Space and Temporalities

About us

The Space and Temporalities (SaT) research cluster sits within Oxford Brookes’ Centre for Environment and Society (CES).  As a cluster, we draw on disciplinary positionalities from across the humanities and social sciences including human geography, social/cultural anthropology, sociology, international relations, politics, history, criminology and philosophy, as well as creative fields such as art and theatre. In this context, we seek to engage with the work of scholars and others who locate aspects of their research within the intersections between ‘space’ and ‘temporality’.  

Whilst this opens up a variety of possibilities, examples might include the spatial/temporal experiences of workers engaged in forms of precarious and/or informal labour, (re)configurations of urban space, the relationship between spatial/temporal experiences of migration and migrants' subjectivities, conceptions of 'home', spatial and temporal aspects of social inequality and marginalisation, or relations between humans and non-humans.

Our primary forum comprises a bi-annual workshop which enables networking, aids the development of research trajectories, fosters collaborative grant applications and facilitates knowledge exchange. In addition to the bi-annual workshop, the cluster also organises smaller special events and seminars around more focused themes which speak in specific ways to the intersection of space and temporality, including events targeted at supporting early career researchers. Across all these areas, we emphasise the value of research longevity, innovation and collaboration. 

Migrant workers in Dubai

Related courses

Leadership

Thomas Chambers

Dr Thomas Chambers

Senior Lecturer in Anthropology

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Mel Nowicki

Dr Mel Nowicki

Reader in Urban Geography

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Membership

Staff

Name Role Email
Professor Patrick Alexander Professor of Education and Anthropology palexander@brookes.ac.uk
Professor Barrie Axford Emeritus Professor of Politics baxford@brookes.ac.uk
Professor Joanne Begiato Associate Dean (Research and Knowledge Exchange) jbegiato@brookes.ac.uk
Professor Dan Bulley Head of School (Interim), Professor of International Relations dbulley@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Sarah Cant Senior Lecturer in Human Geography sarah.cant@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Richard Carver Reader in Human Rights and Governance rcarver@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Jason Danely Reader in Anthropology of Japan jdanely@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Laura Higgins Senior Lecturer in Modern & Contemporary Drama lhiggins@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Antonia Mackay Senior Lecturer in Publishing and MA Journalism Subject Coordinator antoniamackay@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Niall Munro Senior Lecturer in American Literature & Director of the Oxford Brookes Poetry Centre niall.munro@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Jane Stevens Crawshaw Deputy Head for Strategy and Development jane.stevens-crawshaw@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Ross Wignall Senior Lecturer in Social/Cultural Anthropology rwignall@brookes.ac.uk

Students

Name Thesis Title Supervisors Completed
Jennifer Wong A transnational poetics of place: identity, otherness and the meaning of home in the poetry of Li-Young Lee, Marilyn Chin, Bei Dao, Hannah Lowe and Sarah Howe Professor Alex Goody, Dr Niall Munro 2018
Susan Campbell Gertrude Stein, spatial form and contemporary prose poetry Professor Alex Goody, Dr Niall Munro

Active

Research impact

The clusters research impact is focused around 5 areas:

Research environment


A creative and outward-looking research environment lies at the core of our impact strategy. The Space and Temporalities cluster collaborates with other research clusters, groups and University-wide networks to enhance impact and research progression. By bringing together researchers from across the arts, humanities and social sciences, we not only foster interdisciplinary exchange but also share skills and experiences around delivering meaningful impact within and beyond academia.   

Research environment

Collaborative working


Space and Temporalities is grounded upon an ethos of collaborative working. The cluster gives a strong emphasis to developing partnerships with various organisations and stakeholders. Many of our members have active projects which connect with partners both in the UK and globally. This includes past and present collaborations with, for example, the International Labour Organisation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Law Society Family Law Committee and Dublin City Council.

Collaborative working

Policy and agenda setting


Much of the work undertaken by the cluster connects with policy-making and agenda setting stakeholders including national governments, international institutions, NGOs, activist movements, trade unions and civil society organisations. Whilst aspects of the impact initiated by cluster members inflects directly on policy making processes through briefing documents and recommendations, we also recognise that policy is forged within a broader social and political context and thus emphasise the value of influencing public agendas and discourses as a means to open up space for progressive policy debates.   

Policy and agenda setting

Public engagement


We are highly active in terms of public outreach and engagement. Forthcoming activities include workshops for secondary school pupils as part of the University's Think Human Festival and a series of seminars for invited speakers from organisations including trade unions, NGOs and charities. We also work closely with the Widening Participation (WP) activities of various schools and subjects from across the University and seek to promote the value of the arts, humanities and social sciences to a broader public. 

Public engagement

Teaching and pedagogy


The collaborative and interdisciplinary focus of the cluster feeds directly into enhancing research led teaching through knowledge exchange. Members have also been actively involved in impacting teaching practice in HE and beyond through the production of pedogeological research outputs and collaborations with organisations such as The Higher Education Academy.

Teaching and pedagogy

Upcoming Events

Meanings of Home: A Workshop for GCSE & A Level Students 

(Part of the Oxford Brookes Think Human Festival)

What makes a home? What does home mean to different people in different places? What does it mean to be without a home? Is a home just one place, or can it be many?

This workshop is aimed at GCSE and A Level students. It offers a reflexive space to think about ‘meanings of home’. The program comprises two parts: The first is a virtual gallery through which students can view videos of individuals from difference parts of the world and from different backgrounds as they discuss what ‘home’ means to them. This can be undertaken in the classroom at the convenience of educators (but will also be available on the day of the workshop). The second component comprises an onsite follow-up workshop at Oxford Brookes university (Tuesday 5th April, 2-4pm). This in-person event will ask students to collaboratively create material that reflects the ways in which home is understood. Here, too, students will be encouraged to reflect on conceptions and meanings of home in a range of contexts. As a whole the program offers two learning outcomes. Firstly, it will enable students to develop an understanding of cross-cultural perspectives surrounding the idea of home. Secondly, it will enable students to reflect on their own positions and to better understand their perspectives within broader local and global contexts.     

If you are a teacher or educator and would like to sign up a group for the session then please contact tchambers@brookes.ac.uk

building facade

Past Events

Latest news

Past seminars

Dr Ella Harris (Birkbeck, University of London) Rebranding Precarity: Pop-up Culture as the Seductive New Normal

26 November 2020 at 1.00pm

Rebranding Precarity book cover

Dr Shalini Grover (LSE) From the Local to the Global: Care Chains, Ageing and Futurity through the Indian Ayah

20 November 2020 at 12.00pm

Portrait of Dr Shalini Grover

Dr Richard Carver (Oxford Brookes) ''Stopping Torture: What Works?''

22 October 2020 at 2.00pm

Portrait of Dr Richard Carver