Dr Angharad Beckett

Associate Professor of Political Sociology

Photo of Dr Angharad Beckett

I have a degree in Sociology and Social Policy from Durham University and PhD from the University of Sheffield. I lectured previously at Nottingham and Durham University.

Funded research includes the ESRC grant (as PI): 'Disability Equality in English Primary Schools' (completed 2009) and the Leverhulme Grant (as Co-I) 'Designing for Inclusive Play: facilitating meaningful play between disabled and non-disabled children'. I convene the BSA/SPA Study Group for the Sociology of Social and Public Policy.

Research Interests

My core research interests focus upon citizenship and the nature of social and political engagement. I am also interested in theorising social exclusion.

My other key research interests are disability politics, education policy with a focus upon teaching about disability equality and citizenship education, and social research methods, in particular, new qualitative tools and techniques.

Teaching

My teaching focuses upon citizenship theory, social exclusion, research methods (particularly research ethics and qualitative methods), and social theory (in particular, the work of Goffman and Giddens). I currently convene the level 2 core Social Theory module 'Central Problems in Sociology' and the level 3 UG module 'Citizenship, Identity & Social Change' and contribute to other UG and PG courses, including the MA module 'Qualitative Research Methods'.

PhD Supervision

I am interested in supervising promising PhD students in the following areas.

Citizenship - theoretical or empirical investigations and explorations.
Social movements - again, theoretical or empirical studies.
Qualitative examinations of social exclusion in the UK.
Disability politics, culture and identity.
Goffmanesque/Goffmanian or Giddens-inspired studies

Current PhD students

I currently supervise the following PhD students - many of whom have been successful in achieving competitive awards to fund their PhD research:

Natasha Barnes: 'Exploring the Organisation of Emotion' (a Goffmanesque study). (University of Leeds Teaching Bursary)
Tiffany Boulton: Understanding 'Contested' Chronic Illness: A Case Study of the In/Visibility of Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) in the UK and Canada. (SSHRC funded)
Deborah Fenney: Disabled people and pro-environmental behaviour: sustainability and accessibility. (ESRC funded)
Nicola Horsley: Citizenship Education, Equality and Diversity: exploring responses to citizenship education in English state secondary schools. (ESRC CASE Studentship in collaboration with The Citizenship Foundation, London)
Anne-Marie Moore: Together Through Play Project: Facilitating Meaningful Play Between Disabled and Non-disabled Children. (Leverhulme Funded)
Rob Rhodes: The history and development of human rights movements in south-east Europe: a case study of LGBT social movements in Serbia.

In September 2012 I will be welcoming two further PhD students, Emily Webb and Donna Yeates (both ESRC funded).

Key Publications

Books

Beckett, A. (2006) Citizenship and Vulnerability: disability and issues of social and political engagement, Palgrave Macmillan. Please click here to see a video of Angharad talking about this book.

Journal Articles

Beckett, A.E. and Buckner, L. (2012) 'Promoting positive attitudes towards disabled people: definition of, rationale and prospects for anti-disablist education', British Journal of Sociology of Education, iFirst.

Beckett, A., Ellison, N., Barrett, S. and Shah, S. (2010) 'Away with the Fairies? Disability within primary-age children's literature', Disability and Society, 25 (3), pp. 373-386.

Beckett, A.E. (2009) 'Challenging disabling attitudes, building an inclusive society: considering the role of education in encouraging non-disabled children to develop positive attitudes towards disabled people', British Journal of Sociology of Education, 30(3).

Beckett, A. (2006) Understanding Social Movements: theorising the disability movement in conditions of late modernity. The Sociological Review, 54(4), pp.734-752.

Beckett, A. (2005) Reconsidering citizenship in the light of the concerns of the UK disability movement. Citizenship Studies, 9(4), pp.405-421.

Conference Papers

Beckett, A. (2001) Reconsidering Citizenship in the light of the Disability Movement. In: Barker, C. and Tyldesley, M. (eds.) Seventh International Conference on Alternative Futures and Popular Protest - Selected Papers, 1 , Manchester Metropolitan University.

Research Reports

Beckett, Angharad et al (2009). Disability Equality in English Primary Schools: exploring teaching about disability equality and non-disabled children's perceptions of disability: Full Research Report ESRC End of Award Report, RES-062-23-0461. Swindon: ESRC.