Professor Susannah Cornwall (she/her)

I am Professor of Constructive Theologies, in the Department of Classics, Ancient History, Religion and Theology.

I joined the Department of Theology and Religion in 2013 as Advanced Research Fellow in Theology and Religion under the HASS research strategy, as part of the Identities and Beliefs strand. In 2014 I became the new Director of EXCEPT (Exeter Centre for Ethics and Practical Theology). In 2016 I became Lecturer, in 2018 Senior Lecturer, and in 2020 Associate Professor in Theology and Religion. In 2021 I was awarded a personal chair in Constructive Theologies. From 2011 to 2013 I was Postdoctoral Research Associate at Lincoln Theological Institute at the University of Manchester, where I led the Intersex, Identity and Disability: Issues for Public Policy, Healthcare and the Church project.

My research focuses on Christian constructive theologies. Much of my work has been in contextual theologies, particularly those relating to sex, gender and sexuality. I also have interests in critical disability studies, homelessness, contextual Bible study, postcolonial and decolonial theologies, queer theologies, and theologies of art.

I have taught undergraduate-level courses including Religion in the Modern World; Introducing Christian Theologies; Body and Society; Postcolonial Theology; Queer Theologies and Theories; Trans Studies in Christianity and Judaism; Theological Studies in Philosophy and Ethics; Theological Ethics and Genital Surgery; Theology, Sexuality and Gender; and study skills. I have taught MA courses including Theology, Ethics and Public Issues; Theology and Trauma; Religion, Politics and the Media; Contemporary Issues in Theology, Religion and Gender; and various methods/skills modules.

My latest published monograph is Constructive Theology and Gender Variance: Transformative Creatures (Cambridge University Press, 2022). My new book, Structural Sin and the Death of Institutions is under contract with Routledge. 

My previous book, Un/familiar Theology: Reconceiving Sex, Reproduction and Generativity, was published by Bloomsbury T&T Clark in June 2017. A special panel to discuss the book took place at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion in Denver, Colorado in November 2018.

My third book, Theology and Sexuality (SCM Press, 2013), is part of the SCM Core Texts series, and is designed for use as an individual or class text for upper-level BA and MA students studying theology and sexuality, gender, sex and embodiment. It includes chapters on sexuality in the Christian tradition, sex and marriage, sex outside marriage, celibacy and virginity, transgender and intersex, and same-sex relationships. I also contributed to Sexuality: The Inclusive Church Resource (2014), part of a series designed to enable church communities to explore inclusion.

My second book, Controversies in Queer Theology (SCM Press, 2011), examined ongoing debates in the area of queer theology, including: What is queer? Is queer theology synonymous with gay theology? Is queer theology inherently white or western? Is the Bible queer? Is the Christian theological tradition queer? Given the historical and contemporary treatment of LGBT by the Church, should queer people remain Christians?

My first book, Sex and Uncertainty in the Body of Christ (Routledge, 2010), examined the Christian constructive theological and ethical implications of the existence and treatment of intersex variations.

Between 2011 and 2013 I led the Intersex, Identity and Disability: Issues for Public Policy, Healthcare and the Church project at the Lincoln Theological Institute, University of Manchester. It included empirical work with intersex Christians in Britain, learning about the overlaps between their intersex and faith identities, and their experiences of talking about intersex with other Christians. As part of this project I edited Intersex, Theology and the Bible: Troubling Bodies in Church, Text and Society, published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2015. A special panel was convened to discuss the book and its implications at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in Atlanta, Georgia in 2015.

As well as university teaching, I have been a support tutor and associate lecturer for the South West Ministry Training Course, working with trainee clergy, readers and members of the public on the Encountering Theology course. I was a member of the Theology Working Group for the Church of England's Living in Love and Faith project.

Research supervision:

I am open to discussing research proposals on any relevant subject given my research expertise. I am especially happy to consider working with candidates with interests in the following areas:

Intersex characteristics / variations in sex characteristics

Trans identity and gender variance

Queer theologies

Theology and sexuality

Variant sex and gender, religion and spirituality

Healthcare ethics

Postcolonial and decolonial theologies

Spirituality in sex and relationships education

Spirituality and wellbeing