PhD Project and Research Interests
My research interests broadly include the role of art, aesthetics, and materiality in the experience and presentation of religion and spirituality in both historical and modern contexts, often in connection to identity formation.
My PhD project considers ways in which ancient synagogues are featured in past and present Christian Heritage Discourse and connected to the concept of the historical Jesus and a ‘Biblical Holy Land’ through use of interdisciplinary theory with a base in Critical Heritage Studies. Anchoring the project, three case-studies of the sites and ancient synagogues at Magdala, Capernaum, and Nazareth are considered through primary sources, including pilgrim tourist accounts, in dialogue with scholarship from several disciplines. The case-studies are selected on the basis that they, in different ways, hold significant places in the Christian imagination based on stories from the Bible, and have become implicated in Jewish-Christian debates around rights to archaeological sites and authenticity in representation of religious heritage, also connected to identity discourse. Turning our attention towards case-studies of ancient synagogue sites in the Galilee region (and a modern reconstruction of an ancient synagogue in Nazareth) from the proposed interdisciplinary angle will highlight perspectives on the Christian ways of relating to or polemicising Judaism, the role of colonial undertones and imagination, and inform a critical evaluation of supercessionist nuances in narratives across an extended period. A further concern is to reflect around the uses of History and Archaeology in the present, and thus make a theoretically oriented contribution to existing Synagogue-, Pilgrimage-, Heritage-, New Testament-, and History-oriented scholarship.
Other Projects
NLA University College
- In addition to my doctoral project, I have a 10% position as a university lecturer in religious studies at NLA University College, where I am the program director for a one-year digital study-program in Christianity, religion, life-view, and ethics (KRLE)
- I also teach as part of other subjects, such as REL117
Research groups
- Since 2023, I have been a member of the research group ‘Rethinking the Secular: Critical Perspectives on Religion, Education and Culture.’
- Since 2025, I have been a member of the research group ‘Research in Culture and Pedagogy: Advancing Inquiry into Formation through Culture and Pedagogy.’
Slow Art Day: I am a core team member of the global art movement Slow Art Day, for which I co-write an Annual Report with resources for museum educators. Slow Art Day events are organized by over 150 museums and galleries each April, and encourage people to slow down and connect with each-other and local museums through art.
Education
- 2024 – Doctoral Research Fellow. University of Oslo, Norway
- 2017– 2019: MA in The Religious Roots of Europe (Comparative History of Religion). Lund University, Sweden
- 2013 – 2017: Scottish MA in Art History and Modern History (Joint Honours). University of St. Andrews, Scotland
- 2007 – 2013: Aberdeen Grammar School, Aberdeen, Scotland
- 2002 – 2007: Vasaskolan, Gothenburg, Sweden
Teaching Experience
- 2021-01 – :NLA University College, Norway. Lecturer in Religious Studies (Høgskolelektor i Religionsvitenskap)
- 2020-10 - 2021-05: Escola Jaume I, Spain. English Language Assistant