Dr. Karen O Donnell

Biography

Karen O'Donnell is a feminist theologian with a particular focus on trauma theology, exploring how experiences of trauma shape and inform theological understanding. Her primary research interests include the intersection of feminist theology and trauma, with a specific emphasis on women's embodied experiences related to pregnancy, reproductive loss, and menopause. She studied Politics and Religious Studies at Newcastle University before completing an MA in Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Nottingham, where she focused on Mariology. Karen earned her PhD from Exeter University with a thesis titled 'Somatic Memories: Trauma (Eucharistic) Body.' She has held postdoctoral research positions at Durham University, where she focused on digital theologies, and currently serves as the Director of Studies at Westcott House, Cambridge. In this role, she teaches liturgical theology and supervises doctoral research in areas such as trauma theology, Christian mysticism, and liturgical practices. Her recent monograph, 'Dark Womb: Re-Conceiving Theology Reproductive Loss,' offers a novel constructive theological approach that engages trauma theology in dialogue with women's experiences of reproductive loss.

Research Interests

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