Dr Ross McGarry

Senior Lecturer Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology

    Research

    Critical Military Studies

    My primary research interests are in critical military studies, to ‘problematize the idea that a neat boundary can be delineated between what is ‘military’ and what is ‘civilian’ or otherwise’ (Basham et al, 2015: 1). I also have interests in the conceptual study of 'war' from sociological and criminological perspectives. In addition, I have used a variety of methods in my research, including ethnographic methods, (auto)biographical approaches and visual methods.

    Research Group Membership

    Research Collaborations

    The British Library

    External

    Together with Dr Andrew Kirton (University of Liverpool) and Jason Webber (The British Library) we are co-supervising an ESRC funded PhD: Mediating militarism: chronicling 100 years of British ‘military victimhood’ from print to digital, 1918-2018

    Royal Wootton Bassett Town Council

    External

    During 2012 I undertook a study of military repatriation events within the Wiltshire town of Royal Wootton Bassett using ethnographic methods. This research (Making Sense of Homecoming: an Exploration of British Military Repatriations at Royal Wootton Bassett) seen me working closely with the local council, Town Clerk, local councilors, members of the community, police and media. Publications from this research can be found in Palgrave Communications and The Routledge Companion to Military Research Methods.

    Sandra Walklate and Gabe Mythen

    Internal

    Since 2011 I have been collaborating with Professor Sandra Walklate on the sociological and criminological study of "war". This work can be found in the British Journal of Criminology, The Criminologist: the Official Newsletter of the American Society of Criminology, British Society of Criminology Newsletter, and The Routledge Handbook of Critical Criminology (2nd edition). In addition to the edited collections, 'Criminology and War: Transgressing the Borders' (Routledge) and 'The Palgrave Handbook of Criminology and War', and a co-authored book 'A Criminology of War?' (Bristol University Press).

    I have also collaborated with Professor Gabe Mythen (and Sandra Walklate) on research regarding human rights, resilience and commemorative practices in relation to the military. This can be found in The International Journal of Human Rights, Armed Forces & Society, and Palgrave Communications.