Dr Ian Woolsey BA, MA, PhD
Senior Lecturer In Sociology
Summary
I am the course leader for the B. A (Hons) in Sociology. I first came to Hallam in 1991 where I studied for my undergraduate degree in Applied Social Studies. Subsequently, I completed a Master's in Social Science Research Methods, a postgraduate certificate in Autism, and a PhD. in Sociology. I also completed a postgraduate teaching qualification and became a member of the Higher Education Academy.
I have been employed at Hallam since 2006, initially as a researcher, and now as a senior lecturer. My main areas of interest are the Sociology of Identity, Subcultures (particularly football fans), and Social Theory.
About
My primary research interest is football fan identity, and related issues of belonging, aesthetics, and morality. My recent (2021) book, 'Football Fans and Social Spacing: Power and Control in a Modernising Landscape', uses Bauman's model of social spacing to interpret the power struggles of travelling football supporters. This builds upon my earlier work in 2010 which explored the simulated performance of football hooliganism.
Senior Lecturer and Course Leader
Teaching Interests
Social Identity
Social Theory
The Sociology of Football Fandom
Teaching
Sheffield Institute of Social Sciences
College of Social Sciences and Arts
Sociology
Publications
Journal articles
Boylan, M., & Woolsey, I. (2015). Teacher education for social justice : mapping identity spaces. Teaching and teacher education, 46, 62-71. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2014.10.007
Woolsey, I. (2010). Train stations and trainers: observations of simulated football hooliganism in England. Soccer & Society, 11 (5), 588-598. http://doi.org/10.1080/14660970.2010.497353
Beardon, L., Woolsey, I., & Martin, N. (2009). What do students with Asperger syndrome or highfunctioning autism want at college and university? (in their own words). Good Autism Practice, 35.
Book chapters
Woolsey, I. (2024). Modern Football and Social Spacing. In Social Control and Disorder in Football: Responses, Regulation, Rupture. (pp. 21-34). http://doi.org/10.4324/9781003453062-3
Books
Woolsey, I. (2021). Football Fans and Social Spacing Power and Control in a Modernising Landscape. Palgrave Macmillan.
Theses / Dissertations
Woolsey, I. (2018). Away from nothing: An ethnographic study of travelling Sheffield Wednesday supporters. (Doctoral thesis). Supervised by Blackshaw, T. http://doi.org/10.7190/shu-thesis-00113
Other activities