Professor Barbara Misztal

Emeritus Professor

MA (Warsaw), PhD (Polish Academy of Sciences), Post-doctoral Fellowship (California)

Room: Attenborough Tower 315
Tel: +44 (0)11-6252-2459 (direct line)
Email: bm50@le.ac.uk

Research interests

Barbara is interested in sociological theory (with the main focus being on problems of trust, social cooperation, dignity, forgiveness and collective memory) and political sociology (particularly in issues of political changes, democracy and public reasoning). Her new book Multiple Normalities: making sense of ways of living, Palgrave Macmillan (forthcoming) enhances sociological understanding of the spectrum of normality by illustrating it with a help of literature. She is the author of The Challenges of Vulnerability: In Search of Strategies for a less Vulnerable Society (Palgrave 2011), Intellectuals and the Public Good. Creativity and Courage (Cambridge University Press, 2007), Trust in Modern Society (Polity 1996), Informality: Social Theory and Contemporary Practice (Routledge 2000), Social Theories of Remembering (Open University, 2003), Action on AIDS (ed. with D. Moss), (Greenwood Press 1990).

Supervision interests

I am interested in hearing from potential PhD students intending to pursue research in sociological theory, sociology of trust, sociology of public intellectuals, sociology of memory, forgiveness and reconciliation, political change, dialogue and processes of democratisation.

Find out more about applying for a PhD

Full list of publications

Current research projects

The UK Citizenship Process: Understanding Immigrants' Experiences

Research team: Leah Bassel (PI), David Bartram (CoI), Barbara Misztal (CoI), Pierre Monforte (CoI).

Duration: September 2013-August 2016.

Funder: Economic and Social Research Council (ES/K010174/1), £439K.

This project analyses the ‘assimilationist turn’ in British immigration and integration policies, through a focus on immigrants’ lived experience of one of its principal instruments, the ‘citizenship process’. Studies to date have examined only one or two parts of the ‘citizenship process’, meaning the tests themselves, the citizenship ceremonies, the preparation courses many immigrants take beforehand, as well as the consequences of the tests for those to whom it is addressed. This project will adopt a more comprehensive approach to these issues, examining the lived experiences of the citizenship process as a whole via interviews with people about their experiences with preparation courses and their participation in the citizenship tests and ceremonies in Leicester and London. To analyse the effects of the process on the longer term, statistical analysis of survey data will also be undertaken. The overall goal is to learn about immigrants' perceptions and experiences of this process, to understand how it affects their sense of belonging, political participation and subjective well-being .

External profile

I am current involve in a large international network:In search of Transcultural Memory .

The website of the project

http://transculturalmemoryineurope.net/

I am a Member of the Management Committee and a leader of Working Group on Memory and Migration COST Action IS1203 - In search of Transcultural memory in Europe( from Oct 2012 )

COST – European Cooperation in Science and Technology – is an intergovernmental framework for European Cooperation in Science and Technology, allowing the coordination of nationally-funded research on a European level. Its financial support covers the costs of networking activities such as meetings (e.g. travel, subsistence, local organiser support), conferences, workshops, short-term scientific exchanges, training schools, publications and dissemination activities.

Current teaching

Undergraduate

Postgraduate

SY7019: Debates in Contemporary Sociology
SY7018 :Issues in Contemporary Society
Supervision of Masters and PhD theses

Current administrative duties

Library Representative