Ron Geaves

Ron Geaves (born 7 June 1948) is a British scholar of religious studies who was professor of the comparative study of religion at Liverpool Hope University in England, retiring in December 2013. He was formerly Programme Leader and Chair in religious studies at the University of Chester in England (2001-2007) and Head of Department at the University of Chichester (1999-2001). He was chair of the Muslims in Britain Research Network (2007-2010) and instrumental in the creation of BRAIS (British Association of Islamic Studies), remaining on their advisory board.

Academic career

His Ph.D. from the University of Leeds was on community formation amongst British Muslims (1990-1994) and he has remained interested in the history of the development of Islamic religious life in Britain throughout his career. He has become known by his expertise in the adaptation and transmigration of religions to the West, especially Islam, but also Sikhism and Hinduism and his academic championing of the study of 'lived' religions. He is the author of several books, including The Sufis of Britain, which explores the manifestations of Islamic mysticism in the UK and The Continuum Glossary of Religious Terminology an extensive glossary of seven major world faiths, The Study of Religion (co-authored with George Chryssides), a key undergraduate text. Probably his most successful work has been Islam in Victorian Britain: The Life and Times of Abdullah Quilliam, generating considerable interest among both Muslims in Britain and the media.

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).