Radboud University Nijmegen
Lucy Spoliar is a PhD candidate in the Department of Islam Studies, Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies at Radboud University Nijmegen. Her PhD project, funded through the NWO PhD in the Humanities 2021 scheme, investigates representations and self-representations of Jewish and Muslim women in British comedy entertainment and through humour in everyday life. More concretely, Lucy explores how the lens of humour can enrich our understanding of the shifting and intersecting ways in which Muslim and Jewish women are positioned (and position themselves) in terms of gender, race and religion in Britain.
Lucy holds a BA (1st) in Theology and Religious Studies (with International Studies) from Durham University, and a Research Masters (cum laude) in Religion and Culture from the University of Groningen. She has also worked as a research assistant to develop an online course on Religion, Gender, and Sexual Wellbeing (launching in early 2022) and published research as an intern on the NWO-funded project Beyond ‘Religion vs Emancipation’: Gender and Sexuality in Women’s Conversions to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in Contemporary Western Europe at the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Utrecht University.
Her research interests include the study of religion, gender and race in relation cultural theories of representation and emotion, feminist and queer approaches to religion and humour, and diversity and inclusion in popular culture.