Professor Matt Dawson

Professor of Sociology (Sociology)

telephone: 01413305169
email: Matt.Dawson@glasgow.ac.uk

College of Social Sciences, School of Social & Political Sciences, Room 1012, Adam Smith Building, Glasgow, G12 8QQ

Research interests

Social theory
Sociological alternatives
Zygmunt Bauman
Émile Durkheim
G.D.H. Cole
History of sociology

My research is theoretical in focus, including questions of normativity, socialism and politics. I was inspired into sociology by the work of Zygmunt Bauman and he continues to fire my sociological imagination. In addition to teaching an Honours course on Bauman I have published multiple comments on his work touching on themes of: modernity, politics, socialism, his relation to Freud, method, jewishness, eurocentrism, agency, morality and the value of sociology. I plan to continue to be inspired by, and write on, Bauman for many years to come.

I am currently working on a book provisionally entitled G.D.H. Cole and British Sociology: A Study in Semi-Alienation. This brings together two of my research interests in putting the work of the great socialist intellectual G.D.H. Cole into discussion with the history of sociology in the UK. Here my argument is that Cole, a scholar who was so welcoming to sociology and employed a clear sociological perspective in his work, confronted a form of the discipline hostile to his normative focus and thus he experienced a sense of 'semi-alienation' from the discipline. Based partly on archival work, the book is also an attempt to draw attention to British sociology from 1920-1960, which has currently received much less focus in the historical literature that the periods before and after.

I have also conducted work on Émile Durkheim and published The Political Durkheim: Sociology, Socialism and Legacies (2023, Routledge). This is a collection of essays, half previously published and half newly written for this text, which present Durkheim as a political sociologist, committed to a vision of what I classify as libertarian socialism. The book also considers the legacies of the Political Durkheim, including discussing the postcolonial critique of his work via questioning 'was Durkheim white?'. You can listen to a podcast about the book here.

I have also wrote on the history of what I call 'sociological alternatives' (sociologists offering ideas for alternative societies). This includes the publication of a book entitled Social Theory for Alternative Societies (2016, Palgrave Macmillan). Thinkers covered in this work include: Marx and Engels, Durkheim, Weber, Du Bois, Mead, Mannheim, Lefebvre, Marcuse, Selma James, Oakley, Dworkin, Giddens, Beck, Levitas, E.O. Wright, Burawoy and Bauman. You can listen to a podcast about the book here. I also wrote a chapter on this topic, bringing in Geddes and Branford, in the festchrift for my colleague John Eldridge for which I was very grateful to be one of the co-editors, see Stretching the Sociological Imagination: Essays in Honour of John Eldridge (2015, Palgrave Macmillan).

My earliest work focused on socialist theory, most notably discussing the potential of libertarian socialism for late modern times in my monograph Late Modernity, Individualization and Socialism: An Associational Critique of Neoliberalism (2013, Palgrave Macmillan) as well as articles on the aforementioned socialist elements of Durkheim's project and Cole's libertarian socialism.

Finally, in collaboration with Susie Scott and Liz McDonnell (both from the University of Sussex), I also conducted research into asexuality. This was for a project entitled A Qualitative Exploration of Asexual Identities and Practices of Intimacy funded by the Leverhulme Trust. This project produced a collection of articles on asexuality related to themes such as identity, intimacy, politics and methods.

Publications

List by: Type | Date

Jump to: 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2010 | 2009

Number of items: 54.

2024

Dawson, M. (2024) The Posthumous Bauman: a review essay. Thesis Eleven, (Accepted for Publication)

2023

Stulikova, H. and Dawson, M. (2023) Stretching the double hermeneutic: a critical examination of lay meanings of ‘emotional labour’. Sociological Research Online, 28(4), pp. 1130-1148. (doi: 10.1177/13607804221138578)

Dawson, M. (2023) The iron cage of efficiency: analytics, basketball and the logic of modernity. Sport in Society, 26(11), pp. 1785-1801. (doi: 10.1080/17430437.2023.2208040)

Dawson, M. (2023) Zygmunt Bauman and the Theory of Culture. European Journal of Social Theory, 26(4), pp. 615-619. (doi: 10.1177/13684310231168551)[Book Review]

Dawson, M. (2023) A Freudian without Psychology: the influence of Sigmund Freud on Zygmunt Bauman’s sociology. In: Jacobsen, M. H. (ed.) The Anthem Companion to Zygmunt Bauman. Series: Anthem Companions to Sociology. Anthem Press: London, pp. 41-58. ISBN 9781839988745

Dawson, M. (2023) The Political Durkheim: Sociology, Socialism, Legacies. Routledge. ISBN 9780367894436

2022

Dawson, M. (2022) 'Durkheim and After: The Durkheimian Tradition, 1893-2020' by Philip Smith. Thesis Eleven, 169(1), pp. 117-121. (doi: 10.1177/07255136221089127)[Book Review]

Dawson, M. (2022) Durkheim and the possible connections between social theory and colonialism. Journal of Classical Sociology, 22(4), pp. 416-422. (doi: 10.1177/1468795X221105713)

