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The group's research activities focus around geographical and spatial analysis of inequality, social justice and security. Members of the group have particular expertise in relation to crime, policing, health and disability, poverty, security, media and migration: investigating these areas through a variety of lenses such as mobility, relationality and social difference, including particular societal groups such as the homeless, differently-abled, children and youth, women and the elderly.
Our internationally recognised work in these fields has several distinctive qualities. Foremost, our research is often driven by the need to reshape and inform policy agendas and is undertaken in collaboration with civil society where academic staff provides leadership for interdisciplinary networks concerned with international issues. Further, the work of the Space and Society Research Group is informed by a range of theoretical perspectives, including post-structuralist, feminist and political-economy approaches. Our research is methodologically eclectic, involving a range of innovative quantitative and qualitative approaches that are often participatory and work with communities as motivators of their own change.
Our work therefore has academic significance as well as notable social impact. At national and international levels and we have strong links with policy makers through a range of public and non-profit sector organisations, including the Home Office, Scottish Government and Volunteer Development Scotland, United Nations and the Consortium for Street Children (London). Our approach to researching with people is the central pillar of the work that we do to combat inequality and insecurity.
The inclusive group comprises academic staff from across Geography and Town and Regional Planning, plus a growing number of research assistants and postgraduate students. Our postgraduate students are a key part of our research environment and are also working on issues related to inequality, social justice and security.
The group also has an active and growing postgraduate school. All staff contribute to the ESRC recognised MSc courses in Social Research Methods (Population and Welfare) and Social Research Methods. Geography is ESRC approved for full and part-time '1+3', '+3' through the Scottish Doctoral Training Centre.
Students with an interest in either Masters should contact Dr. Mark Cutler who is in charge of taught postgraduate courses in Geography.
Students with an interest in studying for a PhD should contact either Geography's postgraduate tutor, Dr Martin Kirkbride (m.p.kirkbride@dundee.ac.uk), the Head of the Space and Society Research Group, Dr. Lorraine van Blerk (l.c.vanblerk@dundee.ac.uk) or a prospective supervisor from among our staff.
| Dates | Title |
|---|---|
| 2012-15 | StreetInvest: 1.2 million Growing up in the streets (Lorraine van Blerk with Wayne Shand and Patrick Shanahan (StreetInvest)) |
| 2011-13 | 'Missing people: process, experiences and responses', Economic and Social Research Council, £511,408 (Nick Fyfe with Hester Parr (Glasgow University) and Penny Woolnough (Grampian Police)) |
| 2011 | YMCA Scotland: 'Plusone Mentoring Evaluation', (Donna Brown, Fiona Smith, Lorraine van Blerk) £20,000 |
| 2011 | Knowledge Exchange event 'Natural disaster mitigation for people with disabilities: identifying vulnerability, building resilience', Centre for Environmental Change and Human Resilience, University of Dundee, £1000 (Ed Hall with Thilo Kroll and Sue Dawson) |
| 2010-14 | 'Postgraduate Programme in Policing Studies', Scottish Funding Council and Scottish Police Services Authority. £300,000 to establish new MSc degree programme targeted at practitioners and delivered by the Scottish Institute for Policing Research. |
| 2010-11 | Routes into employment for people with learning disabilities: the role of self-directed support, Scottish Government/Scottish Consortium for Learning Disabilities, £50,000 (Ed Hall) |
| 2010 | 'Custody Visiting inScotland: an evaluation of current practice', Independent Custody Visiting Association, £19,996 (Nick Fyfe with Martin Elvins (University of Dundee)). |
| 2007-09 | Averting new variant famine in southern Africa: building food secure livelihoods with AIDS-affected young people, ESRC-DFID, £201,757 (Lorraine van Blerk with Nicola Ansell and Elsbeth Robson (Brunel University)) |
| 2009-12 | Economic and Social Research Council / Scottish Funding Council 'An Applied Quantitative Methods Research Network' (Alistair Geddes (one of 12 co-investigators from Scottish HEIs) and S McVie (PI)). |
| 2009-11 | Joseph Rowntree Foundation ' Forced Labour in the UK - Scoping Study and Experience Study' (Alistair Geddes and S Scott (PI)) |
| 2009-11 | Joseph Rowntree Foundation 'Pluvial Flooding in Urban Areas' (Donald Houston (PI) and Alistair Geddes) |
| 2009-11 | Economic and Social Research Council funded study of 'East European migration to the UK' (Allan Findlay with colleagues at the University of Southampton) |
| 2008-09 | UK Government Department of Innovations, Universities and Skills 'Motivations for UK international student mobility' (Alistair Geddes, A Findlay, R King and R Skeldon). |
| 2008-09 | Department of Innovations, Universities and Skills funded study of 'Motivations for UK international student mobility' (Allan Findlay with Fiona Smith, Alistair Geddes, Russell King and Ronald Skeldon (University of Sussex) |
| May 2008 | Getting off the escalator? A study of Scots out-migration from a global city region - A Case Study Allan FINDLAY, Donald HOUSTON, David McCOLLUM, Colin MASON and Richard HARRISON Project Website |
| 2008 | The Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research Project: £2000 to conduct empirical research on 'Youth Gangs and Knife Carrying in Dundee' (Donna Brown) |
| 2008 | 'Generating spaces of social inclusion for people with learning disabilities', Nuffield Foundation, £6474 (Ed Hall) |
| 2008 | 'Making sense of gene-environment relations: a case-study of medical genetic research on type 2 diabetes', Carnegie Trust, £1878 (Ed Hall) |
| 2006-09 | Street children's life paths and family relations in Cape Town, South Africa (Lorraine van Blerk) |
| 2006-08 | 'Geography and Gender: Understanding the Rising Number of Women on Incapacity Benefit' (Donald Houston with Christina Beatty and Steve Fothergill, Sheffield Hallam). £189,433 from ESRC |
Wednesday 19th September:
1pm-2pm, Roundtable meeting, Rm: G1
Roundtable reports of summer research progress (all), new introductions of PhD students etc plus REF Update (LvB)
Wednesday 3rd October:
1pm-2pm, REF meeting Rm: Junior Lab Lead: Terry Dawson
Thursday 4th October:
1pm – 4pm Guest Workshop, Rm: Matthew 5018
Dr Bjorn Jacobsen talking on ‘Place-Branding’
Wednesday 24th October:
2pm – 3.30pm, Guest Seminar, Rm: Baxter 1.36
Dr Darren Smith, Loughborough University: The new geographies of studentification and student-only spaces?
Wednesday 7th November:
11am - 12.30pm, Guest Seminar, Rm: Junior Lab
Dr Elsbeth Robson University of Malawi: Children’s head-loading in Sub-Saharan Africa
Wednesday 14th November:
1pm-2pm, Room: G1
Mini Conference reading group papers circulated nearer the time
Wednesday 21st November:
1pm – 5pm, Room: Baxter 1.36
Mini conference War, security and young people
Lead: Lorraine van Blerk / Jonathan Mendel
Prof Max Taylor, University of St Andrews Radicalisation of young people: a questionable concept?
Dr Patrick Thom, University of St Andrews The Youth Challenge in Post-war Sierra Leone
Dr Karen Wells, Birkbeck, University of London: Respectable young masculinities and militarisation in the working class city: a visual and spatial analysis
Discussant: Dr Jonathan Mendel, University of Dundee
Wednesday 5th December:
1.00pm-4.00pm, Postgraduate Poster Event
Room: Junior Lab
2nd and 3rd Year PhD student presentations
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