Dr Robin James Smith
Senior Lecturer in Sociology
- smithrj3@cardiff.ac.uk
- +44(0) 29 2087 0330
- Room 0.56, Glamorgan Building
Overview:
I am currently a Senior Lecturer in Sociology in the Cardiff School of Social Sciences where I teach a number of modules concerning ethnography, everyday (urban) life, interactionist theory, qualitative research methods, and ethnomethodology.
My research is influenced by the work of Harold Garfinkel, Harvey Sacks and Erving Goffman. Projects have focused upon membership categorisation practices and everyday mobilities. These projects have included an ethnography of urban outreach work with the street homeless, a study of social scientific reasoning, and studies of mobile interaction and spatial categorisation practices in cycling and walking. I am currently pursuing some of the above interests via participant observation of the work of Mountain Rescue.
Current positions:
Sociology Teaching Group convenor
Editor: Qualitative Research.
Associate Editor of the SAGE Encyclopaedia of Social Research Methods.
Board member: The Sociological Review and Discourse, Context, and Media
Co-convener of the Cardiff Ethnography, Cultural and Interpretive Analysis Research Group.
Faculty member and academic lead for Wales of the EMCA Doctoral Network
Appointments
Present:
Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Cardiff School of Social Sciences
Previous:
2012-17 Lecturer in Sociology, Cardiff School of Social Sciences
2009-12 Research Assistant (Wales Institute of Social Economic Research and Data, Cardiff University)
Qualifications
2015 Postgraduate Certificate in University Teaching and Learning (Cardiff University)
2010 PhD Sociology (Cardiff University, ESRC 1+3 Quota Award Studentship)
2005 MSc Social Science Research Methods (Cardiff University)
2004 BSc/Econ (Hons.) Sociology and Criminology (Cardiff University)
Other positions and affiliations
Exceptional Visiting Fellow, CeMoRe, Lancaster University, Spring 2016
Visiting Scholar, City University New York, Graduate Centre
Fellow of Higher Education Academy.
Honours and awards
Article 'Care and repair and the politics of urban kindness' nominated for Sociology SAGE Prize for Excellence and/or Innovation 2015 (with Tom Hall)
Nominated for Enriching Student Life Awards "Most uplifting member of staff" 2013/4; 2014/5; 2018/19 and "Outstanding Doctoral Supervisor" 2018/19
Professional memberships
Memberships
- British Sociological Association
- International Sociological Association
- American Sociological Association
- Higher Education Academy
Affiliations
- MOBSIN (Mobilities and Social Interaction; Aalborg, Cardiff, Helsinki, Linkoping, Paris Telecom, and Oulu universities)
- IIEMCA (International Institute for Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis)
- Centre for Mobilities Research (CeMoRe)
- ANNSoR (Anglo-Nordic Network; founding member)
- Public Space Research Group (City University, New York)
Speaking engagements
Invited conference and seminar contributions:
"Symposium on ‘Method and Measurement in Sociology" (with Cicourel, Uprichard, Fransozi, and Atkinson)
NCRM Research Methods Festival, 2016 (based on Smith and Atkinson, 2016)
“Slow, Messy and Expensive? The precarity of street care in the austere city”.
Inaugural Conference of the Centre for Urban Research on Austerity. De Montfort University. 19th November, 2015
“Revisiting the observer’s maxim: categorization and perception in action”
Membership Categorisation Analysis: In Memory of Stephen Hester. International Institute of Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis Conference. Kolding, Denmark, 4-7th August, 2015
“Pedestrian Mobilities: Intersections of mobility, need and care”
Mobility Intersections Conference, 6th-7th July, 2015. CeMoRe, Lancaster University
“Sharing Space: the accomplishment of territory ‘on the move’”
4th Advanced Workshop in Mobility and Social Interaction. Aalborg, Denmark, 2014
“Locating public space in theory and in practice”
Conference Stream Plenary, British Sociology Association Annual Conference April, 2014
“Keeping up appearances: the street-level politics of care, repair and maintenance”
Invited paper, Edinburgh University Human Geography Seminar Series. May 2012
“Researching Space, Place, and Setting: Perspectives on Theory and Method.”
Invited paper, NCRM Research Methods Festival 5-8 July, 2010
Selected international and peer reviewed conference contributions:
“Get in the cycle lane”.
International Institute of Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis Conference. Kolding, Denmark, 4-7th August, 2015
“The observer’s maxim: categorisation and perception in action”.
5th Advanced Workshop in Mobility and Social Interaction. Norrkoping, Sweden, 6-9th May, 2015
“On doing being a pedestrian”.
Complexity and Interaction Conference, COACT. Oulu, Finland. October, 2014
“Movement, need and the politics of public space”.
American Sociological Association Annual Conference. New York, August 2013
“Movement, territory and need”.
British Sociological Association Annual Conference. London, April 2013
“Moving encounters”.
Royal Geographical Society Conference. Edinburgh, July 2012
“The politics of care and repair”.
British Sociological Association Annual Conference. Leeds, April 2012
“Urban circulations: Outreach work, homelessness, and the city”.
British Sociological Association Annual Conference. London, April 2011
“Circuits of city Space: Moving and meeting with the homeless.
American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting 21/11/10 (paper given as part of a submitted session ‘Domesticating and Domesticated Urban Space’, organised by myself)
“The urban problem: From the Bay to the soup run.”
British Council-Netherlands Knowledge Exchange Workshop on Urbanism 8-9 October 2010
“Tinkering at the margins: The outreach encounter.”
British Sociological Association Annual Conference Glasgow, April, 2010
2019
- Ablitt, J. and Smith, R. J. 2019. Working out Douglas’ aphorism: discarded objects, categorisation practices, and moral inquiries. The Sociological Review 67(4), pp. 866-885. (10.1177/0038026119854271)
- Smith, R. 2019. Visually available order, categorisation practices, and perception-in-action: a running commentary. Visual Studies 34(1), pp. 28-40. (10.1080/1472586X.2019.1622445)
- Smith, R. and Delamont, S. eds. 2019. The lost ethnographies: Methodological insights from projects that never were.. Studies in Qualitative Methodology. Bingley: Emerald.
- Smith, R. 2019. Remarks from a lost engagement with the engaging ordinariness of parkour. In: Smith, R. J. and Delamont, S. eds. The Lost Ethnographies: Methodological Insights from Projects that Never Were., Vol. 17. Studies in Qualitative Methodology Emerald Publishing Limited, pp. 31-45.
- Smith, R. J. and Delamont, S. 2019. Editorial introduction. In: The Lost Ethnographies: Methodological Insights from Projects that Never Were., Vol. 17.Smith, R. J. and Delamont, S. Studies in Qualitative Methodology Emerald Publishing Limited, pp. 1-15.
- Delamont, S.et al. 2019. Lo spirito esplorativo libero La scuola di Etnografia di Cardiff 1974 - 2017, Traduzione di Giuseppina Cersosimo, Chiuso in stampa nel mese di marzo 2019, Presso Creative 3.0 srl - Reggio Calabria. Documentation.
2018
- Smith, R. 2018. The lessons to be learned from a(Re)introduction to covert research: Ethics beyond informed consent [Book Review] Covert research: The art, politics and ethics of undercover fieldwork By David Calvey (SAGE, 2017)[Book Review]. Symbolic Interaction 41(4), pp. 571-573. (10.1002/SYMB.362)
- Smith, R. J. and Hall, T. 2018. Everyday territories: homelessness, outreach work and city space. British Journal of Sociology 69(2), pp. 372-390. (10.1111/1468-4446.12280)
2017
- Housley, W.et al. 2017. Qualitative methods and data in digital societies. Qualitative Research 17(6), pp. 607-609. (10.1177/1468794117730936)
- Smith, R. J. 2017. Membership categorisation, category-relevant spaces, and perception-in-action: the case of disputes between cyclists and drivers. Journal of Pragmatics 118, pp. 120-133. (10.1016/j.pragma.2017.05.007)
- Smith, R. J. 2017. The practical organisation of space, interaction, and communication in and as the work of crossing a shared space intersection. Sociologica 2017(2) (10.2383/88200)
- Smith, R. 2017. Evrick Brown and Timothy Shortell (eds) (2016). Walking in Cities: Quotidian Mobility as Urban Theory, Method, and Practice. Philadelphia: Temple University Press [Book Review]. Urbanities - Journal of Urban Ethnography 7(1), pp. 140-143.
