![Associate Professor Richard Hutch](/sites/default/files/profiles/159.jpeg)
Overview
Background
Associate Professor Richard Hutch is an Honorary Associate Professor and Reader in Religion and Psychological Studies in the School of Historical and Philosopical Inquiry. His research interests include psychology of religion, sport and spirituality, self-narrations and life-writing, and death and dying.
His current research projects include:
- The American Civil Rights Movement: A Personal Narrative
- Sport, Spirituality and Productive Ageing
- History and Phenomenology of Religion
TO NOTE: Richard Hutch presented the keynote address at a symposium on the American Civil Rights Movement held at Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in the United States on the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, 9 April 1865. It was also the 50th anniversary of the "Summer Community Organization and Political Education" project (SCOPE), which was sponsored by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), founded and led by Martin Luther King, Jr. Richard volunteered for the SCOPE project in rural counties in Alabama and Louisiana in the summer of 1965. The project spearheaded a massive voter registration drive throughout the South after "Bloody Sunday," the violent racial conflict that occurred at the beginning of the Selma to Montgomery march on March 7th that year. Through the efforts of SCOPE volunteers and others, who often faced life-threatening incidents of racial violence (as Richard himself did), the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was finally passed by the American Congress and signed by the President in August. The keynote address at Gettysburg College presented Richard's experiences in the South during his harrowing time there. He was honoured by his alma mater on the occasion with the establishment of an archive in his name in the Musselman Library at Gettysburg College, including the journal he kept during his summer in the South and other unique materials from the Civil Rights Movement. It can be noted at the town of Gettysburg was the site where the Civil War "Battle of Gettysburg" took place in July, 1863. Northern Union troops pushed the Southern Confederate troops from their so-called "high-water mark" back south across the Mason-Dixon Line (which separated "slave" states from "free" states, and was drawn on maps just beyond the southern border of the state of Pennsylvania near Gettysburg). The battle represented the beginning of the end of the Civil War, with the final defeat of the Confederacy by Abraham Lincoln's Union Army two years later on 9 April, 1865 at 3:15 in the afternoon, when church bells rang out throughout the North.
Associate Professor Hutch was the Director of Studies for the Faculty of Arts (2001-05) and Head of the School of History, Philosophy, Religion and Classics (2005-08) at the University of Queensland. Before taking up his appointment at UQ in 1978, he was Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Southern Illinois University in the United States (1974-78). He graduated from Gettysburg College (BA, 1967), Yale University (BD, 1970) and the University of Chicago (MA, 1971; PhD, 1974).
Availability
- Associate Professor Richard Hutch is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Arts, Gettysburg College
- Bachelor, Yale University
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Chicago
Research interests
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Religious Experience in World Religions
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American Civil Rights Movement: Personal Stories
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Life Narration Studies
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Sport and Spirituality
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Death and Dying
Research impacts
Social justice and healthy living are marks of human morality, an often overlooked but central pillar of daily life. My work asks how a person can be a constructive force for personal growth and social change, this in spite of the fear many people have about imagining wider than usual horizons for living. Assertions of human morality go beyond entrenched views. Pursuing freedom and justice can move current issues forward, such as comtroversies about race, religion, sexuality, gender and ageing.
Works
Search Professor Richard Hutch’s works on UQ eSpace
2016
Journal Article
Why sport is a spiritual experience – and failure can help
Hutch, Richard (2016, 10 20). Why sport is a spiritual experience – and failure can help
2016
Book Chapter
Converting mortal losses into vital gains – ‘Could be worse’...
Hutch, Richard A. (2016). Converting mortal losses into vital gains – ‘Could be worse’.... Transforming Spirituality: Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of 'Studies in Spirituality'. (pp. 323-338) edited by Rossano Zas Friz de Col. Leuven, Belgium.: Peeters Publishers.
2015
Book Chapter
Attribution (Theory)
Hutch, Richard (2015). Attribution (Theory). Vocabulary for the Study of Religion. (pp. 140-143) edited by Segal, Robert A. and Stuckrad, Kocku von. Leiden, Boston: Brill.
