Thanks to the St John’s Student Opportunities Fund, Theology and Religion PhD student Becky Tyndall was able to travel across the UK to meet working-class women priests for in-person interviews and parish visits. She reflects on how these shared experiences are shaping her feminist theological research.
I am a Theology and Religion PhD student at St John’s, studying the experiences of working-class women who are priests in the Church of England. A key part of my research is the fieldwork I have done. As a feminist practical theologian, I believe that women’s lived experiences can be a brilliant starting point for doing theology. Gathering their stories and spending time with them is therefore a huge part of my PhD research. This has involved travelling all around the UK, meeting working-class women priests to conduct my interviews and observations in person. I am so grateful to the St John’s Student Opportunities Fund for paying for my travel and accommodation for my fieldwork trip to the Midlands.
Technology has made virtual interviews possible for researchers in ways that can be a huge help, making projects more viable, large-scale, or accessible. However, my project is with a small number of women and grounded in deep listening and personal connection. Sitting on my own in a nearly deserted Travelodge eating a cuppa soup for dinner, I did have ample opportunity to question my research commitment to ‘embodied knowing’. Was it really essential that I do all these interviews sitting in the same room as my participants? However, the next day, as I was able to laugh, share a cup of tea, notice the many hand gestures and shifts in mood that might have been lost on Teams, I was so pleased that I was there. Not only was I able to conduct interviews in person, but I was also able to spend time in the parish, share lunch, and even receive the Eucharist from my participants at their various churches. I am convinced that all this extra texture and life is helping me to listen more deeply and thoughtfully as I begin my theological reflection on the interviews I have gathered.
Photo Credit: Becky Tyndall
John's Chronicle 