Professor Linsey McGoey
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Email
lmcgoey@essex.ac.uk -
Telephone
+44 (0) 1206 873544
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Location
5A.321, Colchester Campus
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Academic support hours
Please email me for an appointment.
Profile
Biography
McGoey is Professor of Sociology, with expertise in social theory and economic sociology. She is recognized internationally for playing a pioneering role in the establishment of ignorance studies, an interdisciplinary field focused on exploring how strategic ignorance and the will to ignore have underpinned economic exchange and political domination throughout history. Her research on ignorance has led to new conceptual frameworks for understanding the political value of ignorance and the unknown. She is also recognized for work on philanthropic foundations and their role in the global economy. Her book, No Such Thing as a Free Gift: The Gates Foundation and the Price of Philanthropy, is the first book-length analysis of the Gates Foundation's influence, both negative and positive, on global health and development. Her research on the new philanthropy links to her general focus on the role of power, ignorance and knowledge in contemporary society, with an emphasis on how corporate power and corporate domination affect well-being and inequality around the world Peer-reviewed articles appear in Economy and Society, Theory, Culture and Society, Science, Technology and Human Values, Politix, and the British Journal of Sociology. Books include No Such Thing as a Free Gift (Verso, 2015) and The Unknowers (Zed, 2019). She is a founding editor, with Matthias Gross and Michael Smithson, of the Routledge Research in Ignorance Studies book series. McGoey is on the Advisory Board of the Centre for the Study of Contemporary Solidarity, University of Vienna, the Editorial Board of Economy and Society, and the Editorial Advisory Board of Finance and Society. She has held visiting fellowships at the Brocher Foundation, the LSE and Sciences Po. She writes extensively for a general audience, with articles in the New York Times, Guardian, Jacobin, Fortune, the Spectator and Open Democracy. Media coverage of her work include Radio France, The Hindu, BBC Radio 4, BBC World News, The New Humanist, The Washington Post, New York Times, the Guardian, the Globe and Mail, and Canada's CBC news.
Research and professional activities
Research interests
Social theories of knowledge and ignorance
Economic sociology
Global health governance
Human rights-based approaches to health and development
Teaching and supervision
Current teaching responsibilities
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Sociological Research Design (SC905)
Current supervision
Previous supervision
Degree subject: Sociology
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 17/5/2024
Degree subject: Criminology
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 23/3/2022
Degree subject: Human Rights
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 4/10/2021
Degree subject: Sociological Research
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 5/12/2019
Degree subject: Sociology
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 24/6/2019
Publications
Journal articles (31)
McGoey, L., INCÓGNITAS ESTRATÉGICAS. Revista Inter-Legere. 3 (29), c23359-c23359
Bacevic, J. and McGoey, L., (2024). Liberal fatalism, Covid-19 and the politics of impossibility. Economy and Society. 53 (1), 163-182
Iqani, M., Feigenbaum, A., Asmal, L., McGoey, L., Kanngieser, