The Equality Act 2010 includes religion or belief as a protected characteristic, and further defines this as any religion or philosophical belief, including no religion or belief.
Religions can include well-known and lesser-known religions, as well as denominations within religions. It is estimated that there are over 4,000 recognised religions in the world.
This employment guide further explains the criteria by which a belief would be protected under the Act, including that it is a belief, rather than a viewpoint; has a certain level of seriousness; and is not in conflict with the rights of others. Vegetarianism, pacifism and humanism are all examples of protected beliefs.
Take a look at our EDI Reading List for Faith, Religion and Belief.
Please get in touch if you have any recommendations to add to this list - whether already available in the Library or not!
This section highlights physical and digitised archives at Newcastle University and elsewhere, which cover subjects relating to faith, religion and belief.
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17th Century CollectionIncludes material relating to religious dissenters, as well as sermons and religious speeches.
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Clarke (Edwin) Miscellaneous CollectionIncludes material relating to the occult, ritual and folklore.
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Cowen (Joseph) TractsContains books relating to the church, and religion more broadly.
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Forbidden booksBlog post discussing the early printing press and its effect on religion.
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Letting in the Light: the Leonard Evetts ArchiveBlog post which includes discussion of stained glass windows in churches.
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Local IllustrationsEighteenth and nineteenth century depictions of local scenes and structures, including churches.
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Loebl (Herbert) ArchivePart of this archive is about Loebl’s experiences as a Jewish refugee, and contains records relating to the local Jewish community.
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Mary, Queen of ScotsBlog post which discusses the tension between the Protestant and Catholic churches in the 16th century.
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Mediaeval ManuscriptsIncludes an illuminated Vitae Sanctorum (Saints' Lives); an early fifteenth-century breviary (service book containing hymns, offices and prayers sung by the Roman Catholic clergy at prescribed times) and a fifteenth-century book of hours.
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Mass Observation Online 1937-1967 This link opens in a new windowThis a major resource for British social history from 1937-1967. It contains material generated by the Mass Observation social research organisation, including all the day surveys, diaries and subject directives from 1937-1967, a wide range of themed topic collections, together with other material such as images and essays. We also have access to the Mass Observation 1980s and 1990s database.
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Mass Observation Project 1981-2009. This link opens in a new windowThis contains responses to the Mass Observation project in the 1980s,1990s and (NEW!) 2000s, covering political and social themes of the period, plus insights into everyday life. A fascinating insight into late twentieth century Britain. We also have access to the earlier Mass Observation Online database covering 1937-1967.
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Methodism and Charles WesleyOverview of archival collections relating to Methodism.
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National Archives: religious historyGuides from the National Archives on how to research archival records relating to religious history.
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Oral histories of Jewish experience and Holocaust testomoniesOverview of oral histories relating to these topics available from the British Library.
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Oral histories of religion and beliefOverview of oral histories relating to religion and belief, available from the British Library.
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Pacifism archivesOverview of archival collections relating to pacifism and peace movements.
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Pew Research CenterThis organisation regularly publishes research, surveys and data relating to religious belief and attitudes worldwide.
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Religious Archives DirectoryDirectory of UK archives relating to religious traditions and denominations.
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Secularism and HumanismDirectory of UK archives relating to secularism and humanism.
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StatistaStatista is a collection of over 1.5 million datasets on a huge range of contemporary topics. If you're looking for data to help you research inequality, it's a great place to start.
Below are some links to societies and support across campus:
