Profile

Beverley is one of the foremost feminist sociologists in the world, and brings to Lancaster a wealth of experience addressing the multi-dimensional nature of inequality. Her book Formations of Class and Gender (1997) has been profoundly significant in drawing attention to the intersections between class and gender inequality, as experienced by working class young women dealing with the vulnerabilities of daily life in harsh conditions.

Her more recent work has shown how contemporary ideas of the ‘self’ implicitly discriminate against many groups – women, BAME groups, migrants and the economically deprived – who are seen to fall short of the assumed liberal values of control and autonomy. In recent years, supported by numerous grants and fellowships, she has explored the relationship between moral values and economic value through pioneering studies of traditional and social media: reality television and Facebook. She sees digital tracking and trading as one of the major ways in which inequality is being forged, as some groups are targeted for debt trade.

Alongside her world leading intellectual contributions, Beverley has been a major change maker and transformative leader. She has been Head of two of the UK’s leading Sociology Department, at Manchester and Goldsmiths, and transformed Britain’s oldest sociology journal, the Sociological Review, into an independent foundation devoted to opening up critical social science and supporting PhD students and Early Career Researchers.