Interrogating religion, inequality and power dynamics

Theorizing queer minority religious identities in the UK through lived religion and embodied intersectionality

Bibliographic Data

ID12255275
AuthorsSarah-Jane Page (University of Nottingham, corresponding author), Sean Page (0000-0001-6799-6592, University of Nottingham, corresponding author)
Year2026
Pages1-18
Publication date2026-03-19
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Gender Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0958-9236 • E-ISSN: 1465-3869
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09589236.2026.2647406
OpenAlexW7139118373
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited24

Utilizing lived religion and embodied intersectionality, this article theoretically explores ways of capturing the nuance and complexity in religion, gender and sexuality research to understand embedded forms of inequality. Dominant conceptualizations understand sexuality and gender to be in tension with ‘religion’. Yet this assumes these terms are fixed, rather than fluid and unstable. Research into the lived realities of religious-identifying queerFootnote1 individuals disrupt these assumptions. Drawing on in-depth interviews from three individuals belonging to minority religions in the British context (Islam, Buddhism and Judaism), this article foregrounds queer voices to understand religion as lived, embodied and intersectional. I argue that a framework deploying lived religion and embodied intersectionality offer a much-needed lens to critique the taken-for-granted, unpack power relationships and deep-seated gender and sexual hierarchies. This approach recognizes that real-life bodies are impacted by the gendered and sexual hierarchies that are communally forged, and listening to marginalized individuals is necessary to not only map complexity and understand inequalities, but to challenge power differentials.

Embodied cognition · Inequality · Intersectionality · Lived experience · Power (physics · Queer · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Religion and Society Interactions · Study and Philosophy of Religion

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