Building on History: Religion in London

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This will be an innovative public engagement project on religious history and heritages with communities in London. This programme would follow on from the AHRC-funded knowledge transfer project Modern Religious History and the Contemporary Church (working title Building on History: the Church in London) which concludes October 2011. It will also add significant value to the final year (2011-12) of the AHRC/ESRC funded 'Global Uncertainties' project, Protestant-Catholic Conflict: Historical Legacies and Contemporary Realities. The proposed project will substantially extend the original work on the Church of England to include a range of the other Christian groups, together with Jews and Muslims. It will facilitate participation in religious history and heritages in London's diverse religious communities. It will inform discussion of citizenship and social cohesion, as well as actively promoting both in local community contexts.The starting point for the project is the substantial recent advance in academic understanding of the history of religion in London, to which both the PI and the Co-I have themselves made important contributions. In particular we are interested in prompting critical public reflection regarding fluctuations in the prominence of religion in society and culture, its role in community formation and the complex range of interactions and relationships between different religious and ethnic groups.We have established a core group of well placed representatives from different faith constituencies and through dialogue with them have established that a public engagement project of the type described would be of substantial interest to religious communities in London. This group will act as an official advisory committee for the project and to build links and promote engagement with the groups they represent. Activities will include a series of seminars and workshops for various religious groups and the development of a website offering extensive resources to facilitate non-academic exploration of religious history. The project will lay the groundwork for seeking funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to enable further development of the work. The project will be directed by Prof John Wolffe, who has also led the successful original project. The Co-I, Prof Humayun Ansari, will contribute essential complementary expertise regarding Muslims in London. The named candidate, Dr John Maiden, has been Research Associate on the original project. Regular meetings with the investigators and three meetings with the advisory committee during the life of the project will ensure effective coordination and management.