2021

Dawson, M. (2021) Whiteness, Judaism and the challenge of the postcolonial critique: a response to Rattansi. Thesis Eleven, 167(1), pp. 145-148. (doi: 10.1177/07255136211061608)

Dawson, M. (2021) Bauman, Elias and Latour on Modernity and Its Alternatives: Three Contemporary Sociological Theorists on Modernity and Other Options, by Sandro Segre. Contemporary Sociology, 50(6), pp. 511-512. (doi: 10.1177/00943061211050046t)[Book Review]

Dawson, M. (2021) Review of 'Bauman: A Biography' by Izabela Wagner. European Journal of Social Theory, 24(4), pp. 637-641. (doi: 10.1177/1368431021991977)[Book Review]

Dawson, M. (2021) Durkheim, Emile (1858-1917). In: Solomos, J. (ed.) Routledge Encyclopedia of Race and Racism. Routledge: London. (In Press)

2020

Dawson, M. (2020) The war against forgetfulness: sociological lessons from Bauman’s writings on European Jewry. Thesis Eleven, 156(1), pp. 86-101. (doi: 10.1177/0725513619898288)

2019

Dawson, M. (2019) Book review: Sketches in the Theory of Culture. European Journal of Social Theory, 22(3), pp. 432-436. (doi: 10.1177/1368431018815010)[Book Review]

Dawson, M. (2019) Metaphysical Sociology: On the Work of John Carroll. Cultural Sociology, 13(2), pp. 257-258. (doi: 10.1177/1749975519834264)[Book Review]

Dawson, M. (2019) A brief history of sociological alternatives. Global Dialogue, 9(2),

Dawson, M. , Scott, S. and McDonnell, L. (2019) Freedom and foreclosure: intimate consequences for asexual identities. Families, Relationships and Societies, 8(1), pp. 7-22. (doi: 10.1332/204674317X15011694317558)

2018

Dawson, M. (2018) ‘Sociology Exists’: the importance of the history of sociology and the role of origin myths. Sociological Review: Blog, 13 Nov.

Dawson, M. (2018) Revisiting Freud as a social theorist - but which Freud? Sociology, 52(5), pp. 1103-1109. (doi: 10.1177/0038038517730220)[Book Review]

May, V. and Dawson, M. (2018) Families and relationships e-Special issue introduction. Sociology, 52(4), NP1-NP10. (doi: 10.1177/0038038518760427)

Dawson, M. , Scott, S. and McDonnell, L. (2018) ‘”Asexual” isn’t who I am’: the politics of asexuality. Sociological Research Online, 23(2), pp. 374-391. (doi: 10.1177/1360780418757540)

2017

Dawson, M. (2017) Book review: Syed Farid Alatas and Vineeta Sinha, Sociological Theory Beyond the Canon. Sociological Review, 65(4), pp. 905-907. (doi: 10.1177/0038026117732435)[Book Review]

McDonnell, L., Scott, S. and Dawson, M. (2017) A multidimensional view? Evaluating the different and combined contributions of diaries and interviews in an exploration of asexual identities and intimacies. Qualitative Research, 17(5), pp. 520-536. (doi: 10.1177/1468794116676516)

Dawson, M. (2017) Bringing it all back home: Zygmunt Bauman on modernity. [Website]

Dawson, M. (2017) A salute to the ‘exegetical Giddens’: Durkheim scholar. [Website]

Dawson, M. (2017) Book review: Restoring the Classic in Sociology: Traditions, Texts and the Canon. Journal of Classical Sociology, 17(3), pp. 256-261. (doi: 10.1177/1468795X17691393)[Book Review]

Dawson, M. (2017) Morality as rebellion: towards a partial reconciliation of Bauman and Durkheim. Distinktion: Journal of Social Theory, 18(3), pp. 255-273. (doi: 10.1080/1600910X.2017.1381133)

Dawson, M. , McDonnell, L. and Scott, S. (2017) Note on recruitment as an ethical question: lessons from a project on asexuality. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 20(3), pp. 255-261. (doi: 10.1080/13645579.2017.1287871)

2016

Dawson, M. (2016) "An Army of Civil Servants": Max Weber and Émile Durkheim on socialism. Journal of Historical Sociology, 29(4), pp. 525-549. (doi: 10.1111/johs.12088)

Dawson, M. (2016) Keeping other options alive: Zygmunt Bauman, hermeneutics and sociological alternatives. In: Jacobsen, M. H. (ed.) Beyond Bauman: Creative Engagements and Creative Excursions. Series: Classical and contemporary social theory. Routledge: London, pp. 224-242. ISBN 9781472476111

Dawson, M. (2016) Jeremy Corbyn, the PLP and historical visions of the Labour Party. Discover Society(37), 4 Oct.

