Dr Clare Lesley Hughes
Playful Learning at York Administrator
Profile
Biography
Dr Clare Lesley Hughes is a Scholar of Environmental Philosophy and Sociology of Religion. Her first PhD, in Biology, was awarded by the University of York, and she is currently undertaking a second PhD in Humanities, Religion, and Philosophy at York St John University, exploring plant-human entanglements, affects and spiritualities in Britain. Her research sits at the intersection of religion, sociology, and philosophy, and she champions feminist, rhizomatic, and creative pedagogical approaches, emphasising invisible education techniques and ethical more-than-human research design. She is currently employed by the University of York as Research Ethics Administrator for the Faculty of Social Sciences and as Playful Learning at York Administrator in Biology.
Research
Overview
Currently undertaking research at York St John University. Research is interdisciplinary and at the intersection of sociology, religion and philosophy.
Projects
Plant-human entanglements, new materialism, enchantment, philosophical animism, Ecofeminism.
Publications
Selected publications
Hughes, C. L. 2026. “Smothered Voices and Epistemic Harm: How Wortcunners Navigate Spirituality and Legitimacy in British Academia.” Curiositas 1 (1): 23–55.
Hughes, C.L. 2025. ‘Enchantment, vitality and agency: A posthuman reflexive exploration of the Willendorf Goddess.’ S/HE: An International Journal of Goddess Studies, 4(1–2).
Hughes, C.L., 2025. ‘Finding Identity and Place in Paganism and Critical Ecofeminism.’ Cultivate Feminist Journal, Issue 7, pp. 89–95.
Hughes, C.L., Dytham, C. and Hill, J.K., 2007. Modelling and analysing evolution of dispersal in populations at expanding range boundaries. Ecological Entomology, 32(5), pp.437-445.
Hill, J.K., Hughes, C.L., Dytham, C. and Searle, J.B., 2006. Genetic diversity in butterflies: interactive effects of habitat fragmentation and climate-driven range expansion. Biology Letters, 2(1), pp.152-154.
Hill, J.K., Dytham, C. and Hughes, C.L., 2005. Evolutionary changes in expanding butterfly populations. In: M.D.E. Fellowes, G. Holloway and J. Rolff, eds. Insect Evolutionary Ecology. Wallingford: CABI Publishing, p.519.
Hughes, C.L., Hill, J.K. and Dytham, C., 2003. Evolutionary trade-offs between reproduction and dispersal in populations at expanding range boundaries. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences, 270 (suppl_2), pp.S147-S150.
External activities
Overview
Casual Academic Associate at York St John University.
Course Tutor - Converge at York St John University (Feb 2026 to present)
Responsible for the organisation and delivery of environmental philosophy-based workshops exploring the folklore of British plants and the vitality of the more-than-human world. Workshops typically incorporate creative art-based techniques to promote environmental ethics, resilience and a rejection of anthropocentrism.
Editor in Chief - Curiositas, York St John University PGR Journal (Aug 2025 to present)
Responsible for providing overall leadership and vision for the journal, overseeing the journal’s direction, scope, and themes, editorial processes from submission to publication, coordinating and supporting the wider editorial team and ensuring deadline adherence.
Membership Officer - BSA Sociology of Religion Study Group (July 2025 to present)
Responsible for managing membership processes and renewals, representing the Study Group at meetings, and ensuring effective operation of the Wild Apricot membership system.
Peer Reviewer - Academic Journals (Sep 2025 to present)
Journal Peer Reviewer - Journal for the Study of Spirituality, Ecokritike, Curiositas.
Judging Panel - The Royal Institute of Philosophy (May 2025 - present)
Annual Think Essay Competition
Memberships
British Sociological Association
International Practitioners of Holistic Medicine
Editorial duties
Peer Reviewer - Academic Journals (Sep 2025 to present)
Journal Peer Reviewer - Journal for the Study of Spirituality, Ecokritike, Curiositas.
Invited talks and conferences
Retrofitting a rhizome: lines of flight in a feminist art-based assemblage
BSA New Materialism Study Group Conference: University College London, June 2026
Co-Creating Worlds: New Materialist Entryways in Human-Plant Assemblages
BSA Annual Conference: University of Manchester, April 2026
Haunted by the Land: Wortcunners and The Soundscape of Memory
Haunted Soundscapes Symposium, York St John University, Oct 2025
Spiritual Ecology and Epistemic Struggles of Contemporary British Herbal Practitioners
International Network for the Study of Spirituality, The Conversational, Oct 2025
Wortcunning and the Weight of Knowing: Plant Ontologies and Everyday Injustice
BSA Sociology of Religion Study Group Conference: Durham University, July 2025
Medicine & Magic: Engagement with Plant Magic in Contemporary British Herbalism
The Interdisciplinary Witch Conference: York St John University, June 2025
