Social Research Methods

This engaging book explores the porous borders of research with art, therapy and education, helping researchers reflect on their practice and consider more carefully the potential consequences and impacts of their work.

This book is a unique ethnographic study of a racially exclusive Malay Muslim gang, Omega, which has its roots in Singapore’s prisons. In demonstrating that gang involvement can be an adaptive strategy for marginalized groups, this book promotes a more inclusive and restorative justice model for people with repeat convictions.

This edited collection explores and illustrates the nature of research for social justice. Drawing on a diverse range of social research projects, it sets out what a rights-based approach to research looks like, why this framework matters and how we can translate them into operational research.

Drawing on the author’s participation in high-level policy discussions, this book presents three key issues in UK illicit drug policy – medical cannabis, drug-related deaths and the government’s 10-year drug strategy.

The soundscape of prison life is that of constant clangs, bangs and jangles. What is the significance of this cacophonous din to those who live and work with it? This book is the story of a year spent with a UK prison community, bringing its social world vividly to life through aural ethnography.

This insightful book explores the governance of immobilities and temporality in African migration. It shares lessons from the experiences of Zimbabwean migrants fleeing economic crisis to the South African town of Musina and asks what the work of state and non-state actors there tell us about the management of immobile people and places.

This concise and accessible guide to designing a dissertation, thesis or other major study helps researchers achieve the best possible outcomes. It sets out approaches that are not limited by conventions, but instead give the researcher the confidence to handle questions, literature reviews, data collection, analysis and other processes.

By exploring a range of social justice issues from first-hand perspectives, this book reframes our understanding of knowledge production. It demonstrates that when lived experience experts lead the way, their knowledge can enrich, transform and decolonise research, teaching and advocacy.

Over the past decades ‘photovoice’ has emerged as a participatory and creative research method where participants capture and discuss their reality through photographs. This unprecedented ‘how-to’ book takes novice and experienced researchers through the practicalities and ethics of applying this approach.

This volume focuses on the place of biographical research in social futures and its creative applications in the new unprecedented societal circumstances, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Available open access digitally under CC-BY-NC-ND licence. This unique research paints a vivid picture of migrant workers' experiences during the turbulent times of Brexit and COVID-19. It explores their legal struggles and sheds much-needed light on the crucial role of NGOs helping migrants navigate them.

Drawing on the experiences of young adults after the 2008 economic crisis in Spain, Emotions in Crisis analyses the impact of structural changes in society on individual and collective emotions.