Staff Profile
Dr Judith Muskett
Postdoctoral Research Assistant
I graduated from Nottingham University with a degree in English Studies, and subsequently gained an MA in Public and Social Administration (with a specialism in Education) from Brunel University. After working as a Research Assistant at the Culham College Institute for Church-Related Education (in Oxfordshire) and then as Professional Assistant for the London Diocesan Board for Schools, I spent over 20 years in the central administration of the University of Oxford, taking early retirement in 2008 from my post as an Assistant Registrar.
I first came to York St John University in November 2009 to study for a PhD on the religious social capital of cathedral Friends associations, supervised by Andrew Village and Ann Christie. As a postgraduate student, I won the British Sociological Association Peter B. Clarke Memorial Prize in 2012, with an essay on Anglican cathedrals and vicarious religion. My doctorate was awarded in 2013. While continuing to research and publish articles, I served part-time as Registrar of the Lincoln School of Theology in the Diocese of Lincoln between 2013 and 2015 (where I also assisted in the supervision of BA Theology dissertations for the University of Lincoln).
I am now a Postdoctoral Research Assistant at York St John University, working with Andrew Village on a funded project to evaluate the Accompanied Ministry Development programme for clergy and parishes in the Diocese of Truro.
- School – School of Humanities
Research
My research interests include Cathedral Studies, social capital, vicarious religion and rural ministry. I work with Andrew Village on a range of research projects, and copy-edit Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion, of which he is joint Editor. I also work on research projects with Leslie J. Francis (Professor of Religions and Education, University of Warwick, and Visiting Professor, York St John University).
Publications
Journal articles
Muskett, J.A. (1986). First Impressions. Times Educational Supplement, 5 September 1986.
Muskett, J.A. (2011). Deferential or dazzled? Rural cathedral Friends’ associations and their royal patronage, past and present. Rural Theology, 9(1), 7-25.
Muskett, J.A. (2012). From sixpenny entry to five shilling subscription: Charting cathedral outreach and Friends’ associations in the 1920s and 1930s. Journal of Anglican Studies, 10(1), 94-118.
Muskett, J.A. (2012). From vicarious religion to vicarious social capital? Information and passive participation in voluntary associations. In R. Piedmont & A. Village (Eds.), Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion (Vol. 23 pp. 29-52). Leiden and Boston: BRILL.
Muskett, J.A. (2013). ‘Friends’ of Anglican cathedrals: norms and values. Befriending, friending or misnomer? Journal of Beliefs and Values: Studies in Religion and Education, 34(2), 189-203.
Muskett, J.A. (2014). Measuring religious social capital: Scale properties of the modified Williams Religious Social Capital Index among Friends of cathedrals. Journal of Beliefs and Values: Studies in Religion and Education, 35(2), 242-249.
Muskett, J.A. (2015). Reflections on the shop-windows of the Church of England. Cathedrals and vicarious religion. Journal of Contemporary Religion, 30(2), 273-289.
Muskett, J.A. (2015). Building associations among cathedral Friends. From topophilia to fiat social capital? Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion (Vol. 26, pp. 57-76). Leiden and Boston: BRILL.
Muskett, J.A. and Village, A. (2015) Created to be guardians? Psychological type profiles of members of cathedral Friends associations in England. Mental Health, Religion and Culture, 18(8), 641-654.
Muskett, J.A. (2015) Associational social capital and psychological type: an empirical enquiry among cathedral Friends in England. Journal of Beliefs and Values, 37(1), 1-15.
Muskett, J.A. (2016) From Action Learning to bonding social capital? The potential of action learning sets among isolated rural clergy. Rural Theology, 14(1), 25-43.
Muskett, J.A. and A. Village. (2016). Action learning sets and social capital. Ameliorating the burden of clergy isolation in one rural diocese. Action Learning: Research and Practice, 13(3), 219-234.
Muskett, J.A. (2016). Mobilizing cathedral metaphors. The case of ‘sacred space, common ground’. Practical Theology. doi: 10.1080/1756073X.2016.1223476
Book chapters
Francis, L.J. and Muskett, J.A. (2015). Shaping Cathedral Studies: a scientific approach. (Chapter 1 - Introduction). In L.J. Francis (Ed.), Anglican cathedrals in modern life. The science of Cathedral Studies (pp. 1-28). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Muskett, J.A. (2015). Cathedrals making Friends. Building associations. (Chapter 11). In L.J. Francis (Ed.), Anglican cathedrals in modern life. The science of Cathedral Studies (pp. 215-237). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Muskett, J.A. and Francis, L.J. (2015). The science of Cathedral Studies: present and future. (Chapter 12 - Conclusion). In L.J. Francis (Ed.), Anglican cathedrals in modern life. The science of Cathedral Studies (pp. 239-250). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
In press
Village, A. and J.A. Muskett. Flagships in a sea of unbelief. Christian affiliation around big church buildings in England. Journal of Contemporary Religion. Accepted August 2016.
Muskett, J.A. (2016). The Greater Church as ‘sacred space, common ground’. A narrative case study. Rural Theology. Accepted November 2016.
