Dee Dyas
Emeritus Professor in History

Profile

Biography

BA (London), MA, PhD (Nott) FRHistS

Dee is Emeritus Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of York and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. For almost 25 years Dee served as Director of the Centre for the Study of Christianity & Culture which she founded in 1999. She also established the Centre for Pilgrimage Studies at York.

Her research interests and publications include the history, experience and significance of pilgrimage from the earliest centuries to the present day and the interaction of Christian belief and practice with Western culture. Dee has also spent many years researching the role of parish churches and cathedrals in the heritage and culture of England and advising those managing key sites on developing strategies and resources to enhance visitor engagement for people from all backgrounds. She has worked closely in research and advisory partnerships with Historic England, the Church of England Church Buildings Division, and the Association of English Cathedrals.

Career

Publications

Dee has edited four major interactive resources which explore the history, material culture and influence of Christianity, particularly in England. She has also served as a series editor of the Boydell and Brewer ‘Christianity and Culture’ series and ‘Routledge Studies in Pilgrimage, Religious Travel and Tourism’. Her recent publications include The Dynamics of Pilgrimage: Christianity, Holy Places and Sensory Experience. Routledge, 2020, and Pilgrimage and England's Cathedrals, Past, Present and Future. Palgrave Macmillan, 2020 (co-edited with Dr John Jenkins).

Research

Overview

Dee was Principal Investigator on a large 3-year Arts and Humanities Research Council funded research project on Pilgrimage and England’s Cathedrals, Past and Present. This highly innovative interdisciplinary project brought together approaches from history, theology, social science, and digital recreation of historic spaces. The aim was to shed light on both the history and future potential of these flagships of the church heritage sector which attract millions of visitors each year.  Dee then led two related AHRC Follow-On projects: 'The Becket Connection,' and 'Engaging with Place and Managing Space.'  Together, these projects have had a significant impact on management of, and public interaction with, cathedrals and other historic churches across the country.

Dee was also Principal Investigator on the cross-disciplinary 'COVID-19, Churches and Communities' research project (2020-22) which explored the impact of the COVID-related closure of church buildings, and the tens of thousands of support services they host, on the wellbeing of individuals and communities (https://churchesandcovid.org).