Dr Jonathan Pugh
Senior Academic Fellow

Introduction 

My interests fall under three main categories:-

1. VOICE AND CARIBBEAN PLANNING 

I am interested in a wider concern of the social sciences and humanities today; the concept of voice, what it means, and how we can understand it better. My research and teaching focuses on how different voices emerge, develop and change through processes of planning and development. Empirically, my focus has tended to be on voices associated with institutions of Caribbean planning. 

Over the last fourteen years I have investigated a range of local, national and international Caribbean planning institutions. These have included those for marine management, physical development planning, sustainable development commissions, national trusts, debt-for-nature swaps, and fisherfolk networks, among others. 

Research has been facilitated by continuous funding since 1998, mainly via a range of United Kingdom Research Council grants. In addition, in 2003 I co-initiated a DfID-funded Caribbean regional fisherfolk network, employing fisherpeople as their own development consultants, challenging how donor agencies and others think about development consultancy. Presently, I am working with Caribbean civil servants in Barbados and St Lucia, analysing how they have developed their voices, as the institutions they work for have emerged, and subsequently grown, over the past couple of decades. 

In developing a theoretical approach to understanding the nature of voice in institutional governance, I am particularly influenced by the philosopher Stanley Cavell, and his readings of Wittgenstein and Emerson. In this regard I have also published in philosophy journals on Wittgenstein's 'ordinary language philosophy'.

 

2. CO-INITIATOR AND DIRECTOR, THE SPACES OF DEMOCRACY NETWORK 

My second research and teaching interest, developed through the 'Spaces of Democracy' network with Chantal Mouffe and Doreen Massey, is the spatial turn in the social sciences and humanities, and the associated changing nature of radical politics today. The way 'place' and 'space' are conceptualised is changing. This, as recent events across the globe demonstrate, is shaping how radical politics is thought about and done. As Director of the Spaces of Democracy network, I have been fortunate to see the network develop from a few initial members in 2004, to an initiative examining the changing character of radical politics today, through the involvment of many different institutions worldwide (http://www.spaceofdemocracy.org.uk).  

Working through a range of arenas for expanding public engagment around its key themes, network contributors have included, among others, Tony Benn, Frank Furedi, Clare Short, Zygmunt Bauman, Hilary Wainwright, Anthony Giddens, Bernard Crick, Tariq Modood, Nick Cohen, Ken Worpole, Sheila Jasanoff, Nigel Thrift, and Will Hutton.  

In 2009 I edited the book 'What is Radical Politics Today?', published by Palgrave-MacMillan. This includes many involved in the network.

Building upon this project, in 2009 I also launched and became Chief Editor of the free online magazine, Radical Politics Today. This has included articles by, among others, James Tully, Peter Hallward, Noel Castree, Hugo Radice, Swapna Banerjee-Guha, William Outhwaite, David Chandler and Mary Mellor.

 

3. PUBLIC DEBATING 

My interest in expanding arenas for public engagment in academia is also reflected in my final teaching and research concern: “The Great Debate” Newcastle debating forum. The Great Debate is a group of people based in the North East of England who believe that social debate is a vital element to any healthy democratic society. We are dedicated to maintaining a space for public debate through workshops, panel discussions and courses for people of all ages and backgrounds. In the thirteen years to 2011, we organised over 100 events involving 150 speakers in 23 one day events and 55 public debates on topics ranging from theories of human nature and internet freedom to development, sustainability and environment.

The Great Debate produces an online magazine found on its website (http://www.thegreatdebate.org.uk).

Current projects include ‘great northern youth voices’, a documentary-making training programme for young people not in employment, education or training; Sustained Engagement, a Royal Academy of Engineering funded project involving engineers in conversation with the public; and The Great Debate Schools Programme, which focuses on getting young people engaged in serious discussion of contemporary issues, in the process gaining skills in doing independent research, public speaking, presentation, formulating and sustaining an argument.

In 2007, The Great Debate co-authored a successful United Nations Regional Centre of Expertise in Education for Sustainable Development, which was recognised by the United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies.

 

Roles and Responsibilities 

Senior Academic Fellow in Territorial Governance.

Geography Tutor and liaison (1st, 2nd and 3rd yrs) Geography and Planning BA Honours Degree.               

 

Qualifications

BSc Hons (Biology and Geography, Brighton).

PhD (Geography, London).

 

Previous Positions

Fellow of the Centre for the Study of Democracy, Westminster. 

 

Memberships

The Royal Institute of Philosophy, Political Studies Association, British International Studies Association, AESOP, Royal Geographical Society, Newcastle Philosophical Society.

 

Honours and Awards

ESRC PhD studentship (1998-2001)

Three year ESRC Fellowship (2002-2005)

RCUK Fellow in Territorial Governance (2005-2010).

Member of Newcastle University 'Faculty Futures' programme.

Honorary Fellow of the Centre for the Study of Democracy, Westminster.

 

Informal Interests

Surfing

Research areas

Key themes: Voice and institutional governance; Caribbean planning; participatory planning; the spatial turn in the social sciences and humanities; the character of radical politics today; the nature of public debate; ordinary language philosophy; Wittgenstein; Stanley Cavell. 

 

Reflecting these interests, I have published three edited books and more than forty shorter articles, interviews and commentaries, including in the Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers/Royal Geographical Society, Progress in Human Geography, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Philosophy and Literature, Geography, Area, the British Broadcasting Corporation, the New Statesman, Caribbean Geography, the Guardian, Prospect, Compass, the Jamaican Observer and Red Pepper.

 

Work has been reviewed in magazines, journals and by authors including:- Michael Hardt, Lord Bhikhu Parekh, Neal Lawson, Tom Bentley, Emily Young, Noel Castree, Ruth Lister, James Tully, Catherine Fieschi, Achin Vanaik, Avital Ronell, the New Statesman, Red Pepper, Soundings, the Big Issue, Compass, the British Council, Left Foot Forward, Fabian Review, Total Politics, Town and Country Planning and the Times Higher Educational Supplement.  

 

Jonathan has guest lectured at the Universities of California, West Indies, Westminster, Cornell and Harvard. 

 

In 2008, Jonathan was made the first Honorary Fellow of the Centre for the Study of Democracy, University of Westminster.   

 

Funding

Caribbean Planning:-

Newcastle University, HASS Faculty Research Fund (2011, £4,000). 

Newcastle University, School of Geography, Politics and Sociology Smalls Bids Fund (2011, £1000).

Newcastle University, School of Geography, Politics and Sociology Smalls Bids Fund (2011, £1000). 

Newcastle University, School of Geography, Politics and Sociology Travel Top-up Fund (2011, £500).  

United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office regional programme “Developing Institutional Capital in the Fisherfolk Communities of the Caribbean” (2003, DfID).

Three year Economic and Social Research Council Research Fellow. “Developing Institutional Capital in the Neo-Liberal Era: Caribbean Environmental Planning”. (2002-2004, ESRC: R00271204, total £100,121).

“Deconstructing Participatory Environmental Planning: Dispositions of Power in Barbados and St Lucia.” Royal Holloway, University of London PhD (1998-2001, ESRC studentship: R00429834850).

 

Spaces of Democracy network:-

Economic and Social Research Council Seminar Series (£15,000).

SARCHA (School of ARCHitecture for All), Athens (Euros 80,000).

California State, Long Beach (£2000).

Newcastle University Public Lecture Series (£1000).

British Academy Small Research Grant (£3564.30).

California State University (£3000).

Essex University, Department of Government (£2000).

Goldsmiths College, University of London (£3000).

The Global Urban Research Unit and the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, Newcastle University (£600).

University of Newcastle Faculty Futures programme (£1000).

The Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust (£600).

One North East, Newcastle University Faculty Futures Programme and Newcastle City Council (£200).

Harvard and Cornell University (£2000).

Economic and Social Research Council Seminar Series (£15,529).

Personal Assistant for Jonathan Pugh, funded through University of Newcastle Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (£15,000).

Spaces of Democracy PhD studentship. The Institute of Research on Environment and Sustainability, and the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Newcastle University (£48,000).

 

The Great Debate:- 

The Policy Press sponsored the filming of Economic Growth: Bane or Boon? [2010] and Limits to Growth in the 21st Century [2010]

RCE North East sponsored Living in a Changing World [2010] and The Great Debate Green Phoenix Festival programme [2010]

Northumbria University sponsored Economic Growth: Bane or Boon? [2010], The Great Sustainable Energy Debate 2008 and The Great Debate Human Nature Series 2008 (consisting of Progress of the Human Mind, Selfish Genes, Sex, and Sanity, Unnoticed Connections and Agents of Change? Darwinian Thought and Theories of Human Nature).

Newcastle University sponsored Developing World Challenges [2008], The Great Debate: Post-Territorial Governance and Anti-politics [2006], Politics of Fear: An Audience with Frank Furedi [2006], Science and the Human Potential [2006] and the second conference on Development, Sustainability and Environment (DSE2) [2005]

Green Phoenix Festival / Patchwork Planet Productions sponsored The Great Debate Green Phoenix Festival programme [2010]

Mediabox sponsored Living in a Changing World [2010]

Economic and Social Research Council sponsored: Getting Real About Climate Change [2010], Don’t Shout at the Telly, Change What's on it! [2009], Developing World Challenges [2008] and DSE3: Film Training with a Global Edge [2007]

Newcastle Science Festival sponsored: Getting Real About Climate Change [2010], Development, Sustainability and Environment 3 [2007], Science and the Human Potential [2006], The Great Energy Debate [2006], The Nature of Being Human [2005], The Great Debate: Being Human [2005], Whatever Happened to the Subject? [2004], Playing it Safe: Science and the Risk Society [2004], and Of Blank Slates and Zombies [2004]

Edinburgh University Press sponsored Agents of Change? Darwinian Thought and Theories of Human Nature [2008]

Atlantic Books sponsored: The Great Debate: Reprogramming Life [2006]

Dewjoc Architects sponsored: The Great Housing Debate [2006]

NESTA sponsored a 'Development and Environment', three day conference [2006]  

 

Postgraduate Supervision

Carolyn Fahey (full scholarship funded by Jonathan Pugh, through the Spaces of Democracy network).

Amanda Machin, Centre for the Study of Democracy (co-supervised with Chantal Mouffe). Amanda is funded through the Centre for the Study of Democracy, University of Westminster, PhD scholarship, established by Jonathan Pugh.

Projects

Undergraduate Teaching

Geography Tutor and liaison (1st, 2nd and 3rd yrs) Geography and Planning BA Honours Degree.                         

Module leader: Democracy, Space and Politics (GEO3120).

Teaching on Interconnected World: Introduction to Human Geography (GEO1010); Advanced Study Skills (GEO2044) and a Masters in Human Geography: Concepts in Action (GEO 8017).