Sociology and Criminology Research Group

The research group was established in 2009 to provide a focus for research-active staff in Sociology and Criminology in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. We run a regular Open Seminar Series which attracts both internal and external speakers, and to which all staff and students are welcome.

We have a strong and developing research culture, and cover a variety of methods and traditions. Interests and specialisms range from empirically-oriented primary research to highly conceptual theoretical work. We are committed to fostering an inclusive research culture that involves full-time, fractional and visiting lecturers. Members of the Research Group have published books with major scholarly publishers and in internationally recognised journals, and have been involved in the development and organisation of international conferences.

Current key strands of research include:

Sociology of education and social policy

Dr Celia Jenkins is working on a collaborative research project in the sociology of education, exploring the epistemological clash between student and lecturer expectations, challenges to an emancipatory pedagogy in the neo-liberal academy and the role of religion in Higher Education, the latter a comparative analysis with Turkey. Professor Mike O’Donnell and Dr Celia Jenkins are also working on the impact on academics of an over-regulated HE system. Dr Alexandra Stein has researched and written about political cults and is currently focusing on counter-terrorism. Dr Naomi Rudoe is researching teenage motherhood and the policy context. Umit Cetin is conducting an ethnography of suicide and respect within the London Turkish-Kurdish community. Dr George Clerk has conducted research on children’s rights in Ghana.

Cultural sociology and the sociology of culture

Working in gender and queer theory, Dr Francis Ray White is part of the growing area of fat studies, and has recently written about media constructions of the obesity epidemic and anti-social queer activism. Dr Ben Pitcher also pursues theoretical interests in social and cultural theory, and has published widely on race, racism and anti-racism. Dr Caroline Barnes explores the limitations of postmodern models of identity in relation to the sociology of the body and the media-power nexus. Natasha Gravill is researching masculinities and successful ageing. Dorrie Chetty is engaged in research on cultural identity in autobiographical diasporic literature and on tourism and development. Dr David Khabaz has published on Iran and globalisation and the media. Dr Adam Eldridge’s publications examine the city at night as a context for new forms of work, civility, gender normativity and leisure.

Critical Criminology

Dr Sacha Darke is currently researching on crime and justice in Brazil, focusing on issues of inmate governance in Brazilian jails. Anne Dunn has recently worked on the use of 'one-stop shops' for women offenders released from custody. Mark Cambridge's work focuses on policy review and development in the field of youth crime and youth justice. His recent work centres on national perceptions of youth crime and sub-criminal behaviour and youth crime interventions.