About the lecture

In this lecture, we think about the beliefs and practices that make up what we might call 'everyday' religion, focusing in particular on: (i) the kinds of 'religious' activities that take place beyond the organised, institutionalised forms of religion (e.g. the church), e.g. checking one's horoscope, visiting a psychic or medium, etc.; (ii) the practice in Asian countries of having a small altar in one's house, featuring various 'meaningful' physical objects; (iii) the mixing and matching of beliefs and practises in Japan – Buddhist ritual around death, Christian ritual around marriage, Shinto ritual in everyday life, etc.; and (iv) the gender politics of these various practices: why is it that women tend to engage in these forms of religious practices and beliefs more than men?

About the lecturer

Professor Linda Woodhead is Distinguished Professor of Religion and Society at Lancaster University. She has written widely on religion in modern society. Her recent publications include That Was The Church That Was: How the Church of England Lost the English People (2016) (as co-author), Christianity: A Very Short Introduction (2014), and Everyday Lived Islam in Britain (2013) (as co-author).