Naomi van Rijn

Biography

Biography:

Naomi van Rijn is a final year PhD-candidate in the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge. Her research is situated at the intersection of Education, Theology, and Anthropology. Naomi is interested in the role of religion within the realm of international development, with a special focus on educational provision in post-colonial settings. Currently, she is undertaking a research project that delves into the complex theme of Kenyan religious educational providers, whose institutions trace their origins to missionaries. Her work seeks to shed light on how these institutions navigate questions of legitimacy and credibility, especially in the context of long-standing debates surrounding the decolonization of African education. Naomi is also co-founder and co-leader of the European Christian Educationalist Network (ECEN), a hub under the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology in Cambridge, UK.