Scott, S., McDonnell, L. and Dawson, M. (2016) Stories of non-becoming: non-issues, non-events and non-identities in asexual lives. Symbolic Interaction, 39(2), pp. 268-286. (doi: 10.1002/SYMB.215)

Dawson, M. (2016) Social Theory for Alternative Societies. Palgrave Macmillan: Hampshire. ISBN 9781137337337

Dawson, M. , McDonnell, L. and Scott, S. (2016) Negotiating the boundaries of intimacy: the personal lives of asexual people. Sociological Review, 64(2), pp. 349-365. (doi: 10.1111/1467-954X.12362)

Masquelier, C. and Dawson, M. (2016) Beyond capitalism and liberal democracy: on the relevance of GDH Cole’s sociological critique and alternative. Current Sociology, 64(1), pp. 3-21. (doi: 10.1177/0011392115588354)

2015

Dawson, M. (2015) 'An Apotheosis of Well-Being': Durkheim on austerity and double-dip recessions. Journal of Classical Sociology, 15(4), pp. 321-336. (doi: 10.1177/1468795X15572277)

Dawson, M. (2015) Sociology as conversation: Zygmunt Bauman’s applied sociological hermeneutics. Sociology, 49(3), pp. 582-587. (doi: 10.1177/0038038513517318)[Book Review]

Scott, S. and Dawson, M. (2015) Rethinking asexuality: a symbolic interactionist account. Sexualities, 18(1-2), pp. 3-19. (doi: 10.1177/1363460714531273)

Dawson, M., Fowler, B., Miller, D. and Smith, A. (Eds.) (2015) Stretching the Sociological Imagination: Essays in Honour of John Eldridge. Palgrave Macmillan: Hampshire. ISBN 9781137493637

Dawson, M. (2015) On the (alternative) worlds that we have lost: sociology and the third way revisited. In: Dawson, M., Fowler, B., Miller, D. and Smith, A. (eds.) Stretching the Sociological Imagination: Essays in Honour of John Eldridge. Palgrave Macmillan: Hampshire, pp. 101-119. ISBN 9781137493637

Dawson, M. , Fowler, B., Miller, D. and Smith, A. (2015) Stretching the sociological imagination in the neo-liberal academy. In: Dawson, M., Fowler, B., Miller, D. and Smith, A. (eds.) Stretching the Sociological Imagination: Essays in Honour of John Eldridge. Palgrave Macmillan: Hampshire, pp. 246-262. ISBN 9781137493637

Dawson, M. and Masquelier, C. (2015) G.D.H. Cole: Sociology, politics, empowerment and 'How to be socially good'. In: Law, A. and Lybeck, E. R. (eds.) Sociological Amnesia: Cross-Currents in Disciplinary History. Series: Classical and contemporary social theory. Ashgate: Farnham, pp. 125-140. ISBN 9781472442345

2014

McNeill, F. and Dawson, M. (2014) Social solidarity, penal evolution and probation. British Journal of Criminology, 54(5), pp. 892-907. (doi: 10.1093/bjc/azu042)

Scott, S., McDonnell, L. and Dawson, M. (2014) Asexual lives: social relationships and intimate encounters. Discover Society(9),

Scott, S., Dawson, M. and Newmahr, S. (2014) A symbolic interactionist approach to asexuality. In: Weinberg, T. and Newmahr, S. (eds.) Selves, Symbols, and Sexualities: An Interactionist Anthology. Sage, pp. 215-226. ISBN 9781452276656

2013

Dawson, M. (2013) 'Autonomous functions of all countries, unite! You have nothing to lose but your economic anomie!' Emile Durkheim’s libertarian socialist critique. Critical Sociology, 39(5), pp. 689-704. (doi: 10.1177/0896920512440109)

Dawson, M. (2013) Armine Ishkanian and Simon Szreter (eds.) (2012), The Big Society Debate: A New Agenda for Social Welfare? Journal of Social Policy, 42(3), pp. 659-660. (doi: 10.1017/S0047279413000172)[Book Review]

Dawson, M. (2013) Against the Big Society: a Durkheimian socialist critique. Critical Social Policy, 33(1), pp. 78-96. (doi: 10.1177/0261018312439364)

Dawson, M. (2013) Late Modernity, Individualization and Socialism: An Associational Critique of Neoliberalism. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781137003416

2012

Dawson, M. (2012) Optimism and agency in the sociology of Zygmunt Bauman. European Journal of Social Theory, 15(4), pp. 555-570. (doi: 10.1177/1368431012437480)

Dawson, M. (2012) Reviewing the critique of individualization: the embedded and disembedded theses. Acta Sociologica, 55(4), pp. 305-319. (doi: 10.1177/0001699312447634)

2010

Dawson, M. (2010) Review of 'New Capitalism? The Transformation of Work' by Kevin Doogan. European Journal of Social Theory, 13(2), pp. 290-295. (doi: 10.1177/13684310100130021102)[Book Review]

Dawson, M. (2010) Bauman, Beck, Giddens and our understanding of politics in late modernity. Journal of Power, 3(2), pp. 189-207. (doi: 10.1080/17540291.2010.493698)

2009

Dawson, M. (2009) Review of 'The Art of Life' by Zygmunt Bauman. European Journal of Social Theory, 12(4), pp. 571-576. (doi: 10.1177/1368431009345044)[Book Review]

This list was generated on Tue Apr 23 09:02:10 2024 BST.