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Dr Asma Khan
Research Fellow
Overview
I am Research Fellow in British Muslim Studies at Cardiff University’s Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK. I am a mixed methods (QUANT-QUAL) researcher. My research interests include labour market inequalities, migration, and the everyday lives of British Muslims.
I completed my PhD as a Jameel Scholar at the Islam-UK Centre in 2018. My doctoral research examined the reasons behind high levels of economic inactivity among Muslim women in Britain using mixed methods which included a statistical analysis and qualitative research.
I have been affiliated with the Islam-UK Centre since 2008, having worked as a researcher on two of the Centre’s past research projects: Religious Nurture in Muslim Families, and the Social Cohesion and Civil Law Project - both funded by the AHRC/ESRC Religion and Society Research Programme.
In my current role, I lead a project team developing an online course (MOOC) on ‘Understanding Muslim Mental Health’. Generously funded by the Jameel Research Programme, this project aims to facilitate better understandings of experiences of mental health illness among health professionals and religious pastoral care providers who work in contexts of British Muslim communities (e.g. mental health nurses, imams, chaplains, counsellors).
Between 2020-21 I worked in the Department of Sociological Studies at The University of Sheffield, as a post-doctoral research associate on the ‘Everyday Bordering’ project. Working as part of a research team, I conducted co-produced and ethnographic research on the impact of the hostile environment on the work of social care practitioners with migrant families.
Alongside my academic research experience, I have worked as a freelance research consultant on a number of practice and policy based projects for public and third sector organisations.
Publication
2023
- Khan, A. 2023. Does religious practice increase levels of economic inactivity among British Muslim women? A mixed methods examination. In: Slee, N. et al. eds. Female Faith Practices: Qualitative Research Perspectives. Explorations in Practical, Pastoral and Empricial Theology London: Routledge, pp. 187-204., (10.4324/9781003228431)
- Khan, A. 2023. How do religious beliefs impact economic inactivity among British-Pakistani Muslim women?. Ethnic and Racial Studies (10.1080/01419870.2023.2231522)
- Walsh, J., Khan, A. and Ferazzoli, M. T. 2023. Portholes of ethnography: the methodological learning from ‘being there’ at a distance. Sociology 57(1), pp. 243-252. (10.1177/00380385221122458)
2022
- Rees, A., Maxwell, N., Powell, J., Corliss, C., Khan, A. and O'Donnell, C. 2022. Fostering well-being: placing foster carers centre stage. Adoption and Fostering
2019
- Rees, A. et al. 2019. Final Report for Evaluation of Fostering Wellbeing Programme 2019.
2018
- Khan, A. 2018. Beliefs, choices, and constraints: understanding and explaining the economic inactivity of British Muslim women. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
2017
- Scourfield, J., Gilliat-Ray, S., Khan, A. and Otri, S. 2017. Learning to be a Muslim. In: Strhan, A., Parker, S. G. and Ridgely, S. B. eds. The Bloomsbury Reader in Religion and Childhood. London: Bloomsbury Academic, pp. 123-130.
2014
- Douglas, G., Sandberg, R., Doe, N., Gilliat-Ray, S. and Khan, A. 2014. Religious divorce in England and Wales: religious tribunals in action. In: Shah, P., Foblets, M. and Rohe, M. eds. Family, Religion and Law: Cultural encounters in Europe. Farnham: Ashgate, pp. 195-208.
2013
- Scourfield, J. B., Gilliat-Ray, S., Khan, A. and Otri, S. 2013. Muslim childhood: religious nurture in a European context. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Scourfield, J. B., Warden, R., Gilliat-Ray, S., Khan, A. and Otri, S. 2013. Religious nurture in British Muslim families: implications for social work. International Social Work 56(3), pp. 326-342. (10.1177/0020872812474032)
- Douglas, G., Doe, C. N., Sandberg, R., Gilliat-Ray, S. and Khan, A. 2013. Accommodating religious divorce in the secular state: A case study analysis. In: Maclean, M. and Eekelaar, J. eds. Managing Family Justice in Diverse Societies. Onati International Series in Law and Society Vol. 1. Oxford: Hart Publishing, pp. 185-201.
2012
- Sandberg, R., Douglas, G., Doe, C. N., Gilliat-Ray, S. and Khan, A. 2012. Britain's religious tribunals: 'joint governance' in practice. Oxford Journal of Legal Studies 33(2), pp. 263-291. (10.1093/ojls/gqs031)
- Douglas, G., Doe, C. N., Gilliat-Ray, S., Sandberg, R. and Khan, A. 2012. The role of religious tribunals in regulating marriage and divorce. Child and Family Law Quarterly 24(2), pp. 139-157.
