Social and Cultural Geographies

Research in this theme explores radical and critical approaches in human geography to develop a more in-depth understanding of global injustices and the struggles of those seeking to challenge them. Researchers in this group work collaboratively with others from a range backgrounds such as criminology, business and law, social work, and community wellbeing.

Context-sensitive approaches to tackling social injustices, in their multiple and differentiated forms, are urgently needed to build stronger, more equitable and sustainable societies and to promote good governance for the future. The approach from Social and Cultural Geographies will engage with hard-to-reach communities and marginalised groups to explore spaces and agencies often excluded from debates in this field. We will apply critical and radical participatory methodologies to study the transformative potential of grass-roots power.

Projects and Collaborations

Identifying and mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 on legal and sustainable wildlife trade in LMICs

This project researches how COVID-19 is reshaping the wildlife trade landscape, with what impacts for wildlife economies and livelihoods in the Global South. It seeks to develop evidence-based guidelines for regulating wildlife trade to mitigate ecological and public health risks in the (post-)COVID-19 era. Researchers at Northumbria are working with colleagues from the University of Birmingham, Manchester University, the University of Sheffield and the Centre for International Forestry Research on this project.

Memoryscapes: re-imagining place

This project explored ways of making heritage more accessible and available in public spaces by creating experiences using immersive technologies. Researchers at Northumbria worked with Tyne and Wear Archives and the North East of England’s museum, art gallery and archives service.

Dis/b/ordering: building alternative securities in a bordered world

This project, led by Professor Kathryn Cassidy, seeks to address current theoretical and conceptual gaps in the field of border(ing) studies by developing disorder as a conceptual lens for analysing bordering processes and practices, drawing primarily on the work of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari. This conceptual work is underpinned by an empirical study of the disorders of bordering within three different UK public institutions: the National Health Service, higher education and social security.