Dr Melanie Lovatt

Senior Lecturer

Sociology, Social Policy & Criminology RG Bomont Building, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA

Dr Melanie Lovatt

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About me

I joined the University of Stirling as a lecturer in sociology in August 2016. Prior to this I was at the University of Sheffield, where I completed a PhD in the Department of Sociological Studies and worked as a research associate. I have an MA in folklore from Memorial University of Newfoundland and a BA in history from the University of York. 

I have three main research interests (which often overlap):

Ageing, the life course and time: Sociology of ageing; critical gerontology; cultural gerontology; time - particularly future perceptions of time in older age; fictional representatives of ageing and the life course.

Sociology of health and illness: Experiences of health and illness; lay epidemiology - particularly in the context of risk and public health; alcohol; death and dying; relationships in the context of health and illness; how illness is experienced and constructed differently at different stages of the life course. 

Home, relationships and families: Particularly in the context of older age, health and illness, death and dying. 

Methods and approaches: I predominantly use qualitative methods, although I have worked on mixed methods projects.  Material and sensory approaches. I am also interested in narrative approaches. 

I am interested in supervising doctoral students on any of the above or related topics and would welcome speculative enquiries.

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