Research Designing

This thesis is unlike the kind of research I have undertaken during my BA and MA in Egyptology, where my primary sources were accessible through drawings and digitised photos of ancient iconography and material culture. Instead this thesis requires me to undergo desk-based study which involves not only digitised records, but also online correspondence with living people; in addition to this I will need to conduct field study meeting the people under study and experiencing ritual practice and pilgrimage with them. 

The interdisciplinary nature of the research, straddling the boundary between the ancient and the modern, requires a detailed research plan and a metholodological design. This week I am asking:

1. What is the available primary information and where will I obtain it?
2. How will I extract and interpret this information? 
3. When will I do the above, according to my plan and timescale?

I will break down the thesis chapters, which I have always alotted research for into a timescale, identifying appropriate approaches, sources, and methods for each.

Next Steps

Following on from the submission of my literature review I now enter a period of preparation for my Annual Progress Monitoring review. By November I will need to submit the following:

1. Proposed Bibliography
2. Thesis Plan
3. Thesis Timescale
4. Sample Chapter

Over the last week I have created an initial timescale and thesis plan, consisting of 6 chapters (including the introduction and conclusion). Though, at present, the main content is contained within four chapters I anticipate these to be large chapters with five sections each. The proposed Threads of my thesis as follows:

1. Thread One: Context & Ethnogaphy - Contextualising Goddess Spirituality's history and present form
2. Thread Two: Reception of Ancient Goddesses - Asking how Goddess devotees receive and interpret information regarding ancient cults
3. Thread Three: Historical Reconstruction & Contemporary Innovation - Investigating what Goddess devotees do with the information their receive, in a religio-spiritual context
4. Thread Four: Weaving the Threads Together - Analysing the so what? and why the above research is to be considered significant to scholars of the ancient world.

Always lots of colours involved!

I have begun drafting survey and interview questions with a goal to have these complete by 1st June. I have also started a primary source and suggested informants list. Though I won't be contacting informants until December, for Spring interviews, I need to ascertain who I will reach out to much sooner. My introductory chapter will likely be completed closer to the end of my third year, but I have started to fill that in with my present ideas as they come. This has helped me to confirm my initial aims and approaches.

In addition to developing my primary source list and editing participant questions, I now need to focus on my sample chapter. 

Seeing as each my my Threads invovle informant contributions, I was unsure how to produce a sample chapter before such research; however, I have decided to draw from my literature review to begin with Thread One, exploring the background of Goddess Spirituality and - space permitting - its present context. As it is a sample chapter the ethnogrpahic portion of this will be outlined for later elaboration.

Initial Literature Review nearing completion

My initial literature review is due in on the 10th April and it is now almost complete. 

Around the 13th March I sent Ronald a sample bibliography in order to determine if there were any key sources I have missed. At this point there was still time to add them if necessary; however, I believe I have addressed the central ones - there are always more!

I also sent Genevieve a draft of Thread One to ascertain if I was on the right track. Her feedback was very positive, inspiring me to look at the waves of feminism in more detail. This will actually be really important as fourth wave feminism is key to the context of contemporary Goddess Spirituality today.

I have seperated my review into three threads of enquiry:

Thread One - Goddess Spirituality

1.1 Ethnographies

1.2 History & Politics

1.3 Summary

Thread Two - Interpretations & Engagement with the Ancient World

2.1 Scholarly Responses to Interpretations of Archaeology and Ancient History

2.2 Scholarly Responses to Re-interpreting Mythology

2.3 Scholarly Responsesto Engagement with Heritage Sites

2.4 Summary

Thread Three - Sources of Information

3.1 The Impact of Gimbutas

3.2 Bridging the Gap and Addressing Misinformation

3.3 Sumary

Conclusions

Primary Sources

Secondary Sources

Reviews & Responses

This process has prompted me to question the definitions and scope of my thesis. I have rested on the term 'Goddess Spirituality' rather than the 'neo-Pagan Goddess movement', in order to specific the religious aspect of goddess revival, and to avoid the term 'neo-Pagan' which many in the community do not identify with. It has been more challenging to label the adherents of this path themselves. I have therefore rested on 'Goddess Devotees' for the purpose of this review and have started a definitions document to refine as I progress, which I am sharing on this blog. By sharing this, readers will know what is meant by the terms I use and may also be able to provide further guidance on them.

Scholarship Awards Ceremony & PGR Welcome

I am very late in posting about this but I thought it was an important thing to record on this blog.

On 25th January the Doctoral College hosted a PGR welcome event where we were able to meet and mingle with other PGR students. This was a really nice welcome for me, as a distance student who otherwise wouldn't meet anyone. I know that it will also be difficult to truly feel a part of the University, whilst living 3 hours away and commuting once a month. This event made being a student at the University more real for me. It was also genuinely friendly, motivational, and fun!

Following straight on from this event was the schoalrship awards ceremony, during which students who had been awarded scholarships were acknowledged, and donors thanked. I confess to tearing up a one point... I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity for PhD research; in fact, I had withdrawn my application last year due to personal doubts and a lack of funds. Winning this scholarship was a last minute offer and I am very - very happy!