How do Religious People Navigate a Secular Organisation? Religious Nursing Students in the British National Health Service

Abstract

Although the debate about secularisation has moved on to consider post-secular society, many organisations (especially in Europe) remain largely secular in outlook and can pose difficulties for those among their members who profess a strong religious faith. In this article, we consider how a group of people—in this case students of nursing—for whom their religious beliefs are an important feature in their lives navigate and make sense of a predominantly secular organisation, the British National Health Service (NHS). Drawing on an empirical study and sociological theory, we will show how they have constructed identities that enable them to manage the impressions that they create, in order to reconcile their faith with the context in which they work.