From family film franchise to international meme(nto mori) – where isn’t Paddington these days? 🐻🍊
In our new article (free at tinyurl.com/bdtftub3) @matthewhilborn.bsky.social and I get to grips with Paddington Bear, arguing that Britain’s softest symbol may actually be its sharpest.
Back to work today, with a shiny new article (albeit based on my very-old-feeling PhD) waiting in my inbox!
doi.org/10.1177/2050...
If you teach or research on religion and science, religion and medicine, or worldviews, I think it would make a fresh addition to your bibliographies.
Interviews take less than an hour, via Teams, at a time convenient to you (and I promise I’m really friendly!)
(You should be 18+ and UK-based).
Feel free to email me (jennifer.riley@abdn.ac.uk) or reach me on here – I’d be so pleased to hear from you.
(Please share for reach!)
Do you have experience of
✴️ HINDU ✴️ SIKH ✴️ MUSLIM ✴️ AFRO-CARIBBEAN ✴️
Or other UK minority funeral practices?
It’s so important to recruit diverse interview samples for research studies, and at the moment I’m simply not getting that right. I’d love your help to do better.
Thrilled to have been on this Early Career's Researcher workshop at @BSASocrel #socrel25 with Dr Jennie Riley @jen-studies-death.bsky.social and Dr Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social on public speaking, comms and accessibility!Such brilliant advice on how to get our research out into the world!
Dr Jennie Riley’s presentation on public engagement
Dr Renasha Khan’s presentation on reframing research and accessibility
Dr Rob Barward Symmons presentation on engaging with media
Fantastic PGR/ECR workshop this morning exploring public engagement, framing research and accessibility, and engaging with media by the excellent @jen-studies-death.bsky.social @renasha.bsky.social @robb-s.bsky.social
Lots of fantastic tips and insight which I look forward to putting into practice.
The next @asdsdeath.bsky.social postdoc meeting is on Wednesday 23rd July at 8am BST (A slight change of date, I'm afraid, as I'll be running a conference!) Book via tinyurl.com/3u4jc7vn or sign up for reminder emails at tinyurl.com/2x2nuxae (right hand side!)
My wonderful colleagues in the @uniofaberdeen.bsky.social Law school invited me to talk about grave goods (and grave...bads?) for their Death and Law Podcast. You can catch me here! open.spotify.com/episode/4OPy...
A green and white advert for the Association for the Study of Death and Society (ASDS) early career mentoring scheme, featuring an enthusiastic quote from a former participant, and the new ASDS logo.
After enthusiastic feedback on the pilot, the
@asdsdeath.bsky.social PGR/ECR 2025-26 mentoring scheme is open for applications - closing 8/9/2025!
Further information is available at deathandsociety.org/mentoring/ - or feel free to get in touch by email.
The next @asdsdeath.bsky.social postdoc sesh is on Wednesday 25th June at 8am BST. We'd love to have you!
tinyurl.com/2tx6acc2
Loved being at last week's @cendeathsociety.bsky.social annual (and anniversary!) conference. A warm deathly community, as always - & probably the only time you'll ever see a formula in my work (leave chemistry to my far cleverer sister). Time to turn these slides and scribbles into a paper!
Dr Jennifer Riley on stage, next to a coffin and a round table. TEDx Aberdeen displayed at the back.
What do you want to be buried with?
Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, @jen-studies-death.bsky.social's TEDx talk draws on her research into contemporary grave goods, and why we need and want them. Watch now: media.leverhulme.ac.uk/video/what-d...
Enjoyed the TEDx talk? Fill your boots with an hour of grave goods* conversation via tinyurl.com/ykrb3syv - it was such a joy to join Jess on her podcast, to talk potatoes, the persistence of ritual, and ancient mesopotamian sex toys
*Content warning for miscarriage
It's TEDx talk time 😍
A Dr Riley double bill at New Insights into Scottish Deathways today. A lovely start to 2025 conferences, and a welcome chance to start drilling into two quite different ways of conceptualizing contemporary Scottish death & dying
It was an excellent night to be an Aberdeen Divine wearing a black jumpsuit 💃🏼💃🏼
The next @asdsdeath.bsky.social postdoc session is on 30th April 2025 - & you can sign up at tinyurl.com/env5w2hz . Please note the change in time - this is the time of year when different global summer time shifts go bananas 🍌🤯 - 9am BST, 11am EEST, 8pm NZST!