2014
Other Outputs
Oral history: Richard Hutch and the SCOPE Project, 1965, American Civil Rights Movement
Hutch, Richard (2014). Oral history: Richard Hutch and the SCOPE Project, 1965, American Civil Rights Movement. Gettysburg, PA, USA: Gettysburg College.
2013
Journal Article
Health and healing: spiritual, pharmaceutical, and mechanical medicine
Hutch, Richard A. (2013). Health and healing: spiritual, pharmaceutical, and mechanical medicine. Journal of Religion & Health, 52 (3), 955-965. doi: 10.1007/s10943-011-9545-x
2012
Journal Article
Can spirituality be taught to health care professionals?
Meredith, Pamela, Murray, Judith, Wilson, Trish, Mitchell, Geoff and Hutch, Richard (2012). Can spirituality be taught to health care professionals?. Journal of Religion and Health, 51 (3), 789-889. doi: 10.1007/s10943-010-9399-7
2012
Book Chapter
Solo sailing as spiritual practice: A phenmenology of mastery and failure at sea
Hutch, Richard A. (2012). Solo sailing as spiritual practice: A phenmenology of mastery and failure at sea. Sailing : Philosophy for everyone : Catching the drift of why we sail. (pp. 36-46) edited by Patrick Allen Goold. Cichester, West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons.
2012
Journal Article
Sport and spirituality: mastery and failure in sporting lives
Hutch, Richard (2012). Sport and spirituality: mastery and failure in sporting lives. Practical Theology, 5 (2), 131-152. doi: 10.1558/prth.v5i2.131
2010
Journal Article
"Diagnosing" and "Managing" spiritual distress in pallative care: Creating an intellectual framework for spirituality useable in clinical practice
Mitchell, Geoffrey, Murray, Judith, Wilson, Patricia, Hutch, Richard and Meredith, Pamela (2010). "Diagnosing" and "Managing" spiritual distress in pallative care: Creating an intellectual framework for spirituality useable in clinical practice. Australasian Medical Journal, 3 (6), 364-369. doi: 10.4066/AMJ.2010.338
2010
Book
Sport as a spiritual practice: Mastery, failure, and transcendence in the life of athletes
Hutch, Richard (2010). Sport as a spiritual practice: Mastery, failure, and transcendence in the life of athletes. Lewiston, NY, U.S.A.: Edwin Mellen Press.
2009
Journal Article
Throttle up whirlwind: Space, time, and the sacred elixir of speed among recreational motorcyclists
Hutch, Richard (2009). Throttle up whirlwind: Space, time, and the sacred elixir of speed among recreational motorcyclists. International Journal Of Religion And Sport, 1, 81-92.
2009
Journal Article
Sport, Sailing and Human Spirituality
Hutch, Richard (2009). Sport, Sailing and Human Spirituality. Interface, Sport and Spirituality, 11 (1), 101-130.
2008
Journal Article
Sport and Faith
Hutch, Richard (2008). Sport and Faith. The Transit Lounge (37).
2007
Journal Article
Speed masters throttle up: space, time and the sacred journeys of recreational motorcyclists
Hutch, Richard (2007). Speed masters throttle up: space, time and the sacred journeys of recreational motorcyclists. International Journal of Motorcycle Studies, 3 (2), 1-6.
2007
Conference Publication
Does a purpose-designed workshop improve health care worker's confidence in managing spirituality in palliative care?
Meredith, Pamela, Murray, Judith, Wilson, Trish, Mitchell, Geoff and Hutch, Richard (2007). Does a purpose-designed workshop improve health care worker's confidence in managing spirituality in palliative care?. 9th Australian Palliative Conference, Melbourne, Australia, 28-31 August 2007. Canberra, Australia: Palliative Care Australia.
2006
Journal Article
Dominance hierarchies and health: Constructing personal zones of spiritual power and healing in modern medicine
Hutch, Richard (2006). Dominance hierarchies and health: Constructing personal zones of spiritual power and healing in modern medicine. Journal of Religion & Health, 45 (3), 328-345. doi: 10.1007/s10943-006-9036-7
2005
Journal Article
Under sail alone at sea: A study of sport as spiritual practice
Hutch, R. A. (2005). Under sail alone at sea: A study of sport as spiritual practice. Australian Religion Studies Review, 18 (1), 3-24.
2005
Book
Lone Sailors and Spirtual Insights: Cases of Sport and Peril at Sea
Hutch, R. A. (2005). Lone Sailors and Spirtual Insights: Cases of Sport and Peril at Sea. 1 ed. New York: Edwin Mellen Press.
2005
Journal Article
Mel Gibson's big gamble: The Passion of Christ
Hutch, R. A. (2005). Mel Gibson's big gamble: The Passion of Christ. Pastoral Psychology, 53 (4), 337-340. doi: 10.1007/s11089-005-1364-0
2004
Journal Article
Mel Gibson's big punt: "The passion of Christ"
Hutch, Richard (2004). Mel Gibson's big punt: "The passion of Christ". Australian Religion Studies Review, 17 (2), 117-119.
Funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Associate Professor Richard Hutch is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Supervision history
Completed supervision
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2013
Doctor Philosophy
Church Personnel Child Abuse in Child Welfare: Foucauldian Insights. The Continuums of Silence, Scandal, Response and Maintenance. Giving Rise to Continuum Theory, Child Welfare Continuum Theory.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Aurelia Armstrong
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2011
Doctor Philosophy
Light Broken through the Prism of Life: René Schwaller de Lubicz and the Hermetic Problem of Salt
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Philip Almond
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2008
Doctor Philosophy
A Cognitive Developmental Analysis of Apostasy from Religious Fundamentalism
Principal Advisor
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2007
Doctor Philosophy
RHETORIC AND ACTION: THE POLICIES AND ATTITUDES OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH WITH REGARD TO AUSTRALIA'S INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, 1885-1967
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Lynne Hume
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2006
Master Philosophy
PRESUMPTUOUS AND IMPIOUS: A FEMINIST ANALYSIS OF THE NARRATIVES AND DISCOURSES OF DIVORCED WHITE WOMEN HOLINESS PREACHERS AT THE TURN OF THE 20TH CENTURY
Principal Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
AUTHORITY AND 'EGOLESSNESS' IN THE EMERGENCE AND IMPACT OF MEHER BABA
Principal Advisor
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2013
Doctor Philosophy
Swimming Against the Tide: A History of the Leadership System of the Apostolic Church of Queensland
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Rick Strelan
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2012
Doctor Philosophy
Pastor, Counsellor, and Friend: Exploring Multiple Role Relationships in Pastoral Work
Associate Advisor
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2011
Doctor Philosophy
The Naked Vine (A Novel) Return to the Theophanic Theatre: Shamanism, Magical Realism and the Ontology of the Imaginal Realm (A Critical Exegesis)
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Venero Armanno
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2011
Doctor Philosophy
Action Research on the Ministry of Spiritual Companion of Staff Members in Three Catholic Schools in Northern New South Wales
Associate Advisor
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2010
Doctor Philosophy
The development of Cyril Scott's aesthetic thinking: An interpretation informed by literary and biographical sources
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Simon Perry
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2010
Doctor Philosophy
Theology as Education: John Dewey in Dialogue with Christian Doctrine
Associate Advisor
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2009
Doctor Philosophy
An Approach to Ecological Mission in and through the Christian Community in Australia: Beyond apathy to committed action
Associate Advisor
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2009
Master Philosophy
Yonggi Cho's Understanding of the Holy Spirit
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Rick Strelan
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2009
Doctor Philosophy
The Origins of Left Behind Eschatology
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Philip Almond
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2007
Doctor Philosophy
TAROT: AN EVOLUTIONARY SYMBOLISM
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Philip Almond
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2006
Doctor Philosophy
VAPOURS AND VISIONS: RELIGIOUS DIMENSIONS OF DMT USE
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Lynne Hume
Media
Enquiries
Contact Associate Professor Richard Hutch directly for media enquiries about:
- Civil rights
- Psychology and religion
- Race in American History
- Sport and religion
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