This half-day seminar explores the concept of vulnerability in the contexts of mental health and disability-related research.

On the 29th November 2018, the ISS21 Civil Society Cluster hosted a seminar on the practice and policy of community participation in local governance in Ireland. Speakers at the event included: Dr Mary Murphy, Department of Sociology, National University of Ireland, Maynooth; Dr Aodh Quinlivan, Department of Government, University College Cork; Aiden Lloyd, Chair of the Rights Platform and member of South Dublin PPN Secretariat and LCDC; and Dr Catherine Forde, School of Applied Social Studies, University College Cork.

On 15th and 16th November 2018 ISS21 hosted a master class on the theme of ‘Researching Intimate Lives’. Dr. Beth Sundstrom delivered the keynote lecture, entitled ‘Sometimes a private matter needs public support: reproductive justice and women’s health in the digital age’. Focusing on innovative methodologies and stakeholder engagement, Dr. Sundstrom outlined how she has applied a reproductive justice framework to researching intimate lives and women's reproductive health.

Dr Sundstrom is a Fulbright Scholar at ISS21 (September-December 2018) and Associate Professor, Department of Communication, College of Charleston, South Carolina. She is a leading scholar on health communication, social marketing, and women’s reproductive health and author of Reproductive Justice and Women's Voices: Health Communication across the Lifespan (2015). 

On 5 September 2018, the ISS21 Children and Young People Research Cluster hosted a seminar with visiting speaker, Dr. Liam Berriman, Lecturer in Childhood and Youth Studies at the University of Sussex, UK. Dr Berriman has worked on a number of projects around digital culture, archives and computational ethnography, and is co-author of Researching Everyday Childhoods: time, technology and documentation in a digital age (2018).

ISS21 is delighted to welcome our new Marie Sklodowska-Curie Research Fellow, Dr. Monica O'Mullane, who has recently joined the Institute to conduct research on gender equality in higher education.

The ISS21 Civil Society cluster hosted ‘New Perspectives on Young People’s Political Participation’ on Friday 23^rd February 2018.

On 24 April 2018, the ISS21 Migration and Integration Research Cluster hosted a seminar with visiting academic, Dr. Roy Huijsmans of the International Institute for Social Studies at Erasmus University Rotterdam. Dr Huijsmans presented the findings of his research with child and youth migrants in the majority world.

The ISS21 Migration and Integration Research Cluster has a great line-up of speakers from among cluster members for this term's internal cluster seminar series. All are welcome.

On 23rd November 2017, ISS21 hosted a book launch event at Bishopstown Library for the publication of: Self-Neglect in Older Adults: A Global, Evidence-Based Resource for Nurses and Other Healthcare Providers, edited by Dr. Mary Rose Day, Professor Geraldine McCarthy and Professor Joyce Fitzpatrick.

On 6 November 2017 the ISS21 Caring Research Working Group hosted a seminar on family caring in Ireland, at which reports from two IRC New Foundations projects were officially launched.

A recent seminar on 'Licensees in the Private Rented Sector: A Forgotten Sub sector?' was hosted by the School of Applied Social Studies, Threshold and ISS21.

On 5^th May, the ISS21 Children and Young People Cluster, and ISS21 Disability and Mental Health Cluster, in conjunction with the School of Applied Social Studies, hosted a half day seminar exploring the relationship between neuroscientific and social scientific knowledges in the context of early intervention with children, and autism. 

The new faces of community, voluntary and cooperative organisations in England: Are contracts and markets transforming their character and what are the implications for Ireland?

Looking Ahead: Brexit, Borders and Belongings

Friday 10th March 2017, 9.00am-1.00pm

University College Cork

On Friday 23rd September 2016 a forum was held on 'Muslim Immigration in Europe: Masculinity, Politics and Law' organised by Study of Religions  in collaboration with ISS21 Migration/Integration Cluster, Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights (CCJHR) and Women’s Studies.

Launch of Conference Proceedings: The Changing Landscape of Local and Community Development in Ireland: Policy and Practice

The ISS21 cluster on Mental Health and Disability is pleased to announce a one-day seminar entitled: Mad Activism in Academia: Challenging Traditions

The ISS21 Disability and Mental Health Research Cluster held a seminar, supported by ISS21 and the CACSSS Research Fund, on the theme of dance and acquired brain injury on 25th February 2016. The key contributors were Inma Pavon (UCC), Paula Larkin (Headway) and contributing dancers on the Connections project.

