Symposium: Psychology of classed (un)belonging in ‘elite’ work

Rebecca Ashley is PHD student from University of Kent.

Her research draws upon her grounding in both linguistics and human resource management to explore the role of accents in influencing employee behaviours and inequalities in British Workplaces.

Alex is a senior lecturer in language, linguistics & comm from University of Manchester.

For more than ten years, Alex has hosted visiting schoolchildren, as well as visiting schools, in order to give talks regarding accent and identity, to include the implications for regional accents in the workplace.

Julia is a PhD student form London School of Economics and Political Science.

Her research investigates how contexts of poverty and inequality shape decision-making. Specifically her work considers how financial adversity and social exclusion affect psychological processes in distinct yet mutually reinforcing ways 

Emily Dickens is a PhD student from Leeds Beckett University.

Her research investigates the challenges that students from working-class backgrounds feel that they face when starting – or considering starting – a university course. Through her study, she wants to discover new ways that universities can support a wider range of students in feeling welcomed and included.

Samantha is a lecturer in Human Resource Management at Kent Business School.

Her current research interests are focused on social class inequalities and employee well-being, examining the impact of social class on individual experiences of work, work-life balance, equality and well-being.

Sam Friedman is a Professor of Sociology at London School of Economics and Political Science.

His research focuses in particular on the cultural dimensions of contemporary class division. Sam is currently writing a book with Aaron Reeves (under contract with Harvard University Press) exploring how the British elite has changed over the last 120 years.

Professor Brendan Gough is Director of Research at Leeds Beckett University.

Professor Gough is a Critical Social Psychologist and qualitative researcher interested in men and masculinities. He has published many papers on gender identities and relations, mostly in the context of health, lifestyles and well being.

Dr Laura Kilby is Head of Centre for Culture Media and Society at Sheffield Hallam University.

As a Critical Social Psychologist her primary research interests centre upon examining relationships between power, discourse and the construction of marginalised identities and marginalised groups in the context of Peace and Conflict.

Bridgette is Head of Psychology at Leeds Beckett University

She is committed to socially just and inclusive practice, where she uses critical and feminist-informed qualitative methods to understand how discourses can shape our identities, relations, and experiences. With a focus on health and organisationally situated inequalities, particularly within the intersection of social class and gender, she has published multiple papers, book chapters, books, and reports.

Jennifer is Assistant Professor of Social Psychology at London School of Economics and Political Science.

Her research has two strands, united by a concern to articulate the mutual influence of psychological and societal processes. The first applies the lens of social dominance theory to explore the psychological foundations and downstream consequences of socio-political attitudes such as egalitarianism. The second draws on socio-ecological psychology to investigate the impact of socioeconomic strain on basic decision-making processes. 

Dr Madeline Wyatt is a Reader in Diversity and Inclusion at Kings College London.

Her research examines equality, diversity and inclusion at work, organisational politics, and political leadership. By working with practitioners, politicians and policy makers her work provides tools for organisations and political parties to advance diversity and inclusion.