Dr Mark Dawson

Teaching

As Course Lead for Religion, I play a coordinating role for the teaching on the following degrees:

• Religion, Philosophy and Ethics BA
• Religion and Theology BA
• History and Religion BA
• English Literature and Religion BA
• Religion MA

I have held the role of Module Leader for the undergraduate modules:

• Foundations of Christian Theology
• New Testament Studies
• Philosophy and Religion
• Religion and Human Diversity
• Religion in the Public Sphere
• The Story of the Bible
• Theology: Action and Reflection
• Values and Virtues: Ethics and Religion
• World Christianity

And for the taught Masters modules:

• Environmental Humanities (for the Environment and Social Justice MA)
• Religion and Public Life
• The Changing Face of Religion in Society

I also coordinate the research modules for Religion at BA and MA, including dissertations and negotiated studies.

I have designed and implemented the new undergraduate modules 

• Theology and the Environment
• Spirituality and Public Life

I led on the validation of the new Religion MA, which is currently recruiting for the academic year 2026-7

Research

I have written a number of academic journal articles on church action for Fair Trade. The most recent focussed on Fair Trade and sustainable development. This specific examination can be utilised to shed light on wider issues for religion in public life. As a public theologian, I am interested in exploring the changing nature of public debate and the ways in which religious voices can be heard in a society dominated by social media and populist outlooks. 

Through my research career I have gained extensive experience of qualitative research, particularly semi-structured interviews.

Recent research has included a project examining Fair Trade as means to bring together different religious communities, focussing on the super-diverse town of Luton. I have also examined the ways in which Fair Trade Towns interact with partners, particularly environmental groups, in a project which included five Fair Trade Town Groups in rural Yorkshire.

My next project will investigate how members of Church of England clergy navigate populist attitudes towards immigration and refugees and asylum seekers.

Publications

PhD Thesis 

Dawson, M. (2017). Fair Trade and the Kingdom of God: examining Fair Trade action by churches as a form of Public Theology. Leeds: The University of Leeds. Available at http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/18548/ 

Journal Articles 

Dawson, M. (2019). “Church action for Fair Trade as Public Theology: learning from the experience of the mainstreaming of Fair Trade in the UK.”, International Journal of Public Theology, 13(1) 55-71. 

Dawson, M. (2020). “Justice and demonstration of Christian principles: why churchgoers support Fair Trade.”, The Expository Times,131(8) 348–357. https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/4251/3/Mark%20Dawson%20Expository%20Times.pdf  

Dawson, M. (2022). “Churchgoers and the Fair Trade Town; an analysis in terms of social and spiritual capital.”, Theology 125(1) 19-26. https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/5609/5/Theology%20Article%20V2%20Mark%20Dawson.pdf  

Dawson, M. (2024). “Faith communities and Fair Trade Towns in the UK: raising awareness of sustainable development”, The Journal of Fair Trade 5(2) 119-126. https://doi.org/10.13169/jfairtrade.5.2.0119  

Book Chapter 

Dawson, M. (2025). “Religious communities working together on Fair Trade to counter prejudice and distrust” in Kollontai, P. and Yore, S. eds. Religion and the shaping of diverse societies: crossing the boundaries of prejudice and distrust. Routledge. 

Book Reviews 

Baker, C. and Graham, E. eds. Theology for Changing Times: John Atherton and the Future of Public Theology for Reading Religion (American Academy of Religion) 2020. https://readingreligion.org/books/theology-changing-times 

Renaud, M. and Daniel, J. eds. God and the Moral Life for Modern Believing 2022 63(2) pp.200-201. 

Conference papers

Image of the Kingdom? The Practice of Fair Trade as an Act of Symbolic Witness presented to the Society for the Study of Theology Postgraduate Conference.  University of Manchester.  9th January 2015. 

A Vision for Trade Justice: Church Action for Fair Trade in the Context of Mainstreaming presented to the International Fair Trade Symposium.  Politecnico Milano, Milan.  30th May 2015. 

The Fair Trade Town: A Model for Church Engagement in Pluralist Society? presented to the Loyola Institute interdisciplinary conference ‘The Role of Church in a Pluralist Society.’ Trinity College, Dublin.  23rd June 2016. 

The Church and Fair Trade: The Challenge of Promoting Sustainable Livelihoods presented to the ‘Sustainable Perspectives on Future Challenges Conference.’  University of Leeds.  3rd February 2017. 

Theology Engaging with the Social Sciences: Opportunities and Challenges Arising from an Interdisciplinary Project on Support for Fair Trade in the UK presented to the Society for the Study of Theology Postgraduate Conference.  KU Leuven.  29th August 2017.  

Fair Trade and the Kingdom of God: Living in Hope of a Fair Future presented to the Society for the Study of Christian Ethics Annual Conference.  University of Cambridge.  9th September 2017.  

Public Theology vs. Populism: In What Ways Can a Public Theology of Hospitality Challenge Populist Narratives about Refugees and Asylum Seekers? Presented to ‘We All Share the Same Sky.’ York St John University.  24th June 2022. 

Faith Communities and Fair Trade Towns: Raising Awareness of Sustainable Development presented to the Fair Trade International Symposium. University of Leeds.  20th June 2023. 

Professional activities

• I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and I also hold an ULTA-1 teaching qualification from the University of Leeds and a PGCE from the University of Oxford.
• I am an active member of the York St John University Centre for Religion in Society and serve on the steering committee for the Ebor Lectures.
• Member of the Fair Trade Society and the Journal of Fair Trade.
• I have led a series of workshops, based on my research, for the Fairtrade Foundation and Fairtrade Yorkshire.
• Given talks and participated in panel debates at York St John University, the University of York and the University of Leeds. Events include the York Festival of Ideas and the IEPAS conference on Eurasia.
•  I have also given presentations about my research to many organisations and faith communities across the UK.

Other activities

Professional roles 

I have worked in local government, retail management and as a TEFL teacher. In academia, I have tutored for the School of Philosophy, Religion and the History of Science at the University of Leeds and have taken on the role of Writing Mentor and Research Support Intern, which included the organisation of conferences and research seminars. I have also served as tutor at the Lifelong Learning Centre for the University of Leeds and at the University of Chester.

Voluntary roles

• Chair of the National Campaigner Committee of the Fairtrade Foundation (2019 – 2021)
• Member of the Audit Panel for the Shared Interest Social Accounts (2017 – 2018)
• Coordinator Fairtrade Yorkshire (2010 – 2019)
• Activist representative on the Oxfam Climate Change Equation (2009 – 2011)
• Member of the Association of Oxfam [part of the governing body of Oxfam GB] (2007 – 2013)