Guest: Dr Joanna Leidenhag, Associate Professor of Theology at the University of Leeds
We were delighted to be offering this event in partnership with Café Théologique at the University of Reading Chaplaincy.
This lecture was of particular interest to students interested in exploring Theology and Liberal Arts.
Profile on Dr Joanna Leidenhag
I am a Christian theologian interested in interdisciplinary engagement with analytic philosophy and with the natural and psychological sciences.
After leaving school, I did a foundation year in Fine Art from the University of the Creative Arts, and I still like to paint with oils in my freetime. However, I realised that I was passionate about the ideas that mould societies and shape lives, and so decided to go to university. I originally intended on studying English Literature, but during undergraduate at the University of St Andrews (2009–2013) I discovered theology for the first time – the exploration of ideas about God and everything in relation to God from within a particular religious tradition. I paired this with modern history, as a way to understand how philosophical ideas, the scientific revolution, and Christian theology are interwoven in modern Western society to inform our beliefs about how we are, what matters in life, and how we should act. These questions continue to animate me.
My current research project is a monograph on exploring what neurodiversity, and autistic people in particular, can teach theologians and the church about what it means to be human, a child of God, and members of the body of Christ. I have published three articles on autism and theology to date.
I was thrilled to join the School of Philosophy, Religion, and History of Science at the University of Leeds in 2021. Since coming to Leeds I have mostly taught on the BA in Liberal Arts.