Research

Welcome to the research home page of the Department of Sociology, a gateway to the research underway in the department.

"All department members are actively engaged in research, covering a wide range of intellectual areas and publishing work of high (and in some cases very high) quality. They collaborate on research projects and have had considerable success in obtaining research funding..... The department has a strong research ethos and animpressive output. Its staff publish in international as well as national outlets, are internationally networked and secure international as well as national sources of research funding."    --- Peer Review report (2009), Department of Sociology          

The department is one of the major centres of research that seeks to engage directly with the transformations in contemporary Irish society and has made major contributions to the understanding of the ‘Celtic Tiger’. The department is also distinctive for its sustained effort to ground the study of macro-level changes in the micro-level group and community experiences and influences on social change. We carry out research that combines theoretical concerns with sustained empirical research, and that seeks to speak to major issues of public concern. We enjoy a reputation as one of the most publicly visible Departments on the island, because of the strong commitment among staff members to public sociology. In addition, members of the Department are closely linked with a number of key policy making institutions which provides another forum within which to disseminate our knowledge. 

There is a significant opportunity here. The major centre of empirical social research in Ireland has been the Economic and Social Research Institute, which concentrates on statistical analysis of large scale surveys.  The strength of the Department of Sociology at NUIM is our focus on field research into institutional, political and community issues. This investigative approach which is central to our research relies primarily on qualitative research methods although these are often combined with survey methodologies. Most other departments and centres do not provide the combination of theoretical engagement, sustained empirical research and public relevance of the research activity in Sociology at NUIM.

In the pages that follow you will find information about the department's research clusters, research projects, research publications, research policy, and research networks.