Cardiff University lecturer publishes first full-length ethnography of UK debt problems
6 January 2025
A Cardiff University lecturer has published the UK’s first full-length ethnography of debt problems in the UK.
Dr Ryan Davey’s publication, based on 18 months of fieldwork living on a low-income housing estate, tackles the personal and emotional aspects that debt brings to people’s daily lives.
The book tells the stories of people who experience debt in their daily lives, analysing the inequalities debt creates.
It argues that people ignoring their debts is a way to be optimistic in an unjust economic system.
Dr Davey said, "The book shows that when people try to ignore their debts they are not being irresponsible as is often claimed, but are trying to stay optimistic in the face of threats from the authorities of removing their cherished possessions.
“Debt problems affect many people today. Levels of household debt in Britain are higher today than they were during the financial crisis of 2008/2009."
More and more people are borrowing money in order to pay for essentials like rent, council tax and energy bills.
“However, so far, our understanding of how debt affects people’s personal life has been limited, and this book looks to change that.”
Dr Davey says that the book is aimed at students and researchers in sociology, anthropology, policy studies, social work, criminology and human geography. However, he adds, “I hope it’ll also be of interest to a broader audience including debt advisers, policy-makers and anti-poverty campaigners, as well as anyone interested in inequality in Britain today.”
His next project will examine how people’s romantic relationships are connected to their economic lives.
The Cardiff University social sciences lecturer’s book will be published as an open access e-book and in paperback by Bristol University Press on 23 May 2025 in the UK and 17 June 2025 in the United States.