Play Matters – exploring children’s play worlds 

A one-day conference to mark the 30^th anniversary of Wallaroo Playschool, Cork 

In collaboration with the Institute for Social Sciences in the 21^st Century – Children and Young People Research Cluster  

13 November 2015 @ UCC

Responding to Isolation and Loneliness: Housing and Community Perspectives

Thursday November 26th 2015

Respond! Conference Centre, John's College, Waterford

The ISS21 Civil Society Cluster presents a Conference on

The Changing Landscape of Local and Community Development in Ireland: Policy and Practice

Wednesday, 21st October 2015

O’Rahilly Building, Room ORB_G27, University College Cork

The EU and the southern Mediterranean

A two-panel workshop, 3-4 July 2014

Panel 1: ‘Disposable People’ - The Crisis in the Mediterranean

Panel 2: EU Cultural Policies and the Southern Mediterranean

ISS21 Research Findings Showcase Day:

Towards a Better Understanding of Children’s and Young People’s Lives in Ireland

Monday 29^th June 2015 (11.00am - 5.00pm)

Videos of presentations from the Irish Research Council-funded event 'Anti-Racist Social Justice Praxis across Education Sites in Ireland' are now available online:

Click on: http://www.ucc.ie/en/education/res/researchevents/antiracisteducationireland/

Thursday 14th May 2015, 9.30am-4.30pm

CACSSS Seminar Room, O’Rahilly Building, UCC

ISS21’s Family, Gender, Sexualities Research Cluster is pleased to host a public symposium that will explore some of the key legal, social and political implications of the recently passed Children and Family Relationships Bill (2015) and the soon to be held referendum on same sex marriage (which will be held on May 22nd 2015).

Transforming Commitment into Action - towards gender equality for academic and research excellence

This is the theme of the GENOVATE Annual Convention to be held in UCC in March 2015. GENOVATE partners will come together to discuss the challenges and opportunities of transforming commitment to gender equality into practice in our universities.

A symposium and learning market will be held on March 11th (2.00-5.00pm). All are welcome.

Speakers include Advisor to the European Commission on gender and research Professor Ines Sanchez de Madariaga, Mr. Muiris O'Connor (Higher Education Authority, Ireland) and Professor Uduak Archibong (GENOVATE International Director).

ISS21 recently celebrated the launch of two new books, both published by Routledge.

ISS21 Seminar and Book Launch on Thursday 11th September, 3-5pm, CACSSS Seminar Room, O'Rahilly Building

A new working group interested in social scientific perspectives on issues of mental health and disability has been developed within ISS21.

Researchers based in twelve different countries converged on UCC Tuesday, September 2^nd, to map some of the key ways that economic, social and political crises in Europe have changed people’s migration patterns and life chances. The conference, titled ‘Crisis, Mobility and New Forms of Migration’ will run until lunchtime on September 4th.

Applications are invited from candidates who wish to carry out original social science research for the degree of PhD (or PhD Track or MPhil as a pathway to a PhD) in Applied Social Studies at University College Cork.

Congratulations to the Emigre team for winning the runner-up prize at the recent Pfizer-UCC Innovation through Teamwork awards.

The GENOVATE UCC team was represented by Aifric O Grada and Caitriona Ni Laoire recently at the GENOVATE Annual Convention held in Trnava University in Slovakia.

Minister of State for Research and Innovation Sean Sherlock TD visited ISS21 on 10th February 2014.

The ISS21 Migration and Integration Research Cluster will host a major international conference exploring the theme of Crisis, Mobility and New Forms of Migration on 2-4th September 2014.

The ISS21 Children and Young People Research Cluster looks forward to welcoming visiting researchers from the Childhood and Youth Research Institute at Anglia Ruskin University and from Child Studies at Linkoping University to UCC in late November 2013. Disa Bergnehr (Linkoping University) and Darren Sharpe and Carlo Perrotta (Anglia Ruskin) will meet with cluster members to explore potential future collaborations and will present their research at the seminars detailed below. This visit forms part of a knowledge exchange initiative funded by the UCC Strategic Research Fund.

All are welcome to come along to the seminars - see 'Read More'.

A forthcoming ISS21 seminar will present new research data and perspectives on the experience of working in the public sector in Ireland.

CACSSS Seminar Room, G27 O’Rahilly Building, 1.30-3.00PM, Wednesday 13th November 2013

The Emigre research team visited Aras an Uachtarain recently to present a copy of their recent report to President Michael D Higgins.

ISS21 is very pleased to welcome Dr Nollaig Frost as Visiting Scholar at the Institute during Autumn 2013.

We look forward to welcoming Professor Allison James and Professor Penny Curtis (Directors of the Centre for the Study of Childhood and Youth at Sheffield University) who will visit the ISS21 Children and Young People Research Cluster on the 3rd and 4th October 2013. Their visit is supported by the UCC Strategic Research Fund. During their visit they will participate in a number of research activities including the events below:

In recent years, Ireland has experienced a marked increase in emigration. The University College Cork project ‘Current Irish Emigration and Return’ (referred to as ‘Emigre’) aimed to discover why people are emigrating from Ireland today and discover what impact recent emigration is having on the Irish abroad and on the families and communities they have left behind them.  The project was carried out at the Department of Geography and in the Institute for Social Science in the 21st Century (ISS21) at University College Cork and is funded by the Irish Research Council. Some of the project results will be launched at an international conference on Emigration at a Time of Austerity to be held in UCC on 27th September.

