Sociology of the public sphere and personal life

Summary

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Jennifer Wilkinson's research projects include:

• Solidarity Beyond Sexuality:the personal communities of Gay Men - a linkage project that found gay men's friendships and interpersonal relations forged diverse personal communities and solidarities, rather than collectivised and sexualised notions of gay community
• Personal Communities: Responsible Individualism or Another Fall for Public [Man] - research project on volunteering and civil society that showed personal concerns with identity and even a desire for intimacy can be harnessed effectively to collective public agendas and build civil society

My current research project is on workplace friendships and collegiality.  It reveals how friendships can transform our public working life and what our expectations of a good colleague and working associate has come to mean. The tendency to rely on friends at work indicates a potential within friendship for re-balancing our public and personal lives.

Supervisor

Dr Jennifer Wilkinson.

Research location

Sociology and Criminology, School of Social and Political Sciences (SSPS)

Synopsis

Research interests

My research focuses on the sociology of the public sphere and personal life. I am interested in the forms friendship takes in different social contexts and the way friendship and other interpersonal relations impact on public and personal life. Common to all my research projects is an interest in the transformation of the public realm and the role of personal and social relationships in that process. Development of these ideas and their extended application to a variety of public activities has resulted in an interlocking program of research, which informs my publications and is now coming together in a book in progress, A Different type of friendship: friendship in public settings. Across these projects, I have sought to identify the particular ways that personal and public life come together and old dichotomies break down.

Supervision

I would welcome supervisions of students researching any aspect of the sociology of friendship, family and personal life (including how this connects with the law). Research on personal communities, changing conceptions of privacy, intimacy, sexuality and the individual would also be of special interest as would projects on different aspects of the public sphere, including the internet, neighbourhood and workplace.

Additional information

1. If you are interested in this research opportunity, you are encouraged to email the potential supervisor directly.  To find their email address, follow the link provided to their profile page. 

When contacting them, you should describe your academic educational background and research experience, and include an academic transcript and CV (resume). You should also include a research proposal (1500-2000 words); refer to How to write a research proposal for guidance. You should explain why you want to undertake a PhD and how you believe your research topic aligns with the supervisor’s own research. You may be asked to supply a sample of written work.

2. Your potential supervisor may offer you advice on developing your research proposal before you submit your application. You will need to provide a written statement from your potential supervisor that they have agreed to supervise your project.

3. If you would like general advice in your subject area before submitting an application, contact an academic advisor listed here: https://www.sydney.edu.au/arts/study/postgraduate-research/postgraduate-research-contact.html

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Opportunity ID

The opportunity ID for this research opportunity is 3253