Dr. Joseph Webster

Biography

Joseph Webster is a Professor of the Anthropology of Religion at the University of Cambridge's Faculty of Divinity, where he has held this position since 2019. Prior to this role, he was a Lecturer in Anthropology at Queen's University Belfast from 2013 to 2019 and served as an Isaac Newton - Graham Robertson Research Fellow in Social Anthropology at Downing College, Cambridge from 2011 to 2013. His educational background includes an MA (Hons) in Sociology and Social Anthropology and a PhD in Social Anthropology from the University of Edinburgh. Professor Webster's research interests are primarily in the Anthropology of Religion, focusing on Protestantism in Scotland and the global north. His notable works include the monograph 'Anthropology of Protestantism' and 'Religion and Orange Politics,' which examine ethnographic aspects of ethno-religious nationalism in Scotland. He has received several awards, including the Philip Leverhulme Prize in 2020 for his research into millenarianism and a mentoring award at the University of Cambridge's Research Culture Celebration in 2024. He has actively contributed to academic discussions through media engagements and has collaborated with various organizations to address issues of sectarianism.

Research Interests