Widening the conversation: Reflections from political philosophy, psychology, music & more…
I am currently a teaching associate in the School of Politics, Sociology and International Studies (SPAIS) at the University of Bristol and am passionate about pedagogy and teaching political theory. My research interests are in contemporary political and social theory, with particular focus on dialogue, identity and fostering conditions for democratic citizenship and social change. This leads me to work in a cross-displinary and imaginative way, across disciplines of education and psychology as well as politics.
I am also an activist, mother and songwriter. I am passionate about helping to create a more just and equitable world in which individuals and the natural world are able to flourish. Currently focusing on several projects including developing my doctoral thesis Achieving Cross-Cultural Understanding into a monograph, and researching issues around the politics of identity and social change, drawing on hermeneutics, Habermas and feminist theory.
My PhD thesis is available here: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/56154/1/U584915.pdf
My most recent article, co-authored with Ioanna Bakopoulou, What children need to flourish: Insights from a qualitative study of children’s mental health and wellbeing in the pandemic is published Open Access here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03004279.2023.2186973
My blog posts use broad ranging ideas from political philosophy, psychology, literature, music and my own particular experiences of the world to think through current issues. If there’s an overarching unifying theme it is that of how we cultivate conditions for openness, connection and creative dialogue, both within ourselves and in the external world, in order to address the multiple challenges we face.
Wendy Martineau 