School of Social and Political Science

Research interests

Feminism, Social movements, gender, Gender Theory, emotions, Sexuality, friendship

My overall intellectual project seeks to provide a better understanding of the complex forms of relationality, embodiment and emotionality currently operating within globalised societies. I examine how people are emotionally reflexive in navigating  their way through the world. They draw on interpretations of their own and others’ feelings in doing intimate relationships, gendered sexuality, political action or dissatisfaction, and migration and mobility. My empirical work currently focuses on imagining maternal futures in the context of climate change. I have also recently done collaborative research on internet dating and also on the emotional lives of young displaced Syrians and Iraqis in Beirut. Theoretically my work hinges around the sociology of emotions, symbolic interactionist and feminist approaches applied to the consideration of reflexivity, inequality, subversion and resistance. I am one of the founding editors of the journal Emotions and Society.

Topics interested in supervising

I would be happy to supervise research in any of the following areas:

1. Sociology of emotions, especially emotional reflexivity

2. Intimacy and Relationships, especially couple relationships, distance/commuter relationships, friendship, relationality

3. Gender and Sexuality, especially heterosexuality, feminist theory, gendered embodiment, gendered identities

4. Political Sociology, including social movements (especially Feminism), political dissatisfaction

5. Mobilities and transnationalism, especially transnational relationships

If you are interested in being supervised by Mary Holmes, please see the links below (opening in new windows) for more information:

• PhD in Sociology
• MSc (R) Sociology
• MSc (R) Socio-Cultural Studies