- Housley, W. and Smith, R. J. 2017. Interactionism and digital society. Qualitative Research 17(2), pp. 187-201. (10.1177/1468794116685142)
- Hall, T. A. and Smith, R. J. 2017. Seeing the need: urban outreach as sensory walking. In: Bates, C. and Rhys-Taylor, A. eds. Walking Through Social Research. Abingdon: Routledge
- Smith, R. J. 2017. Doing it tidy: the open exploratory spirit and methodological engagement in recent Cardiff ethnographies. In: Delamont, S. ed. An Open Exploratory Spirit? The Cardiff School of Ethnography 1974-2017. Kurumuny Edizioni, pp. 50-60.
2016
- Smith, R. J. and Hall, T. 2016. Mobilities at work: care, repair, movement and a fourfold typology. Applied Mobilities 1(2), pp. 147-160. (10.1080/23800127.2016.1246897)
- Smith, R. J. and Hall, T. 2016. Pedestrian circulations: Urban ethnography, the mobilities paradigm and outreach work. Mobilities 11(4), pp. 498-508. (10.1080/17450101.2016.1211819)
- Wood, L. A., Smith, R. J. and Hall, T. A. 2016. Work on the move: editors' introduction to the special issue. Applied Mobilities 1(2), pp. 139-146. (10.1080/23800127.2016.1250371)
- Smith, R. 2016. Book review: Dirk Vom Lehn, Harold Garfinkel: the creation and development of ethnomethodology. Qualitative Research 16(3), pp. 348-349. (10.1177/1468794115571435)
2015
- Smith, R. and Atkinson, P. 2015. Method and measurement in sociology, fifty years on. International Journal of Social Research Methodology 19(1), pp. 99-110. (10.1080/13645579.2015.1068010)
- Housley, W. and Smith, R. 2015. Membership categorisation and methodological reasoning in research team interaction. In: Fitzgerald, R. and Housley, W. eds. Advances in Membership Categorisation Analysis. SAGE
- Smith, R. 2015. Book review: Peter Tolmie and Mark Rouncefield (eds), Ethnomethodology at Play R Smith. Qualitative Research 15(2), pp. 269-270. (10.1177/1468794114535039)
- Hall, T. A. and Smith, R. J. 2015. Care and repair and the politics of urban kindness. Sociology 49(1), pp. 3-18. (10.1177/0038038514546662)
- Housley, W.et al. 2015. Editorial. Qualitative Research 15(1), pp. 3-3. (10.1177/1468794114567381)
2014
- Taylor, S. and Smith, R. J. 2014. The ethics of interviewing for discourse analysis: responses to Martyn Hammersley. Qualitative Research 14(5), pp. 542-548. (10.1177/1468794113503742)
- Hall, T. and Smith, R. J. 2014. Knowing the city: maps, mobility and urban outreach work. Qualitative Research 14(3), pp. 294-310. (10.1177/1468794112469623)
- Smith, R. J. 2014. Missed miracles and mystical connections: Qualitative research, digital social science and big data. In: Hand, M. and Hillyard, S. eds. Big Data? Qualitative Approaches to Digital Research., Vol. 13. Studies in Qualitative Methodology Emerald Group Publishing Limited, pp. 181-204., (10.1108/S1042-319220140000013011)
2013
- Smith, R. J. 2013. Symbolic interaction. In: McIntosh, S. et al. eds. Key Concepts in Nursing and Healthcare Research.. SAGE, pp. 125-130.
- Smith, R. J. and Hetherington, K. eds. 2013. Urban rhythms: mobilities, space and interaction in the contemporary city. Sociological Review Monographs. Chichester: Wiley.
- Smith, R. J. 2013. Accounting for the landscape of regeneration: Spatial membership, categorization practices, and the moral order of commonsense topographies. Space and Culture 16(1), pp. 43-59. (10.1177/1206331212451668)
- Smith, R. 2013. Book review: Sarah Pink, situating everyday life: practices and places. Qualitative Research 13(5), pp. 628-630.