Professor Peadar Kirby (Professor Emeritus, University of Limerick) provides some reflections on 'What We Leave in Our Wake' in advance of the screening on March 20th.

The ISS21 Children and Young People cluster in association with the Children's Research Network for Ireland and Northern Ireland (CRNINI) recently hosted a workshop on ethics, consent and participation in research with children and young people. The event explored some of the complex ethical issues involved in conducting research with children and young people, from the perspectives of researchers, children, families and service-providers. Over 50 people from across the country attended this half-day workshop in UCC on June 14th.

On Wednesday March 20th, the ISS21 Civil Society Research Cluster, in cooperation with the Centre for Cooperative Studies, hosts a special screening of the film 'What We Leave in Our Wake', with commentary by film director Pat Collins and by Professor Peadar Kirby. 

Deirdre Horgan (School of Applied Social Studies) and Helen Lynch (Department of Occupational Therapy) recently visited the Centre for Study of Childhood and Youth (Sheffield University) on behalf of the ISS21 Children and Young People Research Cluster.

Background

The Irish health system has often been criticised as being a ‘two-tier’ system, which favours privately insured patients over public patients. Although this description does not capture all the nuances of the system, it is reasonable to suggest that the Irish health system contains a number of inequities, partly arising from a combination – and interaction – of different funding mechanisms.

Road to the Irish Gerontology Society Meeting 2019: Challenges in Current Ageing Research

The 67^th Annual Irish Gerontological Society Meeting will be held on September 26-28th 2019 in Cork. In advance of the meeting, the ISS21 Ageing Research Cluster organised a half-day workshop to discuss current themes in ageing research in Ireland, showcase UCC research, and foster networking and participation in the IGS from researchers interested in different aspects of ageing.

Key note speeches were delivered by Seán Moynihan (CEO, ALONE) and Cathal McCrory (The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, TILDA). This was followed by a series of short presentations from researchers and PhD students from a range of disciplinary backgrounds, including psychology, biochemistry, public health and music. 

Abstracts for IGS close on 1^st May. Information can be found at https://www.irishgerontology.com/events/67th-annual-scientific-meeting-irish-gerontological-society 

Anyone interested in joining ISS21 UCC Ageing Cluster can contact Annalisa Setti a.setti@ucc.ie or Edel Walsh e.walsh@ucc.ie

In this showcase event, members of the Children and Young People Research Cluster presented short papers on their on-going or completed research. A range of research topics were presented by colleagues from different disciplinary backgrounds (Law, Sociology, Occupational Therapy, Applied Social Science) including: the use of animation in children's research, the political socialisation of school children, the integrations of migrant children in schools, and the use of voluntary care arrangements in Ireland (full list below).  

The ISS21 Children and Young People (CYP) Research Cluster brings together researchers from a wide range of disciplines in order to collaborate, promote awareness and disseminate research with and for children and young people. For further information on the cluster, please click on the following link: Children and Youth 

Those wishing to join the CYP cluster should contact Margaret Scanlon (m.scanlon@ucc.ie).

On 18 April, the ISS21 Research for Civil Society and Social Action (REACT) cluster hosted a research slam, at which six cluster members gave short presentations on their current, completed or new research (details below), followed by a lively Q&A session. 

The ISS21 REACT cluster aims to bring together researchers from different disciplines with an interest in civil society research, to undertake interdisciplinary research and activity in the broad area of civil society, and to encourage engagement and dissemination of knowledge between researchers and civil society. Further information on the cluster can be found at:  Research for Civil Society and Social Action (REACT)

Those wishing to join the REACT cluster should contact the ISS21 Research Coordinator, Margaret Scanlon (m.scanlon@ucc.ie).

On 10 May the Society, Health and Political Economy (SHAPE) research cluster hosted a full-day workshop on evidence amalgamation, with Irish and international presenters. The event was organised by Eluska Fernandez (School of Applied Social Studies) and Katherine Furman (Department of Philosophy) and funded by the CACSSS interdisciplinary award.

Context for Workshop

Criticisms against randomised controlled trials as the most important source of evidence for policy are now well-established. But now that it is permissible to make use of many different types of evidence, how do we combine them to make policy? This was one of the key issues addressed in the course of the workshop.

On the 11 June 2019 the ISS21 Children and Young People Research cluster hosted a seminar on interfaith childhoods with Anna Hickey-Moody, Professor of Media and Communication at RMIT University, Australia.

On 6th September the Migration and Integration research cluster hosted a symposium on ‘asylum’ and contested spaces of belonging, centering on current research exploring issues relating to integration, belonging/not-belonging and place for asylum-seekers and refugees.

