Ryan J. Williams
Profile
I am a PhD candidate working in the Applied Subgroup of the
Psychology and Religion Research Group under the supervision of Dr
Sara Savage. My PhD focuses on counter-radicalisation, and
the role of group processes in facilitating (or hindering)
initiatives aimed at building resilience to violent Islamic
extremism. My undergraduate degree was in religious studies
at the University of Calgary, Canada (2005), where I had the
opportunity to study at the University of Pune, India (2003).
I went on to complete a Master of Arts in Religious Studies (2007)
at the University of Calgary under Dr. Tinu Ruparell on
interreligious dialogue, where I explored how dialogue impacts
categories of religious identity through the methods of Social
Network Analysis.
Research InterestsMy research interests have broadly revolved around questions
of religious change and barriers to change, which have taken me
through several disciplines: social anthropology (in how
syncretism/anti-syncretism and notions of purity serve to define
and redefine boundaries of belonging and identity); social
psychology and sociology (especially in influence through social
networks and as related to conversion and de-conversion); and
theology and philosophy (particularly in the notion of the “Other”
in religious pluralism and responses to the Other).
In my M.A. thesis I utilized Social Network Analysis to bring
some of these themes together to explore how individuals are
impacted through dialogue. By mapping communication patterns
within a dialogue community, I found that dialogue participants
were affected differently depending on their location within the
network. Those in the centre of the network had greater
opportunities to play with categories of religious belonging and
identity, and occupied a unique position as boundary-spanners
helping to promote the aims of dialogue.
My PhD dissertation employs quantitative and qualitative
Social Network Analysis to study change as related to violent
extremism in the United Kingdom. More specifically, I am
interested in how change can be understood on a primary prevention
level to build resilience against violent extremism, with a
specific emphasis on the role of networks and small group dynamics
in this process. I draw on the current research base on
Integrative Complexity of thought and a practice model developed
within the Psychology and Religion Research Group.
