Ron Geaves

Ron Geaves is a professor of religion at Liverpool Hope University in England. He was formerly Programme Leader and Chair in religious studies at the University of Chester in England and Head of Department at the University of Chichester. He is currently Chair of the Muslims in Britain Research Network. His Ph.D. from the University of Leeds was on community formation amongst British Muslims. He has become known by his expertise in the adaptation and transmigration of religions to the West, especially Islam, Sikhism and Hinduism. He is the author of several books, including The Sufis of Britain, which explored the manifestations of Islamic mysticism in the UK and The Continuum Glossary of Religious Terminology  an extensive glossary of seven major world faiths.

Geaves has taught several subjects including Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, the Sociology and Anthropology of Religion, Judaism, Christianity and ancient religions. His interests lie in the spiritual manifestations of Islam and Indian traditions.

Geaves was one of the earliest Western students of Maharaji (Prem Rawat, known also as Guru Maharaj Ji). Geaves has written a number of papers related to Maharaji and his organizations, such as the Divine Light Mission, and Elan Vital. An on-line open letter by Geaves states that David Barrett, working for INFORM, suggested to him that he combine his first hand knowledge of the subject with his academic training to provide insights into this movement.

In July 2006, as he prepared to give an inaugural lecture at the University of Chester to dignitaries and members of the Muslim community in the North West of England, he commented that the 7 July 2005 London bombings were "primarily an extreme form of demonstration" that had to be seen within a long history of protests by British Muslims. He also said that "terrorism is a political word which always seems to be used to demonise people". The statements led to various strong disagreements from various spokespersons. He responded by stating that "the word terrorism, like the word evil, does not take us very far" and that it is possible to draw parallels between the July 7 attacks and atrocities in Northern Ireland during The Troubles and that the terrorism which occurred during these times could also be seen as an extreme form of protest.

Geaves has published books entitled Study of Religion written in collaboration with George Chryssides of Wolverhampton University. (2007) and Isms: Understanding Religion with Theodore Gabriel (2006), of the University of Gloucester. He is engaged in two collaborative edited works, one exploring local and global manifestations of Sufism, and the other an Encyclopedic Handbook of Islamic Sects. Geaves has been a pioneer in creating the first degree program in Muslim Youth Work.

Articles

 * The legitimisation of a North Indian form of Skanda worship in the UK: the transmigration of Baba Balaknath from rural Punjab to urban centres of Britain, with Catherine Barnes, 2nd Skanda-Murukan Conference, Published in DISKUS Vol. 4, No.2 (1996)
 * Baba Balaknath: an exploration of religious identity delivered to the British Association for the Study of Religions' Annual Conference September 16th - 19th 1996 at University College of St. Martin, Lancaster.
 * From Divine Light Mission to Elan Vital and Beyond: An Exploration of Change and Adaptation. Nova Religio, March 2004, Vol. 7, No. 3, Pages 45-62
 * From Totapuri to Maharaji: Reflections on a Lineage (Parampara) (2007), in Indian Religions: Renaissance and Revival, ed. Anna King. London: Equinox, 2007

Contributions

 * Elan Vital in:
 * From Guru Maharaj Ji to Prem Rawat: Paradigm Shifts over the Period of 40 Years as a "Master", in:.
 * From Guru Maharaj Ji to Prem Rawat: Paradigm Shifts over the Period of 40 Years as a "Master", in:.