Seeing Society Differently

ISS21 was delighted to participate in Cork Discovers again in September 2019. Our theme for this year’s event was ‘Seeing Society Differently’, focusing on how social science research can provide new insights into our everyday lives and the things that matter to us, such as: How do we envisage and create just, inclusive and liveable societies? How can we understand the lived experience of difference and identity in contemporary society?

On 4 November 2019, UCC President, Professor Patrick O'Shea, formally launched the ISS21 Strategic Plan 2019-2024, which sets out a vision for the Institute’s role as a leading centre for imaginative, interdisciplinary and impactful social science research.

On the 24 & 25 October the ISS21 Children and Young People Research Cluster, in conjunction with the Children's Research Network, hosted a masterclass on creative research methodologies with children and young people.

In this seminar Dr Catharina Von Koskull looked at how participatory approaches and creative methodologies such as ethnodrama and ethnography can assist in representing participant experiences and voice to positively impact policy makers, socio-education of social care and eldercare professionals and the general public.

On 15 November ISS21, with EC funded project GendeResearchIreland, hosted a seminar with Professor Uduak Archibong on the theme of institutionalising gender equality in higher education.  

ISS21, in conjunction with the School of Applied Social Studies, hosted a one day event at the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission in Dublin entitled ‘Re-imagining SAFE(R)SPACE: disability, hostility and the meaning of community safety’. The event witnessed the launch of the two year, Irish Research Council-funded study, Disability and the Creation of Safe(r) Space, which has been exploring how issues of hostility and un/safety impact on the everyday lives and geographies of people with disabilities in Ireland, including the places and spaces that they use. The study has found that issues of un/safety often restrict people with disabilities’ access to different spaces, and that many people experience different forms of hostility in their everyday lives.

On 31 January, ISS21 and the Study of Religions Department hosted a seminar with visiting speaker Dr Farrah Sheikh on South Korean women's experience of conversion to Islam and their struggle for belonging.

The first seminar in the ISS21 Creative Social Science Research Methods Seminar series 2020 was held on 9 March, with two papers exploring the use of visual methodologies.

As part of our involvement in UCC's membership of the UNIC universities initiative, and our membership of IMISCOE, ISS21 is participating in the recently launched UNIC online lecture series, 'Migration and Corona'. 

We are delighted to announce that six ISS21-affiliated projects have been awarded funding under the Irish Research Council's New Foundations Programme. Research projects funded under Strand 1 of the programme ('Engaging Civil Society') will address important social issues in the fields of ageing, migration and integration, care-giving, and volunteerism. In line with the collaborative nature of the call, researchers in UCC will work in partnership with civil society organisations, including Care Alliance Ireland, Cork Volunteer Centre and Age Action.

A further two projects were funded under Strand 2 'Knowledge Exchange for Impact' and will build international collaborations with partner universities in Belgium and Mexico around the themes of participatory governance, and migration and border securitisation.

Congratulations to all successful applicants, we look forward to working with you in the coming year!

This two-hour seminar featured lectures by Tom Western (University of Oslo/University of Oxford) and Áine Mangaoang (University of Oslo) on the significance of music for those in carceral spaces, including prisons and refugee camps.

In this seminar Dr Ailbhe Kenny, lecturer and coordinator of Music Education at Mary Immaculate College, presented the findings from participatory music projects about how children living within asylum seeking accommodation make and learn music individually and collaboratively. Dr Kenny also considered the social and cultural uses of music, children’s musical interactions and identities, as well as the social impact of music making within such centres. Insights were drawn from across two country case studies, Ireland and Germany.

The second seminar in the ISS21 Creative Research Methodologies Seminar Series 2020 explored the use of walking methodologies across a range of different research topics - from dog walking and young people's experiences of their neighbourhood, to migrant home-making and revisiting sites of feminist resistance. Papers were made available to watch on the ISS21 website in advance of an online discussion with the presenters which was hosted live on Wednesday 17 June. The seminar was chaired by Dr Claire Edwards, ISS21 Director.

Ethnographic and biographical  methods were explored in the third seminar in the ISS21 Creative Methodologies seminar series 2020. Presentations were made available to watch on the ISS21 website in advance of an online discussion with the three presenters on 2nd September. In a lively discussion, presenters and attendees addressed a range of issues, including the challenges of accessing historical sources; the use of object-based interviews in researching migrant home-making; ethical issues in bibliographical and ethnographic research; and the archiving of interviews, images and other research data. The seminar was chaired by Dr Claire Edwards, ISS21 Director.

As part of an ongoing PPI collaboration, Care Alliance Ireland and ISS21  launched their joint initiative entitled CARERENGAGE: Centering and Embedding Family Carers in the Co-Production of Carer Research, Supports and Policy, funded by the Irish Research Council New Foundations Programme, on 13 October 2020.

