Simon Bradford

Profile

Dr Simon Bradford is Reader in Social Science in the School of Health Sciences and Social Care at Brunel University and is Director of the Centre for Youth Work Studies at the University. He joined Brunel University in 1985 after working for 13 years in residential social work and youth and community work.

His main research interests lie in social policy initiatives that affect young people and communities, youth culture, the history and organisation of professional work in the public services (particularly in education services). Simon Bradford’s current research is in three main areas: 

• History of professionalism and professionalisation in informal educational work with young people in the UK; changes in professional identities.
• Contemporary policy-making and practice in services for young people and communities.
• Aspects of youth practices and culture, particularly cool, cyber-culture and gaming.

Simon Bradford’s teaching commitments at Brunel include work at undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral levels. He is Course Leader of the MA Youth and Community Work, MA Youth and Community Studies and BA (Hons) Youth and Community Studies.

Simon Bradford has undertaken research and consultancy for local authorities in Dudley, Surrey, Croydon and Redbridge, third-sector organisations like Richmond Parish Lands Charity and Clubs for Young People, and for two local Sure Start programmes.

PhD supervision

Current

• Jo Griffiths: The professional formation of youth workers
• Ebony Reid: Young people and street violence in North London
• Sean Gibbons: Work with at risk young people
• Anne Chappell: Using autobiography/life history to explore the nature of the professional and their engagement with professional development
• Jenny Bourne: Policy and professional interventions with young men who self-harm
• Tatjana Chircop: Music cultures among young people in Malta
• Craig Johnston: Social capital and disabled young people in FE
• Roy Masini: The Leysdown tragedy; Edwardian representations of children and child death
• Tracie Trimmer-Platman: Youth work, young people and violence
• Laura Green: Sport as a vehicle for informal education with young women

Completed PhD/MPhil/EdD students

• Claudette Carr: Discourses of Black history (awarded PhD)
• Barry Twigg: Aspects of drug education (awarded PhD)
• Yvonne McNamara: Citizenship and youth work (awarded MPhil)
• Tim Malcomson: Partnership and policy-making in work with street children in Uganda (awarded PhD)
• Robert Owen: Participation in personal development groups (awarded EdDoc)
• Hassan Ahmed: Teacher education policy in Somaliland (awarded PhD)
• Nic Crowe: Young people, cyber culture and identity (awarded PhD)

Research centres

• Centre for Youth Work Studies (CYWS)

Conferences

Cleminson, A., Putman, K., & Bradford, S., Experiential Learning Styles and Student Learning, paper given to Improving Student Learning Symposium, University of Warwick, 14th September 1993.

Bradford, S., New Ways of Making Youth Workers Accountable: “… such stuff as dreams are made on…”, paper given to Research and Practice Conference, Department of Education, Brunel University, 14^th July, 1999.

Bradford, S., & Hey, V., (2002), ‘Practices of Success: complexes of ethnicity, class and gender’, Department of Education Staff/Student Research Conference, Department of Education, Brunel University, 10^th July, 2002.

Bradford, S., & Hey, V., ‘The Psycho-Dynamics of Success’, part of a seminar series ‘Society, Social Policy and the Psyche’, at Kings College, University of London, July 2002.

Bradford, S., ‘Complexes of Ethnicity, Class and Gender in Young People’s Practices of Success’, paper given in the Centre for Gender and Development Studies, University of the West Indies, Cave hill, Barbados, 30^th April, 2003.

Bradford, S., 'Trust and Accountability in Democratic Practice', a paper given at a conference 'Youth Work and Citizenship: Inclusion, Exclusion and Transformation', at Manchester Metropolitan University, 4^th July 2003.

Crowe, N., & Bradford, S., 'Identity and Gender in On-Line Gaming: young People's Symbolic and Virtual Extensions of Self', paper given to British Sociological Association conference, 'Scenes, Subcultures and Tribes: Youth Cultures in the 21^st Century', University College, Northampton, 13^th September 2003.

Bradford, S., & Hey, V., 'Practices of Success: complexes of ethnicity, class and gender', paper given at British Educational Research Association conference, University College , Northampton, 4^th May 2004.

Crowe, N., & Bradford, S., ‘Identity, space and place in on-line gaming communities: young people’s virtual practices of self’ paper given at conference ‘Emerging issues in the Geographies of Children and Youth’, 23^rd June 2005, Brunel University.

Crowe, N., & Bradford, S., ‘Identity, space and place in on-line gaming communities: young people’s practices of the technological self’ paper given at British Sociological Association conference ‘Young People and New Technologies’, 7^th September 2005, University College Northampton.

Bradford, S. ‘Policy making in youth leadership training in England, 1939-1945’, a paper given at ‘History of Youth and Community Work’, a conference organised by Durham University and Youth and Policy, Ushaw College, Duham, 3^rd March, 2007.

Bradford, S., ‘Discourses of Professionalism in Late Modern Societies’ invited lecture given in the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Guyana, 17^th October, 2007.

Bradford, S., ‘Changing professionalism(s): youth work in contemporary worlds’, Public Lecture given in the Department of Youth and Community Studies, Faculty of Education, University of Malta, 15^th May, 2008.

