Psychosocial Studies

Psychosocial Studies is a leading department in this interdisciplinary field that brings together social, cultural and psychosocial researchers. The department has developed a distinctive approach to research and teaching that draws on a range of critical frameworks including psychoanalytic theory, social theory, feminist and queer theory, cultural and postcolonial studies, and qualitative psychosocial methodologies. In our research we aim to connect discussions of our precarious and increasingly interconnected collective fates with our most intimate personal and psychic life.

This research degree offers an exciting research environment in which to pursue psychosocial research, as well as supervisory expertise across a number of disciplines, including psychoanalytic theory, social theory, philosophy, social anthropology, literature, postcolonial studies, gender and sexuality studies, and media and cultural studies. Our programme aims to provide an excellent forum for students to carry out theoretical or applied research in the broad area of psychosocial studies, focusing particularly on innovative interdisciplinary work. We actively promote interactive graduate life, with multiple resources for fostering a rich postgraduate community at Birkbeck.

Recent research topics include:

• Real fathers and Huffy Henrys: searching for the symbol in Lacan and Berryman
• Mothering and the emergence of hate
• Helping adolescents: a discursive analysis of young adults' talk of prosocial behaviour
• Intimate autonomy: gender as ethical possibility
• Being good at maths: a precarious occupation
• Living with ADHD diagnosis: a disordering of family life
• How are the existing biological relationships with families affected by fostering?
• Turkish migrant experiences
• The role of national identification in mental structure.