Research Centres

The Centre for Catholic Studies

The Centre for Catholic Studies (CCS), founded in 2007, is the world’s largest research forum for Catholic studies within the public, secular academy. It provides a distinctive forum for the creative analysis of key issues in Catholic thought, culture, and practice. It has a well-established research programmes in Constructive Catholic Theology, Catholic Social Thought and Practice, and the History of Catholicism, and a newer research programme in Catholicism, Literature, and the Arts. CCS fosters and develops excellent working relationships with relevant regional, national and international public and ecclesial bodies.

The Centre for Death and Life Studies

The Centre for Death and Life Studies exists to foster and conduct research into life-values, beliefs, and practices that relate to living and dying. It seeks to encourage and facilitate interdisciplinary approaches wherever possible between the humanities, the social and life-sciences and medicine. The Centre’s extensive networks enable collaborative research on cremation, pet death, grief and bereavement and growing engagement with local hospices and funeral directors.

The International Centre for Moral Injury

Moral Injury refers to the experience of sustained and enduring negative moral emotions - guilt, shame, contempt and anger - that results from the betrayal, violation or suppression of deeply held or shared moral values. Moral Injury involves a profound sense of broken trust in ourselves, our leaders, governments and institutions to act in just and morally "good" ways. First observed in military members who experienced ongoing negative moral emotions after their experiences of combat, Moral Injury is now recognised in other contexts, such as the emergency services, healthcare professions and law enforcement personnel.

The International Centre for Moral Injury exists to increase our understanding of the causes and impacts of Moral Injury and facilitate increased care of those suffering from it.

The Michael Ramsey Centre for Anglican Studies

The Michael Ramsey Centre for Anglican Studies founded in 2016 promotes interdisciplinary research into the multi-faceted global Anglican tradition. The Centre is an inclusive community of distinguished researchers from a broad range of disciplines. Among the Centre’s principal research strengths are Anglican theology, Anglican history and identity, Anglican education and training, global Anglican unity and diversity, empirical approaches to ecclesiology, Anglicanism and politics, and Anglicanism and conflict in the modern world.

Centre for Theology and Qualitative Research

Centre for Theology and Qualitative Research Durham University is an international leader in the fast-developing field of Theology and Qualitative Research. The centre is the Durham based hub for the events, activities, and publications linked to ‘The Ecclesiology and Ethnography Network’. It is a collaborative initiative of international research fellows.