Dr Alexander Bridger, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Huddersfield, has published a new paper that explores ways to qualitatively study the urban environments of Manchester.
The paper outlines how mobile methods and documentary strategies (diaries, cameras and maps) can be used to document and reflect on the research process and to consider the political implications of urbanism and gentrification.
Alexander considers the work of the Situationist International and their use of detournement and the dérive to reflect on a long term project in Manchester city where he has used a situationist qualitative methodology.
By discussing the use of these methods Alexander looks at the implications of the gentrification of environments, reflects on the social roles of the researcher as academic, activist and artist, and considers what changes are possible as a result of doing this research.
Alexander is passionate about Critical Social Psychology (particularly discourse approaches, South African critical psychology and non-Western forms of psychology), Qualitative Research Methods radical mental health and activist-intellectual practice/theory. He is currently a member of the Institute for Research in Citizenship and Applied Human Sciences and the Centre for Applied Psychological Research.
http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/14586/
Journal
Qualitative Research in Psychology