Our research explores communities, in all their forms, geographical, virtual, interest groups, professional communities, at a variety of scales from the local and national to the international. Communities are challenged through: demographic change, economic and heath shocks, by strained social relations, living with social media and mis-information, political radicalization of various forms, political populism and polarization, natural hazards and climate change, and the relationship between civil society and the state. Such challenges are negotiated within the context of global events and narratives, and impact on the identities of individuals, their communities and other networks.
To appreciate how communities deal with such challenges and indeed opportunities, the Communities, Politics and Identities Research Group is committed to research rooted in local knowledge, collaboration, and the lived experience of residents. Communities may be defined by interest, commonality, or spatial units. They are viewed as sites of conflict and accommodation. The group critically engages with concepts of community by providing space for the deconstruction of such commonly held definitions.
We employ established and emerging theoretical frameworks and multi-disciplinary person-centred approaches to analyse key thematic areas. This includes: identities and belonging, trust and security, democratic renewal, power and governance, coexistence and managing difference, radicalisation and extremist behaviours, resilience to and preparedness for disasters, intersectionality, creative, participatory and arts-based methods. In doing so we provide an evidence base which can assists communities in shaping, and successfully adapting, to change. Our challenge-led research is driven by a desire to provide excellent theoretical and empirical outputs with impact.
