School of Social and Political Science

Julie Brownlie

Job Title

Professor

Photo
Staff member photo

Room number

1.4, 22 George Square

Street (Address)

George Square

City (Address)

Edinburgh

Country (Address)

UK

Research interests

Research themes

Research interests

Personal lives and social change, sociology of emotions, Researching the everyday, Documents of Life, trust, Document analysis

Background

My work is primarily in the sociology of emotions and relationships. This involves exploring the relationship between emotional lives and personal relationships and social-historical and cultural processes. I have expertise in researching emotions including through documentary analysis.

Past research projects I have directed include The SomeOne To Talk To Study, a three year, ESRC funded study of emotional lives and social change and The Liveable Lives project, a two year ethnographic study of  narratives and practices of trust and kindness. More recently, I led Edinburgh's involvement in the ESRC's EMoTICON programme. The Spaces for Sharing collaboration was a multi-institution, transdisciplinary exploration of the online sharing of personal information, emotion and resources in extreme circumstances. In 2019, we ran the The Kindness Sessions - a seminar series for policymakers and practitioners looking at the relationship between kindness and public policy. Funded by an ESRC impact grant, this led to the Infrastructures of Kindness reporthttps://www.carnegieuktrust.org.uk/publications/public-policy-and-the-infrastructure-of-kindness-in-scotland/

I am currently working on a Leverhulme Research Fellowship: Telling Good Stories | School of Social and Political Science (ed.ac.uk)

Some recent publications

Brownlie J., Ho J.C.,  Dunne N., Fernández N., Squirrell T. (2021) 'Troubling content: Guiding discussion of death by suicide on social media' Sociology of Health & Illness.  https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.13245

Pru Hobson-West, Renelle McGlacken, Julie Brownlie, Nickie Charles, Rebekah Fox, Anne-Marie Kramer, and Kirsty Pattrick (2019) Mass Observation: Emotions, relations and temporality https://animalresearchnexus.org/publications/mass-observation-emotions-relations-and-temporality

J. Brownlie (2019) 'Out of the ordinary: research participants’ experiences of sharing the ‘insignificant’ 'International Journal of Social Research Methodology 257-269

J. Brownlie and F. Shaw (2018) 'Empathy Rituals: Small Conversations about Emotional Distress on Twitter'. Sociology. Available for free download at http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0038038518767075

J. Brownlie (2018) ‘Looking out for each other online: Digital outreach, emotional surveillance and safe(r) spaces’ Emotion, Space and Society 27:60-67. Available for free download at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S175545861730124X

J. Brownlie, and H. Spandler. (2018) ‘Mundane materialities and the art of holding one’s own’ Sociology of Health and Illness 40 (2): 256-269

J.Brownlie. & S. Anderson (2017) ‘Thinking sociologically about kindness: puncturing the blasé in the ordinary city’ Sociology Vol. 51(6) 1222 –1238

Karamshuk ,D. Shaw ,F. Brownlie , J. Sastry, S. (2017) Bridging big data and qualitative methods in the social sciences: A case study of Twitter responses to high profile deaths by suicide Online Social Networks and Media 01: 1–17

Karamshuk, D., Pupavac, M., Shaw, F., Brownie, J., Pupavac, V., and Sastry, N. (forthcoming) Towards Transdisciplinary collaboration between computer and social scientists: Initial experiences and reflections in Fu, Lou and Boos (Eds) Social Network Analysis: Interdisciplinary Approaches and Case Studies”, Taylor & Francis Group

Anderson, S., Brownlie, J., and Milne, E-J. (2015) Understanding everyday help and support. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Anderson, S., Brownlie, J., and Milne, E-J. (2015) Between Kith and Kin and Formal Services: Everyday help and support in the ‘middle layer’. JRF Programme Paper. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Brownlie, J. (2014) Ordinary Relationships. A Sociological Study of Emotions, Reflexivity and Culture (Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan).

Brownlie, J. (2012) Male suicide in mid-life: linking private troubles and large social processes in C. Wyllie, S.Platt et al. Men, Suicide and Society. Why Disadvantaged Men in Midlife Die By Suicide. Samaritans UK

Brownlie, J. (2011) Being there: multidimensionality, reflexivity and the study of emotional lives The British Journal of Sociology 62(3):462-481

Brownlie, J and Sheach Leith, V. (2011) Social bundles: Thinking through the infant body Childhood 18(2):196-210

Anderson, S. and Brownlie, J. (2011) ˜Build it and they will come? Understanding public views of emotions talk and the talking therapies British Journal of Guidance & Counselling 39 (1): 53-66

Brownlie, J. (2010) '"Not going there": Limits to the professionalisation of our emotional lives' Sociology of Health and Illness 33 No. 1 pp. 130 144

Brownlie, J. (2009) 'Researching not playing in the public sphere' Sociology 43(40):699-71

Brownlie, J. (2009) ˜Age of grief in a time of talk Sociological Research Online, 14, 5 http://www.socresonline.org.uk/14/5/22.html

Topics interested in supervising

I would welcome research proposals from students in the following areas: sociology of emotions; everyday lives and researching and conceptualising 'the ordinary'; globalisation and emotional and personal lives; emotions, policy and politics; digital mediation of emotions and relationships; trust; archival and documentary analysis; researching emotions.

If you are interested in being supervised by Julie Brownlie, please see the links below for more information:

Works within

Publications by user content

Publication Research Explorer link
Brownlie J. How kindness took a hold: A sociology of emotions, attachment and everyday enchantment. British Journal of Sociology. 2024 Jun 22;1-16. Epub 2024 Jun 22. doi: 10.1111/1468-4446.13128
Brownlie J, Ho JC, Dunne N, Fernández N, Squirrell T. Troubling content: Guiding discussion of death by suicide on social media. Sociology of Health & Illness. 2021 Feb 26. Epub 2021 Feb 26. doi: 10.1111/1467-9566.13245
Anderson S, Brownlie J. Public policy and the infrastructure of kindness in Scotland. 2019. 36 p.
Brownlie J. Out of the ordinary: Research participants’ experiences of sharing the ‘insignificant’. International Journal of Social Research Methodology. 2019 May;22(3):257-269. Epub 2018 Nov 14. doi: 10.1080/13645579.2018.1535880
Brownlie J, Shaw F. Empathy rituals: Small conversations about emotional distress on Twitter. Sociology. 2019 Feb 1;53(1):104-122. Epub 2018 May 22. doi: 10.1177/0038038518767075
Brownlie J. Looking out for each other online: Digital outreach, emotional surveillance and safe(r) spaces. Emotion, Space and Society. 2018 May;27:60-67. Epub 2018 Mar 10. doi: 10.1016/j.emospa.2018.02.001
Brownlie J, Spandler H. Materialities of mundane care and the art of holding one’s own. Sociology of Health & Illness. 2018 Feb;40(2):256-269. Epub 2018 Feb 21. doi: 10.1111/1467-9566.12574
Brownlie J, Anderson S. Thinking sociologically about kindness: Puncturing the blasé in the ordinary city. Sociology. 2017 Dec 1;51(6):1222-1238. Epub 2016 Oct 26. doi: 10.1177/0038038516661266
Karamshuk D, Shaw F, Brownlie J, Sastry N. Bridging big data and qualitative methods in the social sciences: A case study of Twitter responses to high profile deaths by suicide. Online Social Media and Networks. 2017 Jun;1:33-43. Epub 2017 Apr 17. doi: 10.1016/j.osnem.2017.01.002
Karamshuk D, Pupavac M, Shaw F, Brownlie J, Pupavac V, Sastry N. Towards transdisciplinary collaboration between computer and social scientists: Initial experiences and reflections. In Social Network Analysis: Interdisciplinary Approaches and Case Studies. CRC Press. 2017. p. 21-40 doi: 10.1201/9781315369594
Anderson S, Brownlie J, Milne EJ. The Liveable Lives Study: Understanding everyday help and support. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2015. 61 p.
Anderson S, Brownlie J, Milne EJ. BETWEEN KITH AND KIN AND FORMAL SERVICES: EVERYDAY HELP AND SUPPORT IN THE ‘MIDDLE LAYER’: EVERYDAY HELP AND SUPPORT IN THE ‘MIDDLE LAYER’. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2015.
Brownlie J. Ordinary Relationships: A Sociological Study of Emotions, Reflexivity and Culture. 1 ed. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. 258 p. (Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Family and Intimate Life). doi: 10.1057/9781137318763
Brownlie J, (ed.), Greene A, (ed.), Howson A, (ed.). Researching Trust and Health: Routledge Studies in Health and Social Welfare. Taylor & Francis, 2012. 222 p. (Routledge Studies in Health and Social Welfare).
Brownlie J, Sheach Leith VM. Social bundles: Thinking through the infant body. Childhood. 2011 May 1;18(2):196-210. doi: 10.1177/0907568210394879
Anderson S, Brownlie J. Build it and they will come? Understanding public views of ‘emotions talk’ and the talking therapies. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling. 2011 Feb 1;39(1):53-66. doi: 10.1080/03069885.2010.531385
Brownlie J. ‘Being There’: Multidimensionality, Reflexivity and the Study of Emotional Lives. British Journal of Sociology. 2011;62(3):462-481. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-4446.2011.01374.x
Brownlie J. Not 'Going There': Limits to the Professionalisation of our Emotional Lives. Sociology of Health & Illness. 2011;33(1):130-144. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9566.2010.01269.x
Anderson S, Brownlie J, Given L. Therapy culture? Attitudes towards emotional support in Britain. In Park A, Curtice J, Thomson K, Philips M, Clery E, editors, British Social Attitudes: The 25th Report. SAGE Publications. 2009. (British Social Attitudes Survey series; 25).
Brownlie J. Researching, Not Playing, in the Public Sphere. Sociology. 2009;43(4):699-716. doi: 10.1177/0038038509105416
Brownlie J. The Age of Grief in the Time of Talk. Sociological Research Online. 2009;14(5):22. doi: 10.5153/sro.1964
Brownlie J. 'The basic stuff of our memories': Embodying and embedding discipline. Sociological Research Online. 2006 Dec 20;11(4).
Brownlie J, Anderson S. 'Beyond Anti-Smacking': Rethinking parent-child relations. Childhood. 2006 Nov 1;13(4):479-498. doi: 10.1177/0907568206068559
Brownlie J, Howson A. ‘Between the demands of truth and government’: Health practitioners, trust and immunisation work. Social Science & Medicine. 2006 Jan 1;62(2):433-443. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2005.05.033
Brownlie J, Howson A. Leaps of faith' and MMR: An empirical study of trust. Sociology. 2005 Jan 1;39(2):221-239. doi: 10.1177/0038038505050536
Brownlie J. Tasting the Witches’ Brew: Foucault and Therapeutic Practices. Sociology. 2004 Jul 1;38(3):515-532. doi: 10.1177/0038038504043216
Brownlie J. 'An Unsolvable Justice Problem'? Punishing Young People's Sexual Violence. Journal of Law and Society. 2003 Dec 1;30(4):506-531. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6478.2003.00268.x
Julie Brownlie's Research Explorer profile