Dr Bethany Robertson

Profile

I joined the School of Sociology and Social Policy in February 2021 as a postdoctoral research fellow working on the ESRC funded project ‘Feeding the Nation: Seasonal Migrant Workers and Food Security during the COVID-19 Pandemic.’ The research explores farm labour needs and the experiences of seasonal migrant workers and farmers following international travel restrictions and the post-Brexit immigration system.

Prior to joining Leeds, I worked on a British Academy funded project at the University of Liverpool which examined the ways farmers engage with social media and how narratives of farming are communicated online. 

I have a PhD in Sociology from the University of York which explores the experiences of women farmers in England to understand the embodiment of farming and the negotiation of gender identities. My thesis is an ethnographic study, comprising of on-farm interviews and observations at agricultural shows.

Throughout my MA in Social Research I developed expertise in human-animal relations by examining university students’ management of a long distance relationship with their pets. This research paved the way for an interest in multi-species methodologies and understanding how interactions with animals shape the work and identities of farmers in my doctoral thesis. 

Research interests

• Sociology of agriculture; farming cultures, identities and inequalities
• Human-animal relations 
• Gender, the body and identity
• Rural studies
• Ethnographic and feminist methods

Qualifications

• PhD Sociology
• MA Social Research
• BA Sociology

Professional memberships

• British Sociological Association

Student education

I teach across BA and MA modules and programmes in SSP. 

Previously I have contributed to modules on social inequalities, youth & resistance, sociological theory, human-animal relations and qualitative methods.

Research groups and institutes

• Centre for Interdisciplinary Gender Studies