Assertion and assumption: a single site study of acute healthcare chaplaincy

Bryant, Joanna Rachel (2014). Assertion and assumption: a single site study of acute healthcare chaplaincy. University of Birmingham. M.Res.

Preview

Bryant14MRes.pdf
PDF - Accepted Version
Download (817kB)

Abstract

This thesis documents the study of a single acute healthcare chaplaincy team, situated within the field of practical theology as a method of critically engaging with the self-understandings of healthcare chaplains. This thesis aims to address the gaps in the current chaplaincy literature which do not consider the role and self-understandings of minority faith chaplains, and to add a localised dimension to the existing research which tends to examine chaplains in isolation rather than as teams. The main study consisted of two weeks of observations and semi-structured interviews between April-May 2013. The findings challenge the view that chaplaincy is a unified entity, and contribute new themes to the field, including minority faith approaches to chaplaincy, inter-faith collaboration and humour. This thesis highlights significant continuities and changes in healthcare chaplaincy over the past decade, justifying further research into chaplaincy as a useful lens for examining how faith communities relate to public institutions and the public square.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Masters by Research > M.Res.)

Award Type:

Masters by Research > M.Res.

Supervisor(s):