Newcastle University

Introduction

Robert Hollands is a Professor of Sociology in the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology and has been lecturing at Newcastle since 1992. Author/ co-author of 5 books and over 50 published articles/ reports, he is a graduate of Queen's University (Canada), and the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS), University of Birmingham.

Roles and Responsibilities

Member of the Sociology Steering Group Committee

RAE UoA Coordinator (Sociology)

Member of the GPC Research Committee

Qualifications

P.hD Sociology and Cultural Studies, Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies, University of Birmingham, U.K. (awarded December 1988). Dissertation Title: Working Class Transitions and the Youth Training Scheme (published by Macmillan 1990). Supervisor: Richard Johnson.

M.A. Sociology of Leisure and Culture, Department of Physical and Health Education, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada (awarded October 1982). Dissertation Title: English-Canadian Sports Novels, Ideology and Cultural Production. Supervisor: Richard Gruneau.

B.A. B.P.H.E. (Social Psychology with distinction and Physical & Health Education), Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada (dual degree awarded April 1979).

Previous Positions

Visiting Professor, Institute of Political Economy, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada(fall term) 2002

Senior Lecturer, Department of Sociology and Social Policy University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK, 1999-present

Lecturer, Department of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK 1992-1998

Visiting Professor, Institute of Political Economy/ Department of Sociology,(Jan-April) Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada 1996.

Senior Lecturer, Sociology/ Social Policy
Sunderland Polytechnic, Sunderland, UK 1988-92

Memberships

Consortium for Culture and Generation Studies, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands (2002-present)

Editorial Board of the Journal 'Ethnography'

Member of the Youth Studies branch of the British Sociological Association (since inception in 1999)

Member of the Regional Studies Association

Honours and Awards

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada S.S.H.R.C. Doctoral Fellowship) 1986-7

Commonwealth Scholarship to the U.K. 1983-86

Queen's University Research Fellowship 1982-83

Ontario Graduate Scholarship 1979 82

Research Interests

Sociology of Cities- particularly cultural cities (festivals), the entertainment city (nightlife), alternative urban cultures, regional cultures; Youth Studies- including youth cultures and identitites, global youth and hybrid identitites, youth transitions; Social and Cultural Issues- consumption, identity, popular culture, cultural change, drug-use; social construction of obesity; Ethnography-politics of method, action research/empowerment.

Current Work

Have produced a body of work including 2 books coming out of an ESRC project in 2002 (with Paul Chatterton) focusing around youth cultures and identities in the night-time economy in three English cities (Newcastle, Leeds and Bristol), project Web page is http://www.ncl.ac.uk/youthnightlife/). In press is a short version of some aspects of this research in a Handbook of Youth Studies (Routledge, forthcoming, 2009).

Also have recently published a paper on cultural workers' 'days of unrest' protests in Prague (City journal 2009), a joint paper (with Liz Stanley, also 2009) on critical sociology, Gouldner and the 'current crisis' in sociology in Sociological Research Online (www.socresonline.org.uk/14/1/1.html) and a critique of smart cities (in City journal 2008). Have also produced a series of report on tourism in Prague (2005) and an audience survey for the Prague Fringe Festival (2008). Previously published research (with Tracey Greener) on a global youth internet dance culture (psytrance) which is about to be re-published in Hungarian, and a study of Canadian Mohawk youth cultures and hybrid identities.

Future Research

On-going work includes a paper on 'obesity entrepreneurs' (with Lee Monaghan and Gary Pritchard). Currently writing a paper on the Prague Fringe Festival as an example of egalitarian urban culture,and have a joint ESRC project on the Amber Collective and the democratic arts movement in the North East starting in late 2008, which wil produce a number of publications.

Research Roles

RAE coordinator for sociology and co-convenor and member of two departmental research clusters: 1) Identities 2) Contemporary Social Change.

Postgraduate Supervision

Currently supervise/ co-supervise 3 PhD students (two funded- one ESRC CASE fellowship on youth transitions from prison to the community) and one ESRC 1+3 PhD on an ethnography of lap-dancing). Will begin supervising a new ESRC funded 1+3 PhD on 'Accreditation and Underemployment in the Knowledge Economy' (Iain Phillips) and an ESRC funded post-doctorate on 'Work, self-employment and enterprise in the cultural sector: the case of musicians'(Susan Coulson).

Esteem Indicators

Appeared on the BBC1 regional programme 'Inside Out' (Oct 18.04)discussing the 'entertainment/party' city concept. Coverage of previous research on nightlife in The Times, The Observer, The Independent, The Guardian, The Egyptian Gazzette, THES, Mix-Mag, numerous regional papers etc, various TV appearances on the BBC and Tyne Tees news programmes, and Tyne Tees production 'Body Beautiful'(2002) (on piercing and tatooing) and 'Drugs Are Us' C5 (1998).

In the last RAE period have presented invited keynote papers in Utrecht, Brisbane, Montreal, Barcelona, Ottawa, Gothenburg, Toronto and Jerusalem.