The final seminar in the ISS21 Creative Research Methodologies Seminar Series 2020 explored the use of participative and reflective research methods. Papers were made available to watch on the ISS21 website in advance of an online discussion with the presenters, Rebecca Dennehy, Monica O’Mullane, Siobhan O’Sullivan and Katie Power, on Monday 9 November. The seminar was chaired by Dr Margaret Scanlon, ISS21 Research Coordinator.

Pressing global issues like environmental change and migration are increasingly covered in the Social Work, Youth Work and Community Development and Nursing literatures. Much of the literature discusses the need for greater awareness of environmental, climate and associated issues amongst these professional groups and the need to integrate these topics into professional education and training. 

In July 2019, Professor Conor O’Mahony was appointed as Special Rapporteur for Child Protection for a three-year term by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr Katherine Zappone. The Rapporteur is accountable to the Oireachtas and is entitled to consult with government departments and the Ombudsman for Children about legislative initiatives designed to enhance child protection.

On the 15 December 2020, Dr. Dario Sansone presented a webinar on the under-representation of sexual minorities in STEM fields, based on research he conducted with Christopher S. Carpenter, Vanderbilt University, Tennessee. The findings were published in Turing’s children: Representation of sexual minorities in STEM (https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0241596).  

On Friday 29 January Senator Mark Daly, Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann, officially launched the guidance document Providing Access for Deaf Irish Sign Language Users: Guidance for Public Bodies. The key note address - “It’s Time to Act to Ensure the ISL Act is Successfully Implemented” - was delivered by Dr John Bosco Conama, Centre for Deaf Studies, Trinity College Dublin. The remarks made by Senator Daly and Dr Conama highlighted the need for continuing efforts to ensure the full and effective implementation of the Irish Sign Language Act 2017, following its commencement in December 2020. 

The guidance on access for ISL users is based on research conducted by Dr. Gill Harold, working in partnership with Cork Deaf Association and Kerry Deaf Resource Centre. Funded by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, the project was hosted by UCC's School of Applied Social Studies and ISS21. Further details on the project can be accessed here

As part of the UNIC European University initiative, ISS21, in conjunction with the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Unit and Access UCC, is hosting a seminar series focused on the theme of superdiversity. The second seminar in this series was held on 28 March, and explored the role of the university as a space for diversity and inclusion.  

This event, hosted by the ISS21 Ageing Research Cluster, explored climate activism and attitudes to environmental issues across different generations.

Dr Tracey Skillington opened the event with a paper on the experience of ecological grief and climate anxiety, and how these can be a stimulus for action on climate change. She outlined some of the legal challenges that have been mounted by citizens against their governments' inaction on environmental issues. These included, for example, a case lodged in 2020 by the Senior Women for Climate Protection with the European Court of Human Rights against the Swiss Government for its failure to keep emissions levels within sustainable targets and, in doing so, violating their rights to health and life. 

In this seminar Professor Mary Daly (University of Oxford) reflected on what the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed about long-term care, and care in general. She considered the priorities and assumptions that were embedded in policy responses, both those about the giving and receiving of care. 

Enacting Superdiversity: Towards Critical Change in Higher Education

A three-day Superdiversity School organised by ISS21, the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Unit and Access UCC, University College Cork.

Aim

The UCC’s Superdiversity School explored the epistemic and practical implications of superdiversity for our practices, policies and ‘ways of being’ in the university. The sessions were led by staff from across UCC, sharing examples of current and developing practice and promoting discussion and learning between UNIC partner institutions. The School also included a seminar from guest speaker, Dr Julius Elster, Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Youth Studies, London Metropolitan University.

Details and seminar recordings are provided below.

As part of the UNIC European University initiative, UCC’s Institute for Social Science in the 21st Century (ISS21), in conjunction with the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Unit and Access UCC is hosting a seminar series focused on theme of superdiversity. The term superdiversity underlines the growing complexity of diversity, reflecting the increasing prominence of complex mixtures and intersectionalities of ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality, culture, religion, (dis)ability, economic status, legal status and many other aspects. Part of the aim of UNIC is to explore what superdiversity means for the higher education space as well as our wider city and communities.

The seminar series aims to begin a series of conversations on the concept and will feature a range of speakers and panellists from UCC and outside, including academics and NGO representatives. We welcome all UCC staff and students to attend and join the discussions. Sessions will take place via MS Teams and further details for each seminar will follow in due course.

As part of the UNIC European University initiative, ISS21, in conjunction with the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Unit and Access UCC, is hosting a seminar series focused on the theme of superdiversity. The third seminar in this series was presented by Professor of Migration and Superdiversity, Jenny Phillimore, from the University of Birmingham. The seminar focused on the theme of 'exploring welfare bricolage in Europe's superdiverse neighbourhoods'.  

Hosted by: the ISS21 Children and Young People Research Cluster in partnership with the PPI Ignite Network and the ISS21-affiliated P4PLAY project.

Presenters: Dr. Deirdre Horgan & Dr. Shirley Martin, School of Applied Social Studies, U.C.C.

In this online seminar, Kathleen Lynch (Professor Emerita of Equality Studies, UCD) discussed a number themes from her recently published book Care and Capitalism (Polity Press, 2021). One of the central arguements is that while the logics and ethics of neoliberal capitalism currently dominate public discourses and politics, capitalism is neither invincible nor inevitable. Affective relations are potential sites for a counter-movement to neoliberalism. While people are self-interested, they are not purely self-interested: they are bound affectively and morally to others, even to unknown others. The cares, loves and solidarity relationships within which people are engaged give them direction and purpose in their daily lives. They constitute cultural residuals of hope that stand ready to move humanity beyond a narrow capitalism-centric set of values. 

This seminar showcased the work of two ISS21 Genders, Sexualities and Families Research Cluster members, Charlotte Waltz, PhD candidate and Dr Robert Bolton, ISS21 Post-Doctoral Researcher on the Horizon 2020 PositivMasc Project. Drawing on their respective projects, both researchers highlighted the significance of applying a gender lens in research.

As part of the CARERENGAGE project, Care Alliance Ireland and ISS21 have published a new report entitled 'A Review of the National Carers Strategy (2012): How Relevant are the Actions in 2021 and For The Future?'

On 22 September, Care Alliance Ireland and ISS21 hosted the third and final in a series of online round table events as part of the CARERENGAGE project. This series of workshops was designed to address the project goals of centering and embedding family carers in the co-production of carer research, supports and policy.  

On 15 February, ISS21 hosted a seminar on integrating gender into research with Professor Carol Linehan (School of Applied Psychology & ISS21),  Dr Caitríona Ní Laoire (School of Applied Social Studies & ISS21) and Dr Christine Gaffney (ISS21).

On 15th November the ISS21 CareVisions research project hosted a seminar on care provision with Professor Nancy Folbre (University of Massachusetts) and Professor Mary Murphy (Maynooth University). 

Dr Vanessa Lacey (Transgender Equality Network Ireland) shared insights from her research on the experiences of adult trans women, and the families of adult trans women, concerning grief and loss.

On Monday 22 February the ISS21 Children and Young People Research Cluster hosted a seminar on the Barnahus model of service provision to children in sexual abuse cases, with presentations from Aoife O’Malley, Manager of Barnahus OneHouse Galway, and Fiona Geraghty, Principal Social Worker at the Family Centre in Cork.

In this seminar, Silke Staab and Laura Turquet drew on the UN Women report Beyond COVID-19: A Feminist Plan for Sustainability and Social Justice (2021), to propose the idea of a feminist social contract that centers women’s access to decent work, investments in the care economy and gender-just transitions to environmental sustainability within a broader politics for economic recovery and transformation. They looked at the different ways in which the pandemic has revealed current social contracts to be fractured. The idea of a feminist social contract was also explored, tracing some of the history of how feminists have engaged with social contract theory, and how this can be applied to new framings of a renewed social contract with care at its core. The role of the state in reimagining and re-engineering fractured social contracts was explored, both in terms of the what (provision of collective goods and services) and the how (redefinition of state-society relations, including a shift in gender power relations, and greater global solidarity). Discussant, Ailbhe Smyth responded to the issues raised in the two presentations.

A recording of the seminar is available here

Hosted by: the ISS21 Disability & Mental Health Research Cluster & Critical Voices Network Ireland

Speaker: Jacqui Dillon (author and activist)

Details & registration: here

As part of UCC Community Week 2021, the ISS21 Research for Civil Society and Social Action (REACT) Cluster was delighted to host a seminar on the role of the university in the era of climate change with speaker Professor Keri Facer (University of Bristol) and discussant Professor John O’Halloran (President, UCC).

Cork is a designated World Health Organisation (WHO) Healthy City since January 2012. With this designation is a requirement of the local authority to commit to health and a process and structure to achieve it. In this seminar Denise Cahill (Healthy Cities Co-coordinator) described initiatives that are underway in Cork city to increase the number of green spaces and open up different spaces (including streets and the river) for recreation, play and exercise. Initiatives/groups linked to Cork Healthy Cities include Green Spaces for Health, the Playful Paradigm Project, and the Cork Age Friendly City Programme. 

As part of Refugee Week 2022, the ISS21 Migration and Integration Research Cluster and University of Sanctuary UCC hosted a seminar on return migration, with presenter Aranzazu González Hernández.  

