Two of our leading theologians shared their insights on a flagship UK radio programme that broadcasts expert reflections on faith, ethics, and human experience

Professor Douglas Davies, one of the world’s leading scholars in the field of death studies, has been recognised with a prestigious lifetime achievement award from the Association for the Study of Death and Society (ASDS).

Twenty of our researchers will take important roles in assessing UK universities’ research quality.

The Call for Papers is now open for the fifth triennial Early Modern British and Irish Catholicism conference. The conference takes place 29 June - 1 July 2026 and will be organized jointly by Durham University and the University of Notre Dame in London, UK.

The call for papers for the third Lived Catholicism Conference, taking place online from Tuesday 2 – Wednesday 3 December 2025 is open until 1 October 2025.

Centre for Theology and Qualitative Research is inviting The Network for Ecclesiology & Ethnography to Durham for the annual conference bringing together scholars working on ethnographic approaches to theology and the study of religion.

A new book co-edited by Dr Adam Powell, of our Department of Theology and Religion, takes an unexpected look at one of Netflix’s most popular series. ‘Religion and Theology in Stranger Things’ explores how themes of faith, spirituality, and meaning emerge from the hit show’s supernatural storylines. We caught up with Dr Powell to find out more. 

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities has been awarded a highly regarded Athena Swan Silver Award, becoming only the second faculty of its kind in the UK to receive this distinction. This milestone acknowledges the significant progress made in advancing gender equality across all departments and highlights a firm commitment to continued improvement through to 2030.

We welcome Professor Grant Macaskill to our University as our new Lightfoot Professor of Divinity. He will join our leading Department of Theology and Religion in September.

A service rich in symbolism, Leo XIV’s inauguration mass this Sunday (18 May) will mark the start of what is likely to be a highly consequential papacy. Dr William Crozier, Duns Scotus Assistant Professor in Franciscan Studies, in our Department of Theology and Religion/Centre for Catholic Studies, tells us more.

Following the appointment of Pope Leo XIV, our Theology and Religion experts have been commenting on the new Pope and head of the Catholic Church.

The Centre for Catholic Studies has opened a call for papers and workshop proposals for the third International Franciscan Studies Conference.