Scientific mission on capitalism’s cultural impact on migrant religious identities

Post-doctoral researcher Dr. Antonio Montañés Jiménez from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain, visited Durham University, UK, for his Short-Term Scientific Mission (STSM) funded by COST Action COREnet.

Dr. Montañés Jiménez visited the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Durham University under the mentorship of Prof. Mathew Guest, an international specialist in the study of the spread of capitalist ideas across religious traditions. The STSM advanced postdoctoral research on religion and migration by investigating the impact of cultural forms of capitalism in shaping migrant religious communities’ identities and worldviews in Spain.

During this mission, together with a working meetings, work at the libary, Dr. Montañés Jiménez presented a paper at the British Sociological Association’s Sociology of Religion (SocRel) Study Group 50th anniversary conference, “Charting Challenges and Change: The Past, Present and Future of the Sociology of Religion,” held at Durham University from July 14 to 16, 2025.

Also, Dr. Montañés Jiménez completed and submitted a book chapter addressing the topic of Prosperity Gospel and ethnicity in Spain. The chapter will soon be submitted as a part of the “Bloomsbury Handbook of Religion and Neoliberalism“, an upcoming book edited by Prof. Matthew Guest and Prof. James S. Bielo.

What is a Short-Term Scientific Mission (STSM) within COREnet?

A Short-Term Scientific Mission, funded by the COST Action COREnet, consists of a visit to a host organization located in a different country to the country of affiliation of a Researcher in order to carry out specific work as part of a research project. In addition to research purposes, Short Term Scientific Missions (STSMs) are aimed to support researchers’ individual mobility, to strengthen existing networks and to foster collaboration between individuals. The purpose of a STSM is thus to gain new partnerships, to learn new techniques and to gain access to specific data, instruments and/or methods not available in their own institutions/organizations.