Hosted by: CareVisions in partnership with ISS21

Presenter: Dr Lizzie Ward, Principal Research Fellow in the School of Humanities and Social Science at the University of Brighton (UK)

Recording available: here

We are delighted to announce that nine ISS21-affiliated projects have been awarded funding under the Irish Research Council's New Foundations programme. Research projects funded under Strand 1 ('Enhancing Civil Society') will address a range of important social issues in the fields of ageing, health and well-being, care-giving, Deaf studies, early childhood education, welfare reform, and social justice. We are also pleased to note that departments/schools from across the university are represented in the New Foundations project teams, including Applied Social Studies, Co-operative Studies, Cork University Hospital, Management and Marketing, Nursing and Midwifery, Sociology and Criminology, Speech and Hearing Sciences, and Theatre.

In line with the collaborative nature of the New Foundations programme, researchers in UCC will work in partnership with civil society organisations. Details on individual projects can be accessed by clicking on the links in the table below. 

Congratulations to all the successful applicants, we look forward to working with you over the coming year.

On 12 January 2022 the ISS21 Children and Young People Research Cluster was delighted to host a seminar with Cormac Harris and Alan O’Sullivan, winners of the BT Young Scientists 2020 and the European Union Contest for Young Scientist 2021.

Speaker: Dr Konstantina (Dina) Poursanidou Co-Director of the Survivor Researcher Network, UK

Hosted by: the ISS21 Disability & Mental Health Cluster, CVNI, the Survivor Researcher Network & Asylum Magazine

Abstract

Current mental health politics in the UK- and the Global North at large – is characterised by an acute polarisation when it comes to issues that are particularly contested in the area of mental health, including the nature of ‘mental illness’, psychiatric diagnosis, the effectiveness of drug treatments in comparison to psychotherapy, the problems associated with the use of psychiatric medication, ECT, and involuntary hospitalisation. Social media, Twitter in particular, constitute a pertinent example of the acrimony prevailing more often than not in discussions of these issues among mental health professionals and service users alike – acrimony that at times translates into vicious and abusive personal attacks replacing respectful discussion and debate. 

The report Agency and Ageing in Place in Rural Ireland was launched on 6 April and is available to download here The report presents the findings of an IRC-funded project that was carried out by researchers in the School of Applied Social Studies, in partnership with Age Action. Further details and project outputs are available on the project website (AAPRI).

The report launch included opening comments from Celine Clarke (Age Action) followed by presentations from Dr Siobhan O'Sullivan (Project PI), Annie Curbelo Lang (Participatory Research Group & Research Advisory Group), Gabrielle O'Keeffe (HSE) and Inspector Miriam McGuire (Garda Bureau of Community Engagement). Dr Margaret Buckley chaired the event. A recording of the launch is available here

Hosted by: the ISS21 Disability & Mental Health Cluster, Critical Voices Network Ireland (CVNI), the Survivor Researcher Network & Asylum Magazine

Presenter: Konstantina (Dina) Poursanidou Co-Director of the Survivor Researcher Network, UK.

On 16 November the ISS21 Poverties, Social Justice & Inequalities Research Cluster hosted a seminar on the issue of homelessness in Ireland with researchers from the School of Applied Social Studies and guest speaker Fr Peter McVerry.

Children's daily lives during the COVID-19 pandemic: 

A qualitative participative online study with 7-to-9-year-olds from Germany

Iris Würbel , Freie Universität, Berlin

We are delighted to announce that three ISS21-affiliated projects have been awarded funding under the Irish Research Council's New Foundations Programme. The projects will address important social issues in relation to housing needs on the West Cork Islands; enhancing energy efficiency in low-income homes; and young people with disabilities' learning/training experiences during the Covid 19 pandemic.

In line with the collaborative nature of the New Foundations scheme, researchers in UCC will work with partner organisations, including the Bere Island Projects Group, West Cork Development Partnership, Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann, the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) and the National Learning Network.

On 3 December the PPI Ignite Network @ UCC and ISS21 hosted a seminar which explored how family carers are integrated and involved in the co-production of carer research, policy and supports. Representatives from Family Carers Ireland (FCI) described the lessons learnt from establishing a PPI panel of family carers, as well as future plans. In addition, two Irish Research Council New Foundations funded projects on family carers were presented, the CARERENGAGE and INTERFACE projects. Family carers, researchers and partner organisations (Care Alliance Ireland and FCI) from both projects reflected on the experience.

As part of the UNIC European University initiative, UCC’s Institute for Social Science in the 21st Century (ISS21), in conjunction with the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Unit and Access UCC, is hosting a seminar series focused on the theme of superdiversity. One of the aims of UNIC is to explore what superdiversity means for the higher education space as well as our wider city and communities. This first seminar explored the concept of superdiversity, examined its potential and limitations, and considered some of its implications for practice within the university. 

On 4^th November the ISS21 Migration and Integration Research Cluster hosted a seminar with Dr. Egle Gusciute (Department of Sociology and Criminology, UCC) on the theme of ethnic discrimination in the Irish rental housing market.

There is consistent evidence of ethnic/racial discrimination against ethnic minorities in the housing market across Europe.  In addition to greater challenges in securing accommodation, discrimination in the housing market has significant social and economic consequences for individuals and society.

