I see myself as both a researcher and a practitioner. My core interest is the relationship between people and place, particularly at the more local scale of cities. I'm drawn to cities for their energy, layered histories and their capacity to be the most socially-resilient places.
A guiding question for me is: how do people understand and experience their connection to where they live? I believe great possibilities emerge when these connections are strengthened - when people feel more rooted, more invested, and more inclined toward community-building and civic engagement.
My work aims to support this strengthening, by examining how urban life is experienced from within, so that the development of our cities can become more inclusive - and therefore more resilient - when shaped by the lived realities and cultural fabric of communities themselves.
I've been brought onto a team at the Organisation for Identity and Cultural Development (OICD) for a project researching the use of one of London's most symbolic public spaces, Speaker's Corner. This has given me experience in ethnographic research and an opportunity to explore how identity dynamics play out and how pluralism is negotiated in urban settings. It's certainly a compelling case of how cities host - and sometimes strain under - diverse forms of civic engagement.
This builds on a pilot project I designed to study tensions around a redevelopment of a local bike lane, using the same identity-based methodology. I've explored some possible strategies that might be used to mitigate opposition and delay to such initiatives and am currently exploring how these could be trialled.
Outside of this work, I spend half my week cataloguing and selling old and rare books at Foster Books, London.
My grounding is in history, with a focus on early modern Europe. From this foundation, I developed lasting interests in nationalism, identity and the idea of Europe, which I explored more deeply in my postgrad studies. I've applied my historical research skills in a couple of different contexts - from conducting archival research for an institute investigating human rights abuses in Southern Africa and to serving as a researcher on a historical screenplay development team.
Being a Londoner with Northern Irish heritage has undoubtedly shaped my perspective on identity. London's cosmopolitanism has been a constant in my life, while I've remained sensitive to the risks of fixed or essentialist identity claims. My approach is rooted in my understanding of identity as a complex and dynamic system, which can be thoughtfully observed and engaged to foster adaptability and resilience. These experiences have given me a deep appreciation for the rich tapestry of identity that forms who we are and the communities we inhabit. It's this sensibility that underpins who I am and what I do.