Professor of Faith and Public Policy, and co-head of department of Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies
Adam Dinham combines Applied Social Studies and Social Policy (MA, Brunel), Politics (PhD, Goldsmiths), and Sociology (former chair, BSA Sociology of Religion) with Theology and Religious Studies (BA, MA, Cambridge), alongside professional qualifications in children’s Social Work (DipSW, Brunel), Community Development and Youth Work (Brunel), and Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP, UWE). He is co-head of the department of Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies and director of the Faiths & Civil Society Unit, Goldsmiths. He is also Professor of Religion and Belief Literacy at VID University, Oslo, Norway, Fellow of the Westminster Abbey Institute for Faith and Public Life, and former Chair of the BSA Sociology of Religion Study Group (2015-18).
Academic qualifications
BA Theology & Religious Studies, Cambridge University 1996
MA Theology & Religious Studies, Cambridge University 2000
MA Applied Social Studies and Social Policy, Brunel University 2001
Diploma in Social Work 2001
PGDiploma in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education 2003
PhD Politics, Goldsmiths, University of London 2005
Advanced Diploma in Counselling P& Psychotherapy 2020
MA Applied Anthropology, Community Development and Youth Work
Research interests
Adam's interests coalesce in a social justice framing of religion and belief as a protected characteristic in equality policy and practice, across the public sphere but particularly in health and social care, and in schools. Coming from a secular perspective, he has pioneered and popularized the concept of ‘religion and belief literacy’ as a social justice tool in these settings and, with ESRC and AHRC support, researched public policy gaps and needs, initiating a Religion and Belief Policy Network to help public policy makers and regulators develop effective policy for workplaces in this area.
Dinham, Adam and Davie, Grace. 2017. Religious Illiteracy in Modern Europe. In: Francesca Caddedu and A;berto Melloni, eds. European Religious Illiteracy in a Pluralistic Context. Bologne: Fondazione per le Scienze Religiose Giovanni XXIII.
Dinham, Adam and Jackson, Robert. 2012. Religion, welfare and education. In: Linda Woodhead and Rebecca Catto, eds. Religion and Change in Modern Britain. London: Routledge, pp. 272-294. ISBN 9780415575805
Dinham, Adam and Jackson, Robert. 2012. Welfare, Education and Religion. In: Linda Woodhead and Rebecca Catto, eds. Religion and Change in Modern Britain. Abingdon and NY: Routledge, pp. 272-294. ISBN 978-0415575812
Dinham, Adam and Lowndes, Vivien. 2009. Faith and the public realm. In: Adam Dinham; R Furbey and V Lowndes, eds. Faith in the public realm: controversies, policies and practices. Bristol: Policy Press, pp. 1-20. ISBN 9781847420305
Dinham, Adam. 2008. 'Faiths as Heroes and Villains'. In: Kings College, London, Theology and Public Life series. Kings College London, United Kingdom December 2008.
2019:
NHS Employers Conference on Spirituality in the Workplace, Leeds, UK, July 2019
2019:
Asian Firefighters National Conference, keynote, Sheffield, UK, November 2019
2019:
The Challenge of Public Religion, Uppsala University, Sweden, April 2019
2016:
Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia, New Interdisciplinary Spaces of Religions and Belief in Thinking and Practice: an analysis 3 November 2016
2016:
Harvard Divinity School, Cambridge, USA, Religion in a Plural Age: religious literacy – contested and pressing 9 July 2016
2016:
University of Essen, Germany, Religious Literacy and Diversity in German Universities, 30 June 2016
2015:
Cambridge University, AHRC Cambridge Festival of Ideas (10 year celebratory event) Panellist keynote The Future of Teaching and Learning about Relig
