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The University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NZ, T +44 (0)1227 764000
Senior Lecturer in Sociology
School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research
Location:
Room CNE216
School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research
Cornwallis North East
Canterbury , Kent, CT2 7NF
Iain Wilkinson is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Kent’s School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research. See the rest of the Sociology team. His research attempts to document and explain how people’s experience of ‘the problem of suffering’ changes through history and between societies. He is interested to explore the potential for the incidence of human suffering to operate as a force of social and cultural change. This brings a focus to occasions where encounters with the problem of suffering are involved in changing people’s beliefs and attitudes. It also concerns an attempt to understand how cultural perceptions of human suffering are implicated within the actions taken in response to the needs of others.
These interests have inspired him to investigate the cultural history of modern humanitarianism and humanitarian social movements. Here he is concerned to understand the social and cultural conditions that give rise to humanitarian moral feelings as well as role played by the cultural politics of compassion in public life. He is also tracing the impact of humanitarianism upon the culture of sociology. In particular he has developed an interest in the extent to which understanding the human social condition requires the cultivation of bonds of ‘social sympathy’. These issues are explored in various publications addressed to problems of ‘social suffering’ and in studies that explore the potential for documents of human suffering to be fashioned as a distinct form of social inquiry.
Iain’s research involves him working across a range of fields that include developments in sociological theory, the sociological of health and illness, the sociology of humanitarianism, the sociology of the body and emotions, the sociology of risk and anxiety, the sociology of mass media and the history of sociology.
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Books
For this work I was awarded the 2006 Sociology of Health and Illness Prize - an annual award for the book making the most significant contribution to the sub-discipline of medical sociology / sociology of health and illness
Editorships of Special Editions of Journals
Articles
Research reports
Book chapters
Research interests
Iain Wilkinson’s research attempts to document and explain how people’s experience of ‘the problem of suffering’ changes through history and between societies. He is interested in the potential for the incidence human suffering to operate as force of social and cultural change. This brings a focus to occasions where encounters with the problem of suffering are involved in changing people’s beliefs and attitudes. It also concerns an attempt to understand how cultural perceptions of human suffering are implicated within the actions taken in response to the needs of others.
These interests have inspired him to investigate the cultural history of modern humanitarianism and humanitarian social movements. Here he is concerned to understand the social and cultural conditions that give rise to humanitarian moral feelings as well as role played by the cultural politics of compassion in public life. He is also tracing the impact of humanitarianism upon the culture of sociology. In particular he has developed an interest in the extent to which understanding the human social condition requires the cultivation of bonds of ‘social sympathy’. These interests are explored in various publications addressed to problems of ‘social suffering’ and in studies that explore the potential for documents of human suffering to be fashioned as a distinct form of social inquiry.
These interests involve him working across a range of fields that include developments in sociological theory, the sociological of health and illness, the sociology of humanitarianism, the sociology of the body and emotions, the sociology of risk and anxiety, the sociology of mass media and the history of sociology.
Supervision
Iain is particularly keen to supervise research students with interests relating to any of the above.If you are interested in studying at the University of Kent, please email him to arrange a meeting to discuss your research proposal.
In recent years he has supervised projects on Norbert Elias’ theory of the civilizing process, the social practice of compassion in everyday life.,the sociology of utopia in relation to intergenerational developments in leftist politics, the social experience of isolation in remote island communities, and the impact of experiences of volunteering on young people’s notions of citizenship, and new forms of on-line humanitarian activism.
Current
As part of his contribution to teaching on the undergraduate programme in Sociology, Iain convenes the core first year sociology modules (SO337 Sociology of Everday Life and SO337 Fundamentals of Sociology). He also convenes the core second year sociological theory module (SO500 Sociological Concepts and Theories). For the taught Sociology MA programme he convenes a module on ‘Social Suffering’ (SO885).
Honorary positions
Professional activities
Editorships of special editions of journals