‘Addressing the voices and experiences of disabled and neurodivergent individuals within religious contexts is essential’ – book now for ‘Religion, Disability and Neurodivergence’ a BSA Sociology of Religion event, 29 March, King's College London https://tinyurl.com/5fhstycw
‘Addressing the voices and experiences of disabled and neurodivergent individuals within religious contexts is essential’ – book now for ‘Religion, Disability and Neurodivergence’ a BSA Sociology of Religion study group event, 29 March, King's College London tinyurl.com/5fhstycw
tinyurl.com/yrkybkjd
March's @asdsdeath.bsky.social postdoc group is on Wednesday 19th at 8am GMT (pm NZDT, 10am EET, 11am EEST). I'd love to see you there!
Welcome to Grave Goods Wrapped!
Hours of staring at boob doodles & so so worth it - I've had so much fun working on this collab already (and lots more to come - watch this space!)
Have you got grave goods thoughts to share, but not the time for a full interview? You can submit those here tinyurl.com/mwvwjxmk
(And if you are interested in being interviewed? You can find out more here - tinyurl.com/ve4pwp54 )
(any and all sharing very gratefully received!)
The February @asdsdeath.bsky.social postdoc session is on Wednesday 19th at 8am GMT (pm NZDT, 10am EET, 11am EEST). Old hats and new faces equally welcome - we'd love to see you there ✨👻 tinyurl.com/2s3njdpc
The deadline to submit abstracts for this year’s SocRel conference has been extended until 14.02.2025, 12noon (GMT). For more info on the call for papers, abstracts & submission: www.britsoc.co.uk/events/key-b...
Many thanks to those who have already submitted abstracts for consideration.
✨ 2025 Postdoc Support Group Dates ✨ January's meeting sign-up is tinyurl.com/y2pfxa57 - 8am BST (9pm NZDT, 10am EET, 11am EEST). Follow @asdsdeath.bsky.social and sign up to the newsletter for updates.
✨ 2025 Postdoc Support Group Dates ✨ January's meeting sign-up is tinyurl.com/y2pfxa57 - 8am BST (9pm NZDT, 10am EET, 11am EEST). Follow @asdsdeath.bsky.social and sign up to the newsletter for updates.
The 2025 SocRel call for papers is live!
Submit by 7th February 2025 to join us for the 50th anniversary conference at Durham University, 14th - 16th July.
More info at tinyurl.com/5n7z488d
Final @asdsdeath.bsky.social postdoc group meeting of the year is next Wednesday 11th December at 8am BST (9pm NZDT, 10am EET, 11am EEST) - I'd love to see you there! tinyurl.com/yfneczkb
INTERVIEWEES WANTED – CAN YOU HELP?
If you’re over-18, UK based, and have personal or professional thoughts about grave goods you’d be happy to share, I would just love to hear from you.
For info: www.abdn.ac.uk/sdhp/divinit... or reach me at Jennifer.riley@abdn.ac.uk
(Please consider sharing!)
A picture of Dr Jennie Riley presenting her talk 'Grave Matters: Death and Identity' with a coffin on stage and a bar of chocolate in her left hand. Letters on stage spell out 'TEDxAberdeen'
A picture of Dr Jennie Riley presenting her TEDxAberdeen talk on the TEDx red dot carpet, with a coffin on the stage and a bar of chocolate in her left hand
A group photo of all the presenters and supporters of TEDxAberdeen 2024. The screen in the background reads 'Identity.'
Back onto Bluesky with a splash after my TEDxAberdeen talk. More to come when the videos are ready, but a moment to relish the joy and hard work paid off! #TEDx
Some ASDS postdocs planning before I log off for the year. I love this little group, and I'd love for you to join us in 2024! But for now, may each of you awkwardly introduce the topic of death, cryonics or funerals over a seasonal family meal, as I always do 🎄🎄🎄