Dr Rosemary Hancock

Biography

Rosemary is the Assistant Director of the Institute for Ethics and Society, and Convener of the Religion, Culture and Society Research Focus Area.

She is a sociologist of religion who researches the engagement of religious actors in grassroots politics, with a strong expertise in environmental politics. She is a world-leading expert on Islamic environmentalism. Her research grapples with the myriad ways religion motivates and structures political action, the relationship between religious and political practice, and how the engagement of religious people and organizations in grassroots politics transforms both those spaces – and religious communities themselves.

She has also published on religious communities and gender online, and digital activism.

Teaching areas

Rosie has taught into the social justice program in the School of Arts and Sciences including the courses ‘Activating Social Change’, ‘Social Justice and the Natural World’, ‘Introduction to Social Justice’ and ‘Peace and Conflict Studies’.

Research expertise and supervision

Rosie's primary expertise is in the sociology of religion, particularly religious engagement in grassroots politics or progressive social causes. She is an expert on Islamic environmentalism and social justice activism. She has an interest in gender and on-line religion.

She has supervised a PhD to completion on the Santa Marta Group, a Catholic anti-slavery initiative, and is currently supervising two MA (research) students with projects titled, “Vegetarianism and social change: Alternative diets as activism?” and “A Hegelian Dialectical Materialist Conception of Nature: A Philosophical Foundation for Ecosocialism”.

Books

Islamic environmentalism: Activism in the United States and Great Britain (London: Routledge, 2018).

Book chapters

Buiten, Denise, Ellen Finlay and Rosemary Hancock, “Towards an Intersectional Feminist Pedagogy of Gender-Based Violence” in Abby Day, Lois Lee and James Spickard (eds.) Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization: Practical Tools for Improving Teaching, Research and Scholarship. (Bristol: Bristol University Press, 2022).
Hancock, Rosemary, “Social Media and Online Environments: Muslim and Mormon Women Bloggers in the United States” in Caroline Starkey and Emma Tomalin (eds.) The Routledge Handbook of Religion, Gender and Society. (London: Routledge, 2021).
“Islamic Environmentalists, Activism, and Religious Duty” in Mario Peucker and Merve Keyiki (eds.) Muslim Volunteering in the West: Between Islamic Ethos and Citizenship. (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020), 141-160.
“Environment and Religion”, “Activism”, and “Refugees and Religion” in Adam Possamai and Tony Blasi (eds.) SAGE Encyclopedia of the Sociology of Religion (SAGE Publications, 2020).
“Ecology in Islam.” In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion. Oxford University Press. Article published May 2019. Available at: https://oxfordre.com/religion/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.001.0001/acrefore-9780199340378-e-510
“Islamic Environmental Organizations in Great Britain” in Timothy Peace (ed.) Muslim Political Participation in Great Britain. (London: Routledge, 2015), 103-123.

Journal articles and proceedings

Hancock, Rosemary, [Forthcoming]. “Sacralising the Secular: Constructing Religion in Social Movement Theory.” Social Movement Studies
Hancock, Rosemary, 2023. “Faithful Democracy: Synthesising Religious and Political Practice in the Sydney Alliance.” CITY: Analysis of Urban Change, Theory, Action [Online First].
Hancock, Rosemary, 2022. “VOIP Technology in Grassroots Politics: Transforming Political Culture and Practice?” Journal of Sociology (Online First)
2020. “Environmental Conversions and Muslim Activists: Producing Knowledge at the Intersection of Religion and Politics.” Social Movement Studies 19 (3): 287-302.
2019. “Religion in Coalition: A Case Study of the Sydney Alliance.” Religions 10 (11): 610.
2017. “Islamophobia, National Security, and Religious Freedom in the U.S.” Journal of Religious and Political Practice 4 (1): 61-77.
2015. “Is there a paradox between religion and liberation? Islamic Environmental Activism in the United States and Great Britain.” Journal for the Academic Study of Religion 28 (1): 42-60.

Conference papers

2023: “Missing in Action: Spirituality and Explaining Movements for Social Change.” Spirituality, Wellbeing and Risks Symposium, SWELL Network, Deakin University.
2022: “Sacralising the Secular: Constructing Religion in Social Movement Theory.” Australian Association for the Study of Religion Annual Conference, University of Melbourne.
2022: Invited Guest Lecture: “Islamic Environmentalism” Climate Change, End Times, and Sustainable Futures. Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Groningen
2020: Invited Speaker, “From Theology to Action: Islamic Environmental Activism” Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilization Research Colloquium, Charles Sturt University, Sydney.
2019. 'Urban Politics and Religious Communities' AASR Conference, Newcastle, Australia.
2019. 'Religion and race in urban grassroots politics: Comparing Australia and the United States'. ISA Conference, Barcelona, Spain.
2018. 'Faithful democracy: combining religious and political practice in the Sydney Alliance.' TASA conference, Melbourne, Australia.
2018. 'Religion and Non-Violent Social Movements' Session Organizer. ISA World Congress of Sociology, Toronto, Canada.
2018. 'The Dynamics of Religious Faith and Community Organizing: A Case Study of the Sydney Alliance.' AASR conference, Auckland, New Zealand.
2017. 'Environmental conversions and Muslim activists: Producing knowledge at the intersection of politics and faith.' TASA conference, Perth, Australia

In the media

Activism and Belief

Rosemary Hancock is co-host of the sociology podcast Uncommon Sense, run by the Sociological Review. The first season was released in 2022.
IES Researcher Dr Rosemary Hancock was the guest on the New Humanist magazine’s podcast, With Reason, where she spoke about her research into the dynamic intersection of religion and grassroots politics, and reflected on the place of religion in public life and in contemporary cities.
Hancock, Rosemary. “Lessons from Islamic Environmentalism: Interconnection, Structural Change, and the Limitations of Religious Environmentalism” Religion and the COVID-19 Pandemic Series: Environmental Health, Berkeley Forum, 14 April 2020.
Hancock, Rosemary. “Islamic Environmental Activism – Theology, Relationship, and Action” Faith & Activism Series, Religion in Public, 27 March 2020.
Hancock, Rosemary (Host), Adrian Pabst and Chantelle Ogilvie-Ellis. “Politics and Cities” City Road Podcast. Episode 43. 8 November 2019.
Hancock, Rosemary and Fethi Mansouri. "The Racialisation of Religion" Religion and Ethics Report: Radio National, 10 April 2019.
"Faith and Creation: Possibilities of an 'Islamic' Environmental Ethic" on ABC Religion and Ethics, (10th September 2018).
"Religious Faith and Political Engagement: Islamic Environmental Activism" on ABC Religion and Ethics, (21st September 2018).

Professional affiliations

Co-Editor – Journal for the Academic Study of Religion (2023 – current)
Editorial Board Member - Sociological Review (2016 – 2022)
Book Reviews Editor - Journal for the Academic Study of Religion (2019-2021)
Co-convenor, Sociology of Religion Thematic Group, The Australian Sociology Association (2015 - 2019)

Awards

2018 Australian Academy of the Humanities ECR Travelling Fellowship
2013 Equinox Press Postgraduate Essay Prize
2012 Endeavour Award: Postgraduate Research Fellowship

Other

2019 – Visiting Scholar, Buffet Institute for Global Studies, Northwestern University
2018 Mentee - ARC Kathleen Fitzpatrick Laureate Fellowship Mentoring Scheme

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