- Maynard, T.et al. 2013. Evaluating the Foundation Phase: policy logic model and programme theory. Project Report. [Online]. Welsh Government. Available at: http://gov.wales/docs/caecd/research/130318-evaluating-foundation-phase-policy-logic-model-programme-theory-en.pdf
- Smith, R. J. and Hall, T. A. 2013. No time out: mobility, rhythmicity and urban patrol in the twenty-four hour city. The Sociological Review 61(S1), pp. 89-108. (10.1111/1467-954X.12055)
- Hall, T. A. and Smith, R. J. 2013. Stop and Go: A Field Study of Pedestrian Practice, Immobility and Urban Outreach Work. Mobilities 8(2), pp. 272-292. (10.1080/17450101.2012.659470)
2012
- Smith, R. 2012. Personal troubles and public Issues on the streets of Las Vegas: Homeless in Las Vegas: Stories From the Street By Kurt Borchard Nevada: University of Nevada Press, 2011 [Book Review]. Symbolic Interaction 35(4), pp. 510-512. (10.1002/symb.37)
- Smith, R. J. 2012. How far does mobility get us?. Sociology 46(3), pp. 555-561. (10.1177/0038038511419181)
2011
- Hall, T. A. and Smith, R. J. 2011. Walking, welfare and the good city. Anthropology in Action 18(3), pp. 33-44. (10.3167/aia.2011.180304)
- Housley, W. and Smith, R. J. 2011. Mundane reason, membership categorization practices and the everyday ontology of space and place in interview talk. Qualitative Research 11(6), pp. 698-715. (10.1177/1468794111415960)
- Housley, W. and Smith, R. J. 2011. Telling the CAQDAS code: Membership categorization and the accomplishment of ‘coding rules’ in research team talk. Discourse Studies 13(4), pp. 417-434. (10.1177/1461445611403258)
- Smith, R. J., Heley, J. and Stafford, I. 2011. Woolworths and Wales: a multi-dimensional analysis of the loss of a local brand. Sociological Research Online 16(1), article number: 10. (10.5153/sro.2284)
- Smith, R. J. 2011. Goffman's interaction order at the margins: stigma, role, and normalization in the outreach encounter. Symbolic Interaction 34(3), pp. 357-376. (10.1525/si.2011.34.3.357)
2010
- Housley, W. and Smith, R. J. 2010. Innovation and reduction in contemporary qualitative methods: the case of conceptual coupling, activity-type pairs and auto-ethnography. Sociological Research Online 15(4), article number: 9. (10.5153/sro.2216)
- Delamont, S.et al. 2010. Review symposium: Martyn Hammersley, Questioning Qualitative Inquiry. Qualitative Research 10(6), pp. 749-758. (10.1177/1468794110380578)
- Smith, R. J. 2010. SALLY CAMPBELL GALMAN, Shane, The Lone Ethnographer: A Beginner’s Guide to Ethnography. Walnut Creek, CA: Alta Mira Press, 2007. 181 pp. ISBN 9780759103443 (pbk) £17.99 [Book review]. Qualitative Research 10(2), pp. 275-276. (10.1177/14687941100100020902)
- Smith, R. 2010. Whose method is it anyway? Researching space, setting, and practice. Cardiff University Working Paper Series 135, pp. 1-9.
2009
- Housley, W., Moles, K. and Smith, R. 2009. Identity, brand or citizenship: the case of post-devolution Wales. Contemporary Wales 22(1), pp. 196-210.
- Housley, W. and Smith, R. J. 2009. Mundane reason and the politics of space. Presented at: Royal Geographical Society Annual Conference, Manchester, UK, August 2009.
- Smith, R. 2009. Outreach as sense walking. Presented at: Royal Geographical Society Annual Conference, Manchester, UK, August 2009.
- Housley, W. and Smith, R. J. 2009. Mundane reason, ontology and the politics of space. Presented at: Sociological Review Conference- The Politics of Imagination, Stratford, UK, May 2009.
- Smith, R. 2009. The negotiation of a pastless place. Presented at: British Sociological Association Annual Conference, Cardiff, UK, April 2009.
I am currently Teaching Group Coordinator for Sociology.
I am course convenor for Sociology, Society and Social Change (Y1), Ethnography and Everyday Life (Y2), and Ethnomethodology (Y3). I also teach general qualitative methodology at UG and PG(R) levels.
Interaction and ethnomethodology, mobilites, public space, talk and categorisation practices, reasoning, methodography.
I am interested in supervising doctoral projects concerned with the empirical analysis of:
- Interaction(s) in public space
- Mobilities practices and mobile scenes
- Ethnography of urban settings/groups
- Studies of everyday and institutional talk
Current PhD supervision
Jonathan Ablitt: urban patrol, repair, waste, urban parks
Mark Berry: criminal networks, practices and technologies of drug dealing
Zoe John: MMA, embodiment, gender, power
Fiona Long: everyday interaction, barriers, hostels
Hyo Eun Shin: cosmopolitanism, belonging and place making
Joseph Williams: homelessness and politics of care provision in New York
Completed PhDs
Lorenzo Marvulli: institutions, work place studies and policy making
