Dr Chris Giffordc.g.gifford@hud.ac.uk | 01484 472298
Dr Chris Gifford joined the University of Huddersfield in 2006 and became Head of Department of Behavioural and Social Sciences in 2011. He is a political sociologist and his research and writing explores the impact of global and trans-national conditions on states, citizenship and politics. He completed his doctorate at the London School of Economics on the subject of Britain and European Integration and has gone on to publish widely in this area. He is interested in what makes the UK stand out in its relations to, and with, the European Union and its history as a Eurosceptic state.
Chris’s interest in how global and European developments are mediated by policies and processes at the national level informs his work on citizenship. He has completed comparative work on citizenship education with colleagues from Europe and Japan. He is an Executive Committee Member of the European Thematic Network CiCe (Children’s Identity and Citizenship in Europe) and, its sister association, CiCea. He is a member of the British Sociological Association and the Political Studies Association. At Huddersfield, Chris works alongside colleagues as part of the Centre for Research in the Social Sciences and the Academy for the Study of Britishness.
Halsall, J., Gifford, C. and Gill, S. (2013) ‘The UK’s ad hoc Multiculturalism and the Re-assertion of Britishness’. In: Diversity, Intercultural Encounters, and Education. London, UK: Routledge. . ISBN 9780415638333
Gifford, C., Halsall, J. and Gill, S. (2012) ‘The UK’s Ad Hoc Multiculturalism and the Rise of Britishness’. In: Diversity, Intercultural Encounters, and Education. : Routledge. . ISBN 9780415638333
Chappell, A. and Gifford, C. (2011) ‘Promoting social justice, perpetuating social injustice? New Labour and disabled people’. In: Redefining social justice: New Labour, rhetoric and reality. Manchester : Manchester University Press. . ISBN 9780719082207
Gifford, C., Goncalves, S., Wo?od?ko, E. and Gocsal, A. (2010) ‘Post-National Citizenship and Higher Education in the European Union’ European Political Science , 9 (3), pp. 341-357. ISSN 1680-4333
Wright, C., Avis, J., Fisher, P., Gifford, C., Locke, A. and Swindells, S. (2010) ‘Health, wellbeing and active citizenship’. In: British Sociological Association Medical Sociology Group Annual Conference, 1st - 3rd September 2010, Durham, UK
Gifford, C., Mycock, A. and Murakami, J. (2010) ‘Young adults and their journeys to citizenship: a comparison of UK and Japanese students’. In: Global Studies the third International Conference:Global Rebalancing: East Asia and 21C Globalization , 21-23rd June 2010, Pusan National University, Busan, South Korea
Gifford, C (2010) ‘The UK and the European Union: Dimensions of Sovereignty and the Problem of Eurosceptic Britishness’ Parliamentary Affairs , 63 (2), pp. 321-338. ISSN 0031-2290
Gifford, C (2010) ‘The United Kingdom labour government and the European Union : an exercise in Anglo-Europeanisation’ Babel , 21.
Gifford, C (2009) ‘‘‘I felt really inspired by it, it was really interesting to interact with the pupils’: active citizenship in the British undergraduate social science curriculum’,’ Social Science Tribune , 14 (55), pp. 153-174.
Gifford, C. and Woodcock, P. (2008) ‘It's the state stupid! Utopian realism in a global age: Book Review’ Journal of Power , 1 (3), pp. 407-413. ISSN 1754-0291
Gifford, C., Gocsal, A., Rado, B., Goncalves, S. and Wolodzko, E. (2008) Intercultural Learning for European Citizenship . : CiCe Central Coordination Unit . ISBN 97809560461
Gifford, C (2008) The Making of Eurosceptic Britain: Identity and Economy in a Post-Imperial State . Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing . ISBN 9780754670742
Watt, P., Gifford, C. and Koster, S. (2008) ‘Working with schools: active citizenship for undergraduate social science students’. In: University life uncovered: making sense of the student experience . Southampton: Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for Social Policy and Social Work (SWAP), University of Southampton. pp. 94-103. ISBN 9780854328901
Gifford, C (2007) ‘Political economy and the study of Britain and European integration: a global-national perspective ’ British Journal of Politics and International Relations , 9 (3), pp. 461-476. ISSN 13691481
Watt, P., Gifford, C. and Clark, W. (2007) ‘For people so young they had so much to offer: implementing active citizenship in the UK undergraduate social science curriculum’. In: Citizenship Education in Society. London, UK: Institute for Policy Studies in Education. .
Gifford, C., Watt, P. and Clark, W. (2007) ‘Working with schools: active citizenship for undergraduate students’. In: Teaching in Public - the Future of Higher Education?, 21 to 23 November 2007, Cardiff, UK
Gifford, C (2006) ‘The rise of post-imperial populism: the case of right wing Euroscepticism in Britain ’ European Journal of Political Research , 45 (5), pp. 851-869. ISSN 0304-4130
Goncalves, S., Gifford, C., Wolodzko, E. and Goscal, A. (2006) ‘Raising awareness of citizenship related competences in higher education: first steps and contributions from the working group’. In: Citizenship Education: Europe and the World. London, UK: Institute for Policy Studies in Education, London Metropolitan University. . ISBN 9781899764662
Gifford, C., Wolodzko, E., Goncalves, S. and Goscal, A. (2006) ‘National strategies on citizenship related competencies in higher education: a comparison of Poland, UK, Hungary and Portugal’. In: Citizenship Education: Europe and the World. London, UK: Institute for Policy Studies in Education, London Metropolitan University. . ISBN 9781899764662
Gifford, C (2006) Working with schools: active citizenship for undergraduate students Buckinghamshire: The Higher Education Adacemy (Unpublished)
Watt, P., Gifford, C. and Koster, S. (2006) ‘Experiences of citizenship education at school and perspectives on citizenship amongst social science undergraduates’. In: Citizenship Education: Europe and the World. London, UK: Institute for Policy Studies in Education, London Metropolitan University. . ISBN 9781899764662
Gifford, C., Watt, P., Koster, S. and Clark, W. (2006) ‘Active citizens of the future? Undergraduate social science students' perspectives on citizenship’. In: British Sociological Association Annual Conference, Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd April 2006, Harrogate, UK
Gifford, C., Watt, P., Clark, W. and Kloster, S. (2005) ‘Negotiating participation and power in a school setting: the implementation of active citizenship within the undergraduate sociology curriculum ’ LATISS: Learning and Teaching in the Social Sciences , 2 (3), pp. 175-190. ISSN 1740-5866
Gifford, C (2005) ‘The experience of citizenship’ Seminar: Reflections on Learning and Teaching in Higher Education , 3, pp. 69-85. ISSN 1479-2427
Gifford, C (2004) ‘National and post-national dimensions of citizenship education in the UK ’ Citizenship Studies , 8 (2), pp. 145-158. ISSN 1362-1025
Gifford, C (2004) ‘Book review of 'Education for democratic citizenship: issues of theory and practice by A. Lockyer, B. Crick and J. Annette (eds.)’ Learning and Teaching in the Social Sciences , 1 (2), pp. 139-144. ISSN 17405866
Gifford, C (2004) ‘Embedding citizenship in the undergraduate social science curriculum’. In: The Experience of Citizenship. London, UK: CiCe, Institute for Policy Studies in Education. . ISBN 9781853773785
Gifford, C (2004) Embedding Citizenship in the Undergraduate Sociology Curriculum Buckinghamshire: The Higher Education Adacemy (Unpublished)
Britain has had a notoriously difficult relationship to European integration. British elites have often attempted to block further integration and anti-Europeanism has been a powerful force across the political spectrum. Proposals are invited that particularly focus on the underlying structural features of this relationship and address issues of British political economy and identity in relation to Europe.
While controversial and contested, political elites have attempted to construct a distinct British national identity and this often involves identifying an ‘other’. For many British Eurosceptics, particularly on the right, Britishness has been defined against ‘Europe’. Proposals are sought which explore the relationship between constructions of Britishness against Europeaness and the wider implications of this for political identity formation.
The sociology of citizenship explores normative and analytic theories of citizenship empirically and historically. Proposals are sought which can address key theoretical issues and questions of contemporary citizenship and political identity formation through interesting research projects. These could investigate key citizenship debates and dichotomies such as inclusion and exclusion, public and private and active and passive citizenship and their implications for different social groups.
The globalization of Western political principles and values has coincided with a crisis of liberal democracy in Europe and is evident in political disillusionment and apathy. The concept of populism has traditionally been applied to modernizing states and political orders however it is increasingly seen as applicable to Western politics. Proposals that address populism in established democracies such as the UK are particularly welcome.
Now a statutory part of the UK school curriculum, citizenship education is also a burgeoning area of academic study. Proposals are welcome which address citizenship education in the UK and Europe from a sociological perspective. This would approach the subject critically and question the assumptions and motivations underlying policy initiatives in this area.