- Khan, A., Scourfield, J., Gilliat-Ray, S. and Otri, S. 2012. Reflections on qualitative research with Muslim families. Fieldwork in Religion 7(1), pp. 48-69.
2011
- Douglas, G., Doe, C. N., Gilliat-Ray, S., Sandberg, R. and Khan, A. 2011. Marriage and Divorce in Religious Courts: A Case Study. Family Law 41, pp. 956-961.
- Douglas, G., Doe, C. N., Gilliat-Ray, S., Sandberg, R. and Khan, A. 2011. Social cohesion and religious law: marriage, divorce and religious courts. Project Report. Cardiff: Cardiff Law School.
- Douglas, G., Doe, C. N., Gilliat-Ray, S., Sandberg, R. and Khan, A. 2011. Social cohesion and civil law: marriage, divorce and religious courts. Cardiff: Cardiff University. Available at: http://www.law.cf.ac.uk/clr/Social%20Cohesion%20and%20Civil%20Law%20Full%20Report.pdf
2008
- Khan, A., Shirani, F. J., Jewson, N., Felstead, A., Fuller, A., Kakavelakis, K. and Unwin, L. 2008. "The prawn sandwich will live forever”: learning to innovate in commercial sandwich production. Working paper. Cardiff: Cardiff School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University. Available at: http://learningaswork.cf.ac.uk/outputs/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20ESRC%20TLRP%20Learning%20as%20Work%20Research%20Paper%20No%2017.pdf
Articles
- Khan, A. 2023. How do religious beliefs impact economic inactivity among British-Pakistani Muslim women?. Ethnic and Racial Studies (10.1080/01419870.2023.2231522)
- Walsh, J., Khan, A. and Ferazzoli, M. T. 2023. Portholes of ethnography: the methodological learning from ‘being there’ at a distance. Sociology 57(1), pp. 243-252. (10.1177/00380385221122458)
- Rees, A., Maxwell, N., Powell, J., Corliss, C., Khan, A. and O'Donnell, C. 2022. Fostering well-being: placing foster carers centre stage. Adoption and Fostering
- Scourfield, J. B., Warden, R., Gilliat-Ray, S., Khan, A. and Otri, S. 2013. Religious nurture in British Muslim families: implications for social work. International Social Work 56(3), pp. 326-342. (10.1177/0020872812474032)
- Sandberg, R., Douglas, G., Doe, C. N., Gilliat-Ray, S. and Khan, A. 2012. Britain's religious tribunals: 'joint governance' in practice. Oxford Journal of Legal Studies 33(2), pp. 263-291. (10.1093/ojls/gqs031)
- Douglas, G., Doe, C. N., Gilliat-Ray, S., Sandberg, R. and Khan, A. 2012. The role of religious tribunals in regulating marriage and divorce. Child and Family Law Quarterly 24(2), pp. 139-157.
- Khan, A., Scourfield, J., Gilliat-Ray, S. and Otri, S. 2012. Reflections on qualitative research with Muslim families. Fieldwork in Religion 7(1), pp. 48-69.
- Douglas, G., Doe, C. N., Gilliat-Ray, S., Sandberg, R. and Khan, A. 2011. Marriage and Divorce in Religious Courts: A Case Study. Family Law 41, pp. 956-961.
Book sections
- Khan, A. 2023. Does religious practice increase levels of economic inactivity among British Muslim women? A mixed methods examination. In: Slee, N. et al. eds. Female Faith Practices: Qualitative Research Perspectives. Explorations in Practical, Pastoral and Empricial Theology London: Routledge, pp. 187-204., (10.4324/9781003228431)
- Scourfield, J., Gilliat-Ray, S., Khan, A. and Otri, S. 2017. Learning to be a Muslim. In: Strhan, A., Parker, S. G. and Ridgely, S. B. eds. The Bloomsbury Reader in Religion and Childhood. London: Bloomsbury Academic, pp. 123-130.
- Douglas, G., Sandberg, R., Doe, N., Gilliat-Ray, S. and Khan, A. 2014. Religious divorce in England and Wales: religious tribunals in action. In: Shah, P., Foblets, M. and Rohe, M. eds. Family, Religion and Law: Cultural encounters in Europe. Farnham: Ashgate, pp. 195-208.
- Douglas, G., Doe, C. N., Sandberg, R., Gilliat-Ray, S. and Khan, A. 2013. Accommodating religious divorce in the secular state: A case study analysis. In: Maclean, M. and Eekelaar, J. eds. Managing Family Justice in Diverse Societies. Onati International Series in Law and Society Vol. 1. Oxford: Hart Publishing, pp. 185-201.
