Karen E Preston
Thesis title: Spatiality in the Book of Ruth
PhD in Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
Year of study: 3
Contact details
- Mobile: +1-626-379-6847
- Email: Karen.Preston@ed.ac.uk
PhD supervisors:
Address
- Street
- City
- San Marino, California, USA
- Post code
- 91108
Qualifications
Master of Arts in Theology
Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California (2021)
BS in Kinesiology
University of California, Los Angeles (1986)
Responsibilities & affiliations
Board of Directors, Union Rescue Mission, Los Angeles, California
Teaching Assistant, Fuller Theological Seminary (2021-current)
Member, Society of Biblical Literature
Member, Evangelical Theological Society
Member and PhD Student Representative: Old Testament Studies: Epistemologies and Methods (OTSEM)
Research summary
Karen's interests are rooted in an interdisciplinary approach to studying and interpreting the Hebrew Bible in its ancient context.
Current research interests
Karen is currently working on her PhD dissertation which is focused on spatiality in the book of Ruth. Methodologically, the project combines narratology and literary deep mapping to analyze how the author of the book of Ruth uses and reuses space and place to make a theological argument.Conference details
Society of Biblical Literature (San Antonio 2021, 2023)
Society of Biblical Literature (Denver 2022)
Society of Biblical Literature (San Diego 2024)
Old Testament Studies: Epistemologies and Methods (Aarhus 2024)
Society of Biblical Literature (Boston 2025)
Papers delivered
"A Deep Mapping Approach to Spatiality in the Book of Ruth," Old Testament Studies: Epistemologies and Methods (OTSEM) (Aarhus, August 2024)
"Spatiality in the Book of Ruth: Gleaning in the Fields," University of Edinburgh New College Postgraduate Colloquium (Edinburgh, June 2025).
"A Spatial Interpretation of Israelite 'Lived Experiences' in the Book of Ruth," Society of Biblical Literature Conference (Boston 2025)