Research Participation for Department of Theology and Religion, Durham University
Catholic organisations provide many services to people who are very dependent upon them – for example, homeless and crisis shelters, refugee centres, food banks, and schools. Sadly, many trans people need to access these kinds of services feel alienated by and from the Catholic Church. Furthermore, many Catholics struggle to balance their commitments to providing services to trans people with their perceptions of the demands of their faith. This leads to conflicts at the practical level of providing and accessing those services. This is made worse by the fact that most Catholic engagement with trans issues (theological or otherwise) doesn’t engage with the voices of trans people.
My project (the HIR Project) hopes to contribute to an informed approach to conflict resolution between practitioners in Catholic organisations, and trans people who access the services they provide. It aims to do so by privileging the voices of the people involved in navigating potential conflicts, using their insights and experiences as the basis for theological reflection and practical recommendations in a process of Hearing, Imagining, and Reconciling.
I am looking to recruit trans people who have experience accessing services provided by Catholic organisations to take part in interviews about their experiences. I will also ask interviewees if they would be willing to take part in some focus group sessions, although there is no obligation to do so.
Interviews will last about an hour, and can take place in any location of their choosing. There is no remuneration for participation, but I will provide an executive summary of all findings at the end of the project to all participants, and participants can request a copy of any publications produced.
Nicolete Burbach (she/her)
Consultant Research Fellow & Teaching Fellow
Department of Theology and Religion, Durham University
