Announcement
Here at the History Department at the University of Reading we are delighted to announce that our Astor100 stalwart and PhD researcher, Melanie Khuddro is now Dr Melanie Khuddro having successfully completed her viva on International Women’s Day 8th March. Our sincere thanks to the examiners Professor Cait Beaumont (LSBU) and Dr Mara Oliva (UoR).
Melanie’s thesis tackled: ‘persistent questions relating to New Religious Movements in the late nineteenth century and its subsequent impact on early female adherents. In particular, Christian Science is explored as the first and largest female-founded denominational faith within the movement, positioning the institutor, Mary Baker Eddy, as an essential feature of the religion. Women within the Church utilised the unique theology, teaching, and structure of Christian Science to bolster their own positions of influence and power in various contexts beyond the confines of the Church.’ it included a consideration of the influence of Christian Science on early female MPs.
It was a wonderful International Women’s Day #IWD2023 more broadly here at Reading, two fantastic female PhD students, Aisha Ajelid @aishadjelid and Melanie @MelanieKhuddro passed their vivas. They both had female supervisors (@emilywestfahey and @Jacqui1918 ) they also had all female examiners!
