Ciaran Burke

Biography

Dr. Ciaran Burke is a Lecturer in sociology. Having graduated from in PhD in 2012, he has held lectureships at both Plymouth University and Ulster University. His doctoral research examined the role of class and gender on graduate employment pathways. Dr. Burke’s doctoral and subsequent research has focused on the theories of Pierre Bourdieu and Late Modernity, informed by biographical narrative interview method. His research interests include inequalities within higher education, welfare retrenchment, critical pedagogies, shared education, employment provision within higher education and the role of institutional habitus in the formation of both “graduateness” and political parties. His unique application of biographical narrative interview method to theoretically-informed research has led to a number of publications defending his rationale and outlining the processes involved in employing such a method. In addition, he has published theoretical and empirical research in leading journals, including The British Journal of Sociology of Education and Sociology. He published his first monograph through Routledge in 2015, earning Book of the Week in Times Higher Education in September 2015. Dr. Burke is an active member of the British Sociological Association (BSA) and is a co-convenor of the BSA Bourdieu Study Group. This is the largest group within the BSA, comprised of over 900 members. Activities within the group have included a large international conference in 2016, hosting over 300 delegates, and an edited book published through Routledge (2015) His expertise relating to Bourdieu and graduate employment can be illustrated through his dissemination record as a keynote speaker including the AGCAS annual research conference and a SRHE seminar events. This expertise is further evidenced through peer review roles with several leading journals, including Journal Youth Studies, Sociology of Health and Illness and Sociological Research Online, on book proposals for Routledge and Bloomsbury and external appointments on doctoral examination.

Research Interest

Youth Studies, Sociology of Health and Illness and Sociological Research.