Bradford, S., ‘ Aspects of Youth Policy Development in Mid-Twentieth Century England’, a paper given at the History of Youth and Community Work conference, University of Minnesota, 27^th June, 2008.

Bradford, S., ‘Forming the ‘good’ youth leader: university contributions to the professionalisation of English youth work, 1939-1945’, a paper given at ‘Beyond the Lecture Hall: Universities and Community Engagement from the middle ages to the present day’, History of Education Society conference in the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, 5^th September, 2008.

Other external activities

• University of Malta (2009-2011) MA Youth and Community Studies/BA Youth and Community Studies (External Examiner)
• University of Dundee (2010 onwards) Taught Doctorate programme in Social Work and Community Education (External Examiner)
• External Assessor, (2009-2010), Open University, Critical Practice with Children and Young People, (K802)
• Visiting Professor in Youth Studies, Newman University College, Birmingham, 2010-
• Guest on BBC Radio 4 programme ‘Thinking allowed’, 7 March 2007, studio discussion with Laurie Taylor on aspects of young people and cyber-culture
  

Publications

Journal Papers

(2011) Ahmed, H. and Bradford, S., Constructing education as human capital in a transitional society: A case study of Somaliland's education reconstruction, Research in Comparative and International Education 6 (2) : 236- 249

(2010) Bradford, S. and Byrne, S., Beyond the boundaries: resistances to school-based youth work in Northern Ireland, Pastoral Care in Education 28 (1) : 19- 31

(2007) Barron, M. and Bradford, S., Corporeal controls: Violence, bodies, and young gay men's identities, Youth and Society 39 (2) : 232- 261

(2007) Bradford, S. and Hey, V., Successful subjectivities? The successification of class, ethnic and gender positions, Journal of Education Policy 22 (6) : 595- 614

(2007) Bradford, S., The ‘good youth leader': constructions of professionalism in English youth work, 1939-1945, Ethics and Social Welfare 1 (3) : 293- 309

(2006) Crowe, N. and Bradford, S., ‘Hanging out in Runescape': identity, work and leisure in the virtual playground, Children's Geographies 4 (3) : 331- 346

(2006) Hey, V. and Bradford, S., Re-engineering motherhood? Sure Start in the community, Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood 7 (1) : 53- 67

(2004) Hey, V. and Bradford, S., The return of the repressed?: The gender politics of emergent forms of professionalism in education, Journal of Education Policy 19 (6) : 691- 713

(Accepted) BRADFORD, S., Constructing Education as Human Capital in a Transitional Society: a case study of Somaliland’s education reconstruction, Research in Comparative and International Education 6 (4)

(Accepted) BRADFORD, SJ. and Clark, M., Stigma Narratives: LGBT transitions and identities in Malta, International Journal of Adolescence and Youth 16 (2) : 179- 201

Book Chapters

(2011) BRADFORD, S., ‘Anomalous Identities, Youth Work Amidst ‘Trashy Daydreams’ and ‘Monstrous Nightmares’’. In: Gilchrist, R., Hodgson,, T., Jeffs, T., Spence, J., Stanton, N. and Walker, J. eds. Reflecting on the Past, Essays in the History of Youth and Community Work,. Lyme Regis : Russell House Publishers 102- 118

(2010) BRADFORD, S. and Hey, V., ‘Successful Subjectivities? The Successification of Class, Ethnic and Gender Positions’,. In: Simons, M., Olsen, M. and Peters, M. eds. Re-Reading Education Policies. A Handbook Studying the Policy Agenda of the 21st Century. Rotterdam : Sense Publishers 605- 624

(2010) Bradford, SJ. and Hey, V., Successful subjectivities? The successification of class, ethnic and gender positions. In: Simons, M., Olssen, M. and Peters, M. eds. Re-Reading Education Policies. A Handbook Studying the Policy Agenda of the 21st Century. Sense Publishers

(2009) Bradford, S., From knowledge of the world to knowledge of self: perspectives on the professional training oy youth leaders 1942-1948. In: Essays in the History of Youth and Community Work: Discovering the Past. Russell House Publishing 39- 55

(2007) Crowe, N. and Bradford, S., Identity and structure in on-line gaming: young people's symbolic and virtual extensions of self. In: Hodkinson, P. and Deicke, W. eds. Youth cultures: scenes, subcultures and tribes. New York, NY : Routledge 217- 228

(2007) Bradford, S. and McNamara, Y., Young people, modernity and leisure. In: De Bell, D. and Jackson, P. eds. Public Health Practice and the School Age Population. Hodder Arnold 133- 150

(2006) Bradford, S., Practising the double doctrine of freedom: managing young people in the context of war. In: Gilchrist, R., Jeffs, T. and Spence, J. eds. Drawing on the past: studies in the history of community and youth work. Leicester : The National Youth Agency 133- 149

Books

(2012) BRADFORD, SJ., Sociology, Youth and Youth Work Practice. Palgrave Macmillan

(2011) Bradford, S. and Cullen, F., Research and Research Methods for Youth Practitioners. Routledge