Messy Methods in Researching Religion

On Friday 28 November, our very own Dr Louisa Cadman (Sheffield Hallam University), together with Professor Linda Woodhead and Dr Nicole Graham (King’s College London), launched their co-edited book Messy Methods in Researching Religion, published by Oxford University Press.

Featuring the reflections of researchers from across the social sciences and humanities, the book investigates the real-world complexities, challenges, and mistakes that often arise when researching religion, values, and culture. Some chapters describe in detail the process and rationale behind methodological decisions, including the challenges, adaptations, and revisions. Others reveal how things went wrong in the research process -sometimes beyond the point of recovery - and what was learned as a result.

Louisa says:

"I hope that staff and students across the social sciences and humanities at SHU will pick up this book when they are designing and carrying out research projects. The honest reflections it contains should inspire them and help them face the challenges of doing research - a reality that is often missing from research methods textbooks.”