Hosted by: The ISS21 SHAPE Research Cluster and chaired by Dr Eluska Fernandez, cluster convenor.

Presenter: Dr Felicity Daly (Postdoctoral Researcher, CARE-VISIONS project, ISS21)

Abstract

Drawing on the feminist ethics of care-inspired Trace methodology, this paper analyses governmental discourses about care in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It explores whether and how a rapid parliamentary investigation frames care as a value and practice; reveals interdependence of care givers and receivers; reflects on how ‘vulnerable’ identities were ascribed to older people, people with disabilities, and asylum seekers; and applies a feminist perspective to Ireland’s response to COVID-19. 

Hosted by: the ISS21 Ageing Research Cluster

Presenter: Dr Siobhan O'Sullivan, School of Applied Social Studies, UCC

As part of Refugee Week 2021,  the ISS21 Migration and Integration Research Cluster and the University of Sanctuary Working Group (USWG) co-hosted this webinar on migration narratives, with speaker Kilian Kleinschmidt.   

During 2020, a team of experimental economists from the CEAR Lab (Atlanta, Cape Town, Utrecht) conducted 6 waves of online experiments, in the US and South Africa, to estimate relationships among people's risk preferences, their preferences over distributions of rewards over time, their beliefs about the future course of the COVID-19 pandemic, their sources of information about the virus, and their behaviour with respect to health and safety. In this seminar Professor Ross presented results on how well the US subjects' beliefs about COVID-19 matched the publicly available forecasts of epidemiologists over the course of the year. In relation to beliefs about the future course of the pandemic, young people's predictions were found to be broadly accurate. The research also suggests that young people generally became more risk averse during the pandemic.

On 23 March, ISS21 and Care Alliance Ireland hosted a workshop at which Dr. Maria Pierce presented the results of recent research with family carers, service providers and policy makers on their views of the National Carers Strategy (NCS). The NCS is the principal guiding Strategy relating to family carers in Ireland and has been in place since 2012. For a recording of Dr. Pierce's presentation, click here. The presentation slides are available at the following link: CarerEngage Presentation of Findings.

In this seminar Sonia Thompson (Co-Director of the Survivor Researcher Network, UK) critically explored constructions of race and racism; looked at the ways in which racialised people are 'othered'; and at how racism impacts on mental health. The links between race and physical/mental health and life-expectancy were also highlighted. It was noted that the UK government response (or lack thereof) to the over representation of BME people in the COVID morbidity and mortality statistics is seen by many as a wider indication of systemic racism in action and may have helped to reinforce a lack of trust between BME communities and government bodies. The seminar considered the role of peer-based approaches to wellbeing and mental health as one way in which to address some of the historical and current trauma in BME communities.

Over the next few months, the ISS21 Disability and Mental Health Research Cluster will host a series of four seminars on critical mental health matters, in partnership with Critical Voices Network Ireland (CVNI). Seminar titles and dates are provided below, with further details and registration to follow. 

On 23 February the ISS21 Research for Civil Society and Social Action (REACT) Cluster, in partnership with colleagues in the School of Applied Social Studies (MSW Programme), hosted an online seminar with Margaret Alston, Professor of Social Work at Newcastle University, Australia.

In this timely seminar, Dr. Olive McCarthy (Centre for Co-operative Studies, UCC) and Gwen Harris (North Dublin Money Advice and Budgeting Service - MABS) reported on the initial findings from the IRC-funded ENERGISE project, which explores energy poverty and the barriers/enablers to energy efficiency in low-income homes.

On 10 March 2021 the ISS21 Research for Civil Society and Social Action (REACT) Cluster hosted a well-attended webinar on environmental education and practice in the social professions. This was the second in a series of webinars that seeks to:

• share knowledge and ideas on the connections between climate change and the social professions,
• build the awareness and capacity of educators in the social professions to envisage and develop innovative environmental education practices through disciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration,
• facilitate co-operation in this area between academic and practitioner colleagues across the social professions in Ireland and internationally.

On 23 September the ISS21-affiliated IMMERSE project hosted a seminar which showcased best practice in the integration of migrant children in education.

On 30 March ISS21 hosted an event to launch the report Inclusive Volunteering: Exploring Migrant Participation in Volunteering. The report is based on the findings of a small-scale study which explored migrants’ experiences of volunteering in Cork city and county, including their motivations and pathways into volunteering, the benefits and challenges of volunteering, and the factors which facilitate or inhibit volunteering. The findings highlight the contribution which migrants make to local communities and the wide range of skills and experience which they bring to their volunteering roles. In line with international research, the study also indicates that volunteering can be an important aspect of two-way processes of integration. The research was carried out in partnership with Cork Volunteer Centre and was funded under the Irish Research Council's New Foundations programme.