Jacqueline Giesbrecht

Jacqueline Giesbrecht is a PhD student originally from southern Manitoba. She holds a Master's in Religious Studies (Queen's) and a Bachelor of Arts with an Honours in Biblical and Theological Studies (CMU, Winnipeg). Jacqueline's current research interests surround cultures of disability in faith communities; her Master's research essay looked at historical and contemporary Christian theologies of sacred space and disability and how these conceptualizations have led to the exclusion of people with disabilities from faith communities. Jacqueline intends to extend this research into her PhD by focusing on how various Canadian faith communities and faith-based advocacy groups are working toward barrier-free participation for people with disabilities in faith communities, resulting in a conceptualization of sacred space that is inclusive rather than exclusive.

Jacqueline is also interested in material culture and religion, as well as folklore, myth development and group formation. For example, her undergrad thesis was on Celtic Christianity in Ireland and centered around the figures and hagiographies of Saint Patrick and the Holy Woman Brigid as showcases of the development of Christianity in Ireland. While folklore and myth development are areas that presently lie in the realm of leisure, Jacqueline plans to revisit these concepts in the future and hopes to find a way to creatively integrate these frameworks into her current research.