Books
- Scourfield, J. B., Gilliat-Ray, S., Khan, A. and Otri, S. 2013. Muslim childhood: religious nurture in a European context. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Monographs
- Rees, A. et al. 2019. Final Report for Evaluation of Fostering Wellbeing Programme 2019.
- Douglas, G., Doe, C. N., Gilliat-Ray, S., Sandberg, R. and Khan, A. 2011. Social cohesion and religious law: marriage, divorce and religious courts. Project Report. Cardiff: Cardiff Law School.
- Douglas, G., Doe, C. N., Gilliat-Ray, S., Sandberg, R. and Khan, A. 2011. Social cohesion and civil law: marriage, divorce and religious courts. Cardiff: Cardiff University. Available at: http://www.law.cf.ac.uk/clr/Social%20Cohesion%20and%20Civil%20Law%20Full%20Report.pdf
- Khan, A., Shirani, F. J., Jewson, N., Felstead, A., Fuller, A., Kakavelakis, K. and Unwin, L. 2008. "The prawn sandwich will live forever”: learning to innovate in commercial sandwich production. Working paper. Cardiff: Cardiff School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University. Available at: http://learningaswork.cf.ac.uk/outputs/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20ESRC%20TLRP%20Learning%20as%20Work%20Research%20Paper%20No%2017.pdf
Thesis
- Khan, A. 2018. Beliefs, choices, and constraints: understanding and explaining the economic inactivity of British Muslim women. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
Research
Publications
2020
Walsh, J. and Khan, A. (2020) Collaborative research: the potential of COVID contingencies. Sociological Studies Research Blog, September 2020. https://socstudiesresearch.com/2020/09/28/collaborative-research-the-potential-of-covid-contingencies/
2017
Scourfield, J., Gilliat-Ray, S., Khan, A. and Otri, S. 2017. Learning to be a Muslim. In: Strhan, A., Parker, S. G. and Ridgely, S. B. eds. The Bloomsbury Reader in Religion and Childhood. Bloomsbury, pp. 123-130.
2014
Douglas, G., Doe, N., Sandberg, R., Gilliat-Ray, S., and Khan, A. 2014. In: Religious Divorce in England and Wales: Religious Tribunals in Action. Shah, P. et al. eds. Family, Religion and Law: Cultural Encounters in Europe. London: Ashgate.
2013
Scourfield, J., Gilliat-Ray, S., Khan, A. and Otri, S. 2013. Muslim Childhood: Religious Nurture in a European Context. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Scourfield, J., Warden, R., Gilliat-Ray, S. and Khan, A. 2013. Religious nurture in British Muslim families: Implications for social work. International Social Work 56(3), pp.326-342.
Sandberg, R., Douglas, G., Doe, N., Gilliat-Ray., S and Khan, A. 2013. Britain's Religious Tribunals: "Joint Governance" in Practice. Oxford Journal of Legal Studies 33(2), pp. 263-291.
2012
Khan, A. et al. 2012. Reflections on Qualitative Research with Muslim Families. Fieldwork in Religion 7(1), pp. 48-69.
Chimba, M., De Villiers, T., Davey, D. and Khan, A. 2012. Protecting Black and Minority Ethnic Children: An Investigation of Child Protection Interventions. Available at: http://bawso.org.uk/assets/Uploads/Files/PDF/Bawso-BME-Report-Nov-2012-v3-Web.pdf
2011
Douglas, G, Doe, N, Gilliat-Ray, S, Russell, S. and Khan, A. 2011. Marriage and Divorce in Religious Courts: A Case Study. Family Law September (2011) 41, pp. 956-961.
Douglas, G., Doe, N., Gilliat-Ray, S., Russell, S. and Khan, A. 2011. Social Cohesion and Civil Law: Marriage, Divorce and Religious Courts: Report of a Research Study funded by the AHRC.June 2011. Available at: http://orca.cf.ac.uk/10788/
2008
Khan, A. et al. 2008. The Prawn Sandwich Will Live Forever: Learning to Innovate in Commercial Sandwich Production’, Learning as Work Research Paper, No. 17, May 2008. Available at: http://learningaswork.cf.ac.uk/outputs.html
Conference Papers
As invited speaker (national recognition)
Khan, A. 2018. Migration, Marriage and Motherhood: Understanding the Economic Inactivity of Pakistani Women in Britain. 30/01/2018. CoDE Seminar, CMIST, University of Manchester.
Khan, A. 2017. Reflections on Establishing and Maintaining Fieldwork Relationships As An Insider-Outsider Within a British Muslim Community. 25/04/2017. Postgraduate Research Methods Workshop, University of Cambridge.
Khan, A. 2015. Response to keynote by Professor Anthony Heath: Religion and Poverty in the UK. Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, Oxford University
Khan, A and Scourfield, J. 2010. Muslim Childhood. Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK Public Lecture Series. 07/03/2010. Cardiff University,
Other conference papers
Khan, A. 2021. ‘Barkat’ and ‘Majboori’ (Blessings and Necessity): The Impact of Religious Beliefs and Practices on High Levels of Economic Inactivity Amongst British Muslim Women. Annual Conference of the Sociology of Religion Study Group, British Sociological Association (online).
Khan, A. & Walsh, J. 2021. Reimagining Borders: The limitations and possibilities of everyday practice interactions. Annual Conference of the British Sociological Association (online).
Khan, A. 2017. Intersections of religion, gender and migrant Status in areas of high Muslim and co-ethnic density. 01/09/2017. Conference of the European Sociological Association, Athens.
Khan, A. 2017. Experiences of Second Generation British Muslim Women in Education in the 70’s and 80’s. 12/04/2017. BRAIS Annual Conference, Chester University.
Khan, A. 2017. The experiences of first and second generation Pakistani women in areas of high Muslim and co-ethnic density. 29/03/2018. MBRN Annual Conference, Leeds University.
Khan, A. 2016. The Economic Inactivity of Muslim Women in Britain: Measuring the Impact of Religiosity and Social Capital 26/08/2016. Conference of the European Sociological Association, Prague
Khan, A. 2012. Protecting BME Children: An Investigation of Child Protection Interventions. British Association for the Study and Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect Annual Conference. Queens University Belfast, 16th April 2012.
Khan, A. and Gilliat-Ray, S. 2011. Religious Courts and Religious Communities. Britain’s Religious Courts Symposium. 18/05/2011. Cardiff Law School, Cardiff University.
Khan, A. 2010. Critical Reflections on Researching Religious Nurture. 29/03/2010. Innovative Methods in the Study of Religion Conference, AHRC/ESRC Religion and Society Programme and Norface Religion Programme, London.
Khan, A. 2008. Inter-generational Transmission of Religion in British Muslims. Encounters and Intersections: Religion, Diaspora and Ethnicities Conference. 11/072008. St Catherine’s College, Oxford.
Teaching
Undergraduate Teaching
I will deliver two guest lectures on the ‘Living Islam’, level-5 module for Year 2 Religious and Theological Studies students during the Autumn Semester of 2021.
I have delivered a number of guest lectures relating to socio-economic inequalities among British Muslims for undergraduate courses at both Cardiff University and The University of Sheffield.
Biography
Management and Leadership
- 2021- to date. Member of management committee for the Migration, Ethnicity, Race and Diversity Research Group (MEAD), Cardiff University
- Executive Committee Member for the Muslims in Britain Research Network (MBRN), 2020-to date
- Co-chair of Covid Realities Reflection Group, Department of Sociological Studies, The University of Sheffield. 2020-21
Honours and awards
- 2013 - awarded Jameel scholarship for Ph.D. study
- 2012 – awarded scholarship to study for MSc. in Social Change at the Institute of Social Change, Manchester University
Professional memberships
- Member of British Sociological Association (Sociology of Religion sub-group)
- Member of Muslims in Britain Research Network
- Member of the European Sociological Association
Work Experience
Current work: Research Fellow in British Muslim Studies. Principal Investigator: ‘Understanding Muslim Mental Health’. School of History, Archaeology and Religion, Cardiff University.
2020-2021 Research Associate: Everyday Bordering in the UK Project. Department of Sociological Studies, The University of Sheffield.
2011-2012 Research Associate: Confidential Inquiry into the premature deaths of people with learning disabilities. School for Policy Studies, Bristol University
2007-2011 Research Associate at Cardiff University, projects include:
- Social Cohesion and Religious Courts Project, Cardiff Law School
- Religious Nurture in Muslim Families Project, School of Social Sciences
- Learning as Work Project, School of Social Sciences
Consultancy on Externally Funded Projects (research and analysis)
2019 Evaluation of Fostering Wellbeing Programme. Funder: The Fostering Network.
2019 Domestic Abuse Needs Assessment, Salford. Funder: Salford City Council.
2012 ‘Muslim Childhoods’, Digital Storytelling Project. Funder: AHRC/ESRC Religion and Society Programme.
2011 Protecting Black and Minority Ethnic Children: An Investigation of Child Protection Interventions. Funder: National Institute for Social Care and Health Research.
2011 Torfaen Complex Families Project. Funder: Torfaen County Borough Council.
2010 Changing Lifestyles Project Evaluation. Funder: Big Lottery Fund.
Contributions to the Field
- Peer review for Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
- Peer review for the Children and Families Series, Bristol University Press.
- Peer review for Ethnicities Journal
