff University and then for 15 years at University of Chichester where he was Head of Department for 5 years.

He was a founding editor of the journal Political Theology and is Public Theology Co-ordinator for the British and Irish Association of Practical Theology. As well as sitting on the editorial boards of academic journals he is an external examiner at Cardiff University.

Research interests
Graeme’s area of research is public theology, including within that an interest in political theology, practical theology as well as social and cultural theologies.  He has written on a number of areas including ecumenical social theology, secularism in Western society, the theologies of British political leaders, public and practical theology methodologies, and chaplaincy.

Most recently he has completed a 3 year BA/Leverhulme funded project working on the archives of the philosopher of religion, Don Cupitt.  Prior to that he was involved in a major 4 ½ year ESRC project looking at Port chaplaincy including the work of seafarer centres, port chaplains and the theology of seafarers.

He is working currently on an edited collection of essays exploring the future of theology as well as a major project on the Christianities of Culture: Public Theology in a Post-Liberal Era.

Teaching
Graeme teaches on a variety of modules on the MA in Theology, Imagination and Culture as well as supervising MA dissertations, PhDs and contributing to modules on research skills.

Supervision
I welcome inquires in the fields of public theology, practical theology and political theology as well as social and cultural theology. I have also supervised in the area of Religious Education at both primary and secondary level.

Professional Memberships & Responsibilities
British and Irish Association for Practical Theology (Convenor Public Theology strand)
American Academy of Religion
Modern Church
Editorial Boards or Referee for: Practical Theology, Political Theology, British Journal of Religious Education.

Selected List of Publications

‘Prophet without Honour: The Marginalisation of Don Cupitt’ with Elaine Graham in Theology, vol 126(1), pp20-27, 2023.

‘A Theology of Chaplaincy from Below: Changing the Locus of Theological Agency’ in Practical Theology, Vol. 16, No. 4, September, 2023.

‘Public Theology and Culture’ in Hübenthal, C., & Alpers, C., (eds.), T&T Clark Handbook of

Public Theology, London: T&T Clark, 2022.

‘A Working Theology: An Evaluation of the Popular Beliefs of Roman Catholic Filipino

Seafarers’, with Sampson, H., Turgo, N., Cadge, W., & Gilliat-Ray, S., Practical Theology, vol 14, no. 6, Dec, pp506-517, 2021

‘No Longer “Speaking Truth to Power”’ in Rodgers, Andrew, P., & Slee, Nicola, Celebrating the Past, Present and Future of British and Irish Practical Theology. Roots, Shoots and Fruits, London: Routledge, 2021.

‘A Theology More Useful: Public Theology as Edification’, International Journal of Public

Theology, 13, pp449-471, 2019.

‘The British Churches and the 2015 General Election’, Practical Theology, vol 19, no.2, pp.115-126, 2016.

‘From Values to Virtues: An Investigation into the Ethical Content of English Primary School Assemblies’, British Journal of Religious Education, pp5-19, 2013.

A Short History of Secularism, London: IB Tauris, 2008