Paul WELLER

I am Director of Religion and Belief Research and Training Ltd (see Religion and Belief Research and Training Ltd Home); part-time Professor (see Paul Weller — Coventry University) in the Centre for Trust Peace and Social Relations, Coventry University, UK (see Centre for Trust Peace and Social Relations | Coventry University); part-time Research Fellow in Religion and Society (see Dr Paul Weller - Regent's Park College (ox.ac.uk)) at Regent's Park College, University of Oxford; and Emeritus Professor (see Paul Weller - Our staff - University of Derby) of the University of Derby. 

I am academically qualified with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Theology; a Master of Arts (MA); Master of Philosophy (MPhil) research degree in Social and Pastoral Theology; a Doctor of Philosophy (Phd) in Religious Studies; and a Doctor of Letter (DLitt) higher doctorate awarded on the basis of examination of a body of my publications and in recognition of what was stated to be my "distinguished contribution to inter-religious dialogue and pluralism in the changing religious landscape of the United Kingdom".

In terms of involvement in relevant practical innovations in religion and belief in society I had a leading role in a group that developed the concept for what became the Multi-Faith Centre at the University of Derby (http://www.multifaithcentre.org), and until recently was one of its Trustees. I was employed by the Inter Faith Network for the UK (http://www.interfaith.org.uk) from its early years of development into what has become the principal umbrella body for faith community and inter-faith body interactions with one another and with Government and other public bodies in the UK, and of which I am now a Trustee. I was also among those who developed, informed also by research input, a city level Forum of Faiths for Derby and regional level Faiths Forum for the East Midlands, of which I was chair between 2004-2007.

I am personally part of a British-German family, and relatively conversationally fluent in German alongside my English mother tongue, though in terms of citizenship I currently hold only UK citizenship. I have been involved in both practical and academic work at the interface between religion and belief, justice, peace and human rights for over four decades, with special emphases on religion and belief, state and society relationships; religion and belief, equality and diversity, including in intersection with other equality and diversity strands; freedom of religion, belief and conscience; and inter-religious and inter-convictional dialogue, especially in the public sphere. My academic work in these areas has always been closely related to practitioner engagement as reflected in my Professorial title for nearly two decades as “Professor of Inter-Religious Relations” at the University of Derby, in which the title reflected a concern not only with a study about relations, but was also concerned with engagement in them, and particularly in public contexts.

On the national level of contributions to Government and other public bodies in relation to religious diversity and society in the UK, among other things I have been (2010) a Member of the Expert Panel on Faith advising the Secretary of State for Communities, other ministers and civil servants in the Department of Communities and Local Government in the UK; a Member of the UK Equality and Human Rights Commission Advisory Groups on Religion and Belief in Employment and Service Provision; a Member of the Office for National Statistics Ethnicity, Identity, Language and Religion Academic Advisory Group for the 2011 Census, 2008-2010) and of its Religious Affiliation Working Group of the Census Content Working Group for the 2001 Census (1997-1998). I have also conducted research projects that have informed policy and practice for the UK Government Home Office (1999-2001) into religious discrimination in England and Wales; for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2007) on the evidence base on faith communities in England and Wales in relation to ODPM policy areas; for the Equality and Human Rights Commission (2011) into religious discrimination. 

Internationally I directed research funded by the German Foreign Office and commissioned by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) (2017-2019) of the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) into classroom challenges for teaching about and addressing anti-Semitism in the OSCE region. In the broad field of adult education concerned with religion and belief diversity and anti-discrimination, I worked with the consortium led by CEJI: A Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe that developed the EU funded Belieforama (http://www.belieforama.eu) training programme and community of practice that won a quality adult learning prize from the European Commission’s Lifelong Learning Programme, as well as the BMW Group’s First Prize for Intercultural Commitment. I first completed a Belieforama Train the Trainer course in 2006, and then achieved a Certificate of Recognition as a Module Designer and Coach in 2013, most recently working with colleagues in the Religious Diversity Centre of Aotearoa/New Zealand to develop and adapt Belieforama's training for that context. Since June 2021, I have been a participant in the GERIS - Global Exchange on Religion in Society network (see https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/global-exchange-on-religion-in-society-geris-), a network of civil society actors set up by the European Union to connect our experiences of coexistence among people of different faiths, and none, in societies across the globe.

I hold a Certificate in Education for Further and Higher Education. I have taught in university contexts about inter-religious dialogue, social inclusion and citizenship, including the leading of relevant undergraduate modules. In addition, I also developed and was, for over two different periods (1993-1998 and 2002-2003), programme leader of a professionally oriented Master’s programme on Religion in a Plural Society at the University of Derby. Most recently, through my work in Coventry University I have contributed to a module on Intercultural Dialogue that forms a part of the Master of Public Administration (MPA) Global Diversity Governance programme run through the University’s Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations. In 2020, I led on the development of two modules - on “Challenges Facing Interfaith Dialogue: Polarisation and Violent Extremism”, and on “Practicalities to consider in Interfaith”, that are located within the (BRAVE) Building Resilience Against Violent Extremism and Polarisation: Interfaith Dialogue for Combating Extremism Among Young People project, led by the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence, offered via https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/interfaith.

Geographically, the majority of my work has been focused within Europe: including Albania, Austria, Belgium, (former) Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, Denmark, France, Federal Republic of Germany, (former) German Democratic Republic, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, but also including some broader international experience including: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, North Korea, Israel, Jordan, Turkey, Aotearoa/New Zealand and (former) Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.