Recipient of a peer evaluation grade of ‘outstanding’ on last two ESRC awards (2000-2) and 2004-5 (with Lee Monaghan).

Former consultant for Public Management Associates, a public ‘not for profits’ research firm (1998-2004) and research advisor for the Prague Fringe Festival.

Funding

Robert Hollands* (with John Vail) The Promise of a Transformative Arts: A Political and Cultural Analyses of the Amber Collective (December 2008-January 2010) (£80,000)

Robert Hollands* (with Lee Monaghanl) Male Embodiment, Fatness and Risk: Exploring Social Meanings and Practices, Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, September 2005- November 2006 (£31,022).

Robert Hollands*, The Role of Cultural Festivals in Urban Regeneration: The Case of the Prague Fringe Theatre Festival. Consultancy funded by the Prague Fringe Theatre Festival, Prague, June 2003-08 (£3000 payment in kind, flights/ hotels etc).

(Diane Richardson*, Robert Hollands and Jane Wheelock) Assessment of Local Need for Drug Services. Funded by the Northumberland Health Authority, Oct 2001-January 2002 (£11,000).

(Diane Richardson*, Robert Hollands and Elaine Campbell) Drug Prevention Programme for Vulnerable and At Risk Young People: An Evaluation Study. Funded by the Northumberland Health Authority, December 2000-Sept 2001 (£43,000).

(Diane Richardson*, Elaine Campbell, Robin Humphrey and Robert Hollands) Pathways to Youth Crime Reduction. Funded by the Youth Justice Board, April 2000-March 2002 (£171,000).

(Robert Hollands* and Paul Chatterton) Youth Cultures, Identities and the Consumption of Night-life City Spaces. Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, January 2000-March 2002 (£123,044). See project web-page www.ncl.ac.uk/youthnightlife for further details.

Robert Hollands,* Native Canadian Youth Identities and Cultures. Funded by the Canadian High Comission, London, February 1999-2000 (£2000).

Robert Hollands,* Drugs, Prevention Initiatives and Young People: A Comparative Study of the U.K., the Netherlands and Israel. Funded by Public Management Associates, Warkwichshire, October 1998-2002 (£8000).

(* denotes principal investigator of grant)

Projects

• The Promise of a Transformative Arts: A Political and Cultural Analyses of the Amber Collective
  Project Leader(s): Professor Robert Hollands
• Transitional Identities of Young Adults from Prison into the Community
  Project Leader(s): Dr Robert Hollands

Undergraduate Teaching

SOC 1026 Making Sense of Society
SOC 2O41 Issues in Urban Sociology: Conflict and Culture in the City
SOC 3046 Youth in Transition

Postgraduate Teaching

SOC 8046 Cities, Economies, Cultures (bi-annually)

• Vail J, Hollands R. Cultural Work and a Transformative Arts: the Dilemmas of the Amber Collective. Journal of Cultural Economy 2012, 5(3). In Press.
• Hollands RG, Berthet M-A. From Corporate to Creative City?: The Transformative Potential of Arts-based 'Alternative' Nightlife in Creating a Diverse and Vibrant After-Dark Economy in Geneva. International Journal of Cultural Policy 2012. In Preparation.
• Hollands RG, Vail J. The art of social movement: Cultural opportunity, mobilisation, and framing in the early formation of the Amber Collective. Poetics 2012, 40(1), 22-43.
• Vail J, Hollands R. The Promise of a Transformative Arts: a Portrait of the Amber Collective. 2012. In Preparation.
• Hollands R. Engaging and Alternative Cultural Tourism? The Case of the Prague Fringe Festival (PFF). Journal of Cultural Economy 2010,3 3 379-394.
• Monaghan L, Hollands RG, Pritchard G. Obesity epidemic entreprenuers: Types. practices, interests. Body and Society 2010, 16(2), 37-71.
• Hollands RG. Cultural Workers of the World Unite, You’ve Nothing to Lose But Your Theatres: ‘Dny Neklidu’ (‘Days of Unrest’) and the Initiative for a Cultural Prague. City: Analysis of Urban Trends, Culture, Theory, Policy, Action 2009, 13(1), 139-145.
• Hollands RG, Stanley L. Rethinking ‘current crisis’ arguments: Gouldner and the legacy of critical sociology. Sociological Research Online 2009, 14(1), -.
• Hollands RG. Young Adults and the Night-time Economy. In: Furlong A, ed. Handbook of Youth and Young Adults: new perspectives and agendas. London: Routledge, 2009.
• Hollands RG. 2007 Prague Fringe Festival Audience Survey Report. Newcastle-Upon-Tyne: School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, University of Newcastle, 2008. A Report Prepared for the Prague Fringe Festival.
• Hollands RG. ‘Will the Real Smart City Please Stand Up?: Creative, Progressive or Just Entrepreneurial?’. City: Analysis of Urban Trends, Culture, Theory, Policy, Action 2008, 12(3), 303-320.
• Greener T, Hollands R. Szubkulturan es postsztszbkulturan tul? A virtualis psytrance esete. Replica 2008, 64-65, 193-216.
• Greener T, Hollands RG. Beyond subculture and post-subculture? The case of virtual psytrance. Journal of Youth Studies 2006, 9(4), 393-418.
• Hollands RG. On the Fringe?: Tourism Trends and the Future of Cultural Festivals in the City of Prague. Newcastle-Upon-Tyne: School of Geography, Poltiics and Sociology, University of Newcastle, 2005. A Report Produced for the Prague Fringe Festival, Czech Republic.
• Hollands RG. 'rappin' on the reservation: Canadian Mohawk youth's hybrid cultural identities. Sociological Research Online 2004, 9(3), -.
• Hollands RG. Rappin' on the Reservation: Canadian Mohawk Youth's Hybrid Cultural Identities. Sociological Research Online 2004, 9(3).
• Chatteron P, Hollands RG. The London of the North? Youth cultures, urban change and nightlife. In: Unsworth, R., Stillwell, J, ed. Twenty-first Century Leeds: Geographies of a Regional City. Leeds, UK: University of Leeds, 2004.
• Hollands RG. Double Exposure: Exploring the Social and Political Relations of the Ethnographic Youth Research. In: Bennett A; Cieslick M; Miles S, ed. Researching Youth. Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2003, pp. 157-169.
• Hollands RG, Chatterton P. Producing nightlife in the new urban entertainment economy: Corporatization, branding and market segmentation. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 2003, 27(2), 361-385.
• Hollands RG, Chatterton P. Producing Nightlife in the New Urban Entertainment Economy: Corporisation, Branding and Market Segmentation. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 2003, 27(2), 361-385.
• Hollands RG. Towards a 'Cultural' Political Economy of Canadian Youth. In: Clement W; Vosko L, ed. Changing Canada: Political Economy as Transformation. Montreal: McGill-Queens University Press, 2003, pp. 443-466.
• Chatterton P, Hollands RG. Urban Nightscapes : Youth Cultures, Pleasure Spaces and Corporate Power. London: Routledge, 2003.
• Hollands RG, Chatterton P. Changing Times for an Industrial City. Hard times, Hedonism and Corporate Power in Newcastle's Nightlife. City 2002, 6(3), 291-315.
• Hollands RG. Divisions in the Dark?: Youth Cultures, Transitions and Segmented Consumption Spaces in the Night-time Economy. Journal of Youth Studies 2002, 5(2), 153-173.
• Campbell E, Richardson D, Humphrey R, Hollands R, Popham F, Jones K, Baines S, Hermanns H. Interventions to Combat Youth Crime: An Evaluation of Pathway projects in Sunderland: Final Report. Newcastle Upon Tyne: Newcastle University, 2002.
• Chatterton P, Hollands RG. Theorising urban playscapes: Producing, regulating and consuming youthful nightlife city spaces. Urban Studies 2002, 39(1), 95-116.
• Hollands RG, Chatterton P. Changing our Toon: Youth, Nightlife and Urban Change in Newcastle. Newcastle-Upon-Tyne: University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, 2001.
• Campbell E, Richardson D, Hollands R, Morrison J. Drugs prevention Programme for Vulnerable and At Risk Young People. Newcastle Upon Tyne: Newcastle University, 2001.
• Hollands RG. Working at Play, Playing at Work: Youth Identities and the Debate and Work and Idleness. Barcelona: Secretaria General de Joventut, Department of Cultura, Generalitat de Catalunya, 2001.
• Hollands RG. 'Lager Louts, Tarts, and Hooligans': The Criminalization of Young Adults in a Study of Newcastle Night-Life. In: Jupp V; Davies P; Francis P, ed. Doing Criminological Research. London: Sage, 2000, pp. 193-214.
• Hollands RG. The Restructuring of Young Geordies' Employment, Household and Consumption Identities. In: Tomaney J; Ward N, ed. A Region in Transition: North East England at the Millennium. Aldershot: Dartmouth, 1999.
• Hollands RG. Crap jobs, 'govy schemes' and 'Trainspotting': reassessing the youth, employment and idleness debate. In: Wheelock, J. and Vail, J., ed. Work and idleness: the political economy of full employment. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1998, pp. 99-117.
• Hollands RG. As Identidades Juvenis e a Cidade. In: Fortuna C, ed. Cidade, Cultura E Globalização: ensaios de sociologia. Oeiras: Celta Editora, 1997, pp. 207-230.
• Hollands RG. From Shipyards to Nightclubs: Restructuring Young Adults' Employment, Household and Consumption Identities in the North-East of England. Berkeley Journal of Sociology 1996, 41, 41-66.
• Hollands RG. The state, young people and youth training: In and against the training state - Mizen,P. Journal of Social Policy 1996. , 25, 147-149.
• Hollands RG. Friday Night, Saturday Night: Youth Cultural Identification in the Post-Industrial City. Newcastle: Newcastle University, 1995.