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Announcing the "Studies in Trauma Theology" series

08:41 13/05/2024
Announcing the "Studies in Trauma Theology" series

As we launch a brand new book series Studies in Trauma Theology, we asked the series editor Karen O'Donnell, Academic Dean at Westcott House, Cambridge, to fill us in on the background.

Can you explain for those who don’t know what trauma theology actually is?

Trauma Theology is a discipline of theology that takes the experience of trauma seriously and seeks to examine what this experience might mean for how we do theology. It is often seeking to do theological justice to experiences that have been traumatic. Trauma Theology has a strongly creative element to it as it requires the capacity to reimagine theologies in the light of trauma experiences. From a biblical perspective, Trauma Theology is often focused on bringing to light trauma that is found within the biblical text itself, often hidden or overlooked by readers.

What have been some of the big developments in the field in recent years?

Trauma Theology has been growing for the twenty years or so. It started out thinking particularly about how trauma was seen in theological literature – of course in the Bible, but also in liturgical writings, and the writings of people like Luther. Since then our understanding of trauma has grown immensely and that has been reflected in the kind of work that’s being produced in trauma theology. There has been much more specific focus on different types of trauma experiences and how the embodied believer encounters them. For example, my own work on reproductive loss, Katie Cross’ work on purity culture, Jennifer Beste’s work with sexual abuse survivors. Alongside this there has been a real intention to produce work that is theologically rigorous and practically usable such as Meg Warner’s Tragedies and Congregations work and Jennifer Baldwin’s brilliant Trauma-Sensitive Theology.

Tell us about the new book series – what is it hoping to achieve?

The new book series – the first of its kind – is hoping to further stimulate the brilliant work that is being done in the field of Trauma Theology. We are particularly focused here on publishing scholarly monographs that are engaging in rich, dynamic, bold, and rigorous theological endeavour. We’re hoping that by focusing on publishing book projects in this series with these qualities, we might further resource the vital and life-giving work these projects are doing, making them readily available to scholars and readers. SCM Press already has a strong track record of publishing work in this area (and not just my own work!) so it feels like a great opportunity to develop this further.

Who’s involved in the series?

I am leading the editorial board and taking responsibility for first looks at projects and making recommendations to SCM Press for publication. But I’m working alongside a fantastic, world-leading editorial board – genuinely very excited to work with them! They are (in alphabetical order): Dr Katie Cross (University of Aberdeen), Dr Ericka Dunbar (Baylor University, Texas), Dr Tim Middleton (Regent’s Park College Oxford), and Professor Shelly Rambo (Boston University). They bring a wide range of expertise including Practical Theology, Biblical Hermeneutics, Black and Womanist theologies, Eco-Theologies, Philosophical Theologies, Systematic and Constructive Theologies – to name just a few!

If anyone has a book project which they think might be suitable for consideration, what should they do?

We would love to hear from anyone who has a monograph book project on the theme of trauma theology. The first thing to do would be to get in touch with me via email (ko379@cam.ac.uk) and I, along with our brilliant editorial board, can take a look.

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Call for proposals: Studies in Trauma Theology

We are inviting submissions for scholarly monographs examining themes in trauma theology for the new series from SCM Press – Studies in Trauma Theology.

Academic research in the area of trauma theology has been burgeoning over the last decade. Trauma theology seeks both to do theological justice to traumatic experiences and to reimagine theologies in the light of such experiences. This new series seeks to examine and articulate the work, purpose, and potential of trauma theology.  

What are we looking for?

We encourage proposals that:

  • are working with trauma from theoretical and/or practical contexts. This might include work that comes out of practical/empirical research, and systematic, historical, contextual, or constructive theological work.
  • are grounded in rigorous research that contributes to the theological discourse around trauma.
  • are asking critical questions about theology, doctrine, the church, and the theologian.
  • are bold and dynamic, at the cutting edge of theological work.

 

Series Editor: Dr Karen O’Donnell, Academic Dean at Westcott House and Associate Lecturer in Gender and Theology at Cambridge University.

Editorial Board: Dr Katie Cross, University of Aberdeen; Dr Ericka Dunbar, Baylor University; Dr Tim Middleton, Regent’s College Oxford; Professor Shelly Rambo, Boston University.

Proposals will undergo rigorous peer review before being considered for publication.

Submissions: