From Arthur Conan Doyle to Kim Kardashian, many public figures have turned to psychics for comfort or guidance.
But who else seeks psychic assistance? And, why?
Often scheduled for weekday evenings, ‘psychic nights’ provide the general British public with the opportunity to experience the gifts and readings of a psychic or medium in the familiar environment of a local pub or social club. The Weekday Worldviews project offers a unique look at this grassroots phenomenon using mixed methods (survey, observation, interview, comparison), analysing patterns of belief and their implication for understanding the relationship between science, spirituality, and wellbeing. The project is funded by the Templeton Religion Trust through the International Research Network for the Study of Science and Belief in Society.
Who We Are
Dr Adam J. Powell
Institute for Medical Humanities, Durham University
Adam is the Principal Investigator for Weekday Worldviews and a lecturer in Medical Humanities and Religion at Durham University. He is the founder and chair of the first international research network for those interested in the interface between religion, spirituality, and health: Religion, Health, and Humanities Researchers (RHHR). His research blends history with social and cognitive sciences to investigate the role of religion at the intersection of culture and cognition, focusing on identity-construction and wellbeing among minority religions. His research into the voice-hearing experiences of clairaudient mediums has been featured in Forbes, Slate, and BBC Science Focus.
Contact: Adam.j.powell@durham.ac.uk
Dr Josh Bullock
Department of Criminology, Politics and Sociology, Kingston University
Josh is a senior lecturer in the Criminology, Politics and Sociology department. Josh’s work focuses on the non-religious, connection, belonging and paranormal, superstitious, magical, and supernatural (PSMS) beliefs and has mapped the diversity of non-religion across six European countries.
Contact: j.bullock@kingston.ac.uk
Dr Caroline Starkey
School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science, University of Leeds
Caroline is an associate professor of Religion and Society. Her research specialism is minority religions in contemporary Britain. Although Starkey originally trained as a historian (University of York), she worked in social welfare for a decade, including running large-scale public health events. Her PhD was an in-depth ethnography of British Buddhist women and her work more recently has focused on ideas of locality and space in minority religious communities (funded by Historic England), and work on the sacred and secular contours of British Buddhism (funded by BSA SocRel).
Contact: c.starkey@leeds.ac.uk