Christopher Cunningham

Postgraduate Research Student, University of Essex

Christopher Cunningham is a PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology. His research uses policy and discourse analysis to explore the relationship between widening participation within English universities and political narratives of social mobility. His research interests are broad and interdisciplinary in nature, with a particular focus on class, identity, and education. He aims to inspire motivation within his department, and across the wider university, to re-establish courses in the Sociology of Knowledge, Sociology of Education, and the Sociology of Literature, which he hopes, could be based within a University of Essex Centre for Education.

A long-serving member of staff at the university, Christopher has worked in a range of departments and sections. He currently works as a Fixed-Term Teacher within Essex Business School, a Research Assistant within Essex Business School, and as an IT Student Assistant for Digital Innovation and Technology Services; he is currently on secondment from his role in the Frontline Team within Library and Cultural Services.