Dr Simon Cottee

Senior Lecturer in Criminology
Telephone
+44 (0)1227 824277
Dr Simon Cottee

About

Dr Simon Cottee joined Kent in July 2013 as a Senior Lecturer in Criminology. Before this, he worked in the School of Social Sciences at Bangor University and at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad.

Dr Cottee was educated at Cambridge University, the LSE and Keele University, where he took a PhD in criminology.

Dr Cottee is currently working in the area of the sociology of religion and has recently completed an ESRC-funded study of ex-Muslims in Britain and Canada. 

Research interests

Dr Cottee's research interests are in the areas of apostasy, deviance, political violence and terrorism, and war. 

Dr Cottee has recently completed an ESRC-funded study of Islamic apostasy. This study explores the phenomenon of Muslim apostasy from the perspective of self-described Muslim apostates. Drawing on life-history interviews with a group of ex-Muslims in Britain and Canada, it provides a detailed qualitative account of what it means and what it is like for apostates to disaffiliate from Islam. The main focus of the study is on the leaving-process and its ramifications as they are experienced and understood by apostates themselves. 

Teaching

Dr Cottee teaches modules on war, atrocity and genocide, crime, culture and control, and criminal justice at undergraduate level. 

At postgradulate level, he teaches criminological theory.

Supervision

Dr Cottee welcomes research proposals from anyone interested in studying religious defection, deviance, political violence, terrorism or war. He is particularly interested in supervising students who can bring a global perspective to their work. Two of his current PhD students from Saudi Arabia are exploring counter-terrorism initiatives in that country.  

Professional

Dr Cottee is a member of the following:

  • Society for the Scientific Study of Religion
  • Association for the Sociology of Religion
  • Editorial Board of Studies in Conflict and Terrorism
  • ESRC College
  • Board of Advisers of the Center for the Study of Terrorism in Rome, Italy.
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