Dr. Mary Benson

Professional Career to Date

I joined the Department of Sociology at NUIM as an assistant lecturer in September 2007. I have previously lectured for the Department of Adult and Community education at NUIM and for the Department of Planning and Environmental Policy at UCD. I was awarded a PhD form the Department of Sociology at NUIM in 2006 having completed my BA here in 1999. I was awarded the Newman prize for achieving first place in Sociology in my degree examinations in 1999 and received a Government of Ireland Research Fellowship from 1999-2002.

Research Interests

I have a number of research interests – all of which come under the broad heading of urban sociology. I am particularly interested in changing cityscapes; gentrification; place; social inequality; community; identity; qualitative methods and visual representations. At present I am conducting research on contemporary urban and suburban allotments in Dublin and in particular at exploring the boundaries and spatial composition of these sites.

I am a member of the urban/suburban studies cluster which aims to integrate empirical engagement with everyday life in urban, rural and suburban contexts with contemporary theoretical debates in the humanities and social sciences. 

I am a member of the International Visual Sociological an association devoted to the visual study of society, culture, and social relationships

Teaching

Some modules include:

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  Thinking Sociologically (1st year)



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  Community and Class (2nd year)



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  Special Topics: Identity and Place (3rd year)



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  Qualitative Methods (MA and PhD)



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  Urban Studies (MA)



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  Changing Cityscapes (MA)



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  Visual Methods (BA Summer School)

I also guest lecture in the Department of Adult and Community Education and the Access Office. 

Publications

Benson, Mary C and Flaherty, E. (2010) 'Landscapes of Recession in Contemporary Ireland', in Corcoran, M. and Share, P. (eds) Ireland of the Illusions: A Sociological Chronicle 2007-2008. IPA: Dublin.

Benson, Mary C. (2008) 'Contemporary Apartment Living: Living above Place?', in Corcoran, M. and Share, P. (eds) Belongings: Shaping Identity in Modern Ireland. IPA: Dublin.

Benson, Mary C. (2002) 'Gentrification: Space, Identity and Community Negotiation', NUIM Research Record 2002.

Benson, Mary C. (2001) 'Microsegregation in a transitional neighbourhood: A Dublin case study' (with Mary P. Corcoran) in BETWIXT Report Stage C, Households in Precarity: case histories from deprived neighbourhoods in six European countries, edited by Daniel Bertaux, Paris: Centre d'Etudes des Mouvements Sociaux, 2001 pp. V.1-34 

Benson, Mary C. (2000) 'Kilmainham C, Dublin ' (with Tony Fahey and Mary P.Corcoran) in BETWIXT Report Stage B, Social Profile of Neighbourhoods in seven European Cities, edited by Tony Fahey, Dublin: Economic and Social Research Institute, 2000 pp. 3. 1-13 

 Current Research Papers

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  With Mary Corcoran: Boundaries and the Spatial Composition of Allotments: Re-imagining Suburbia



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   With Mary Corcoran: The revival of urban allotments: a new public realm? 



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  With Eoin Flaherty: A Liffey Walk: Visualising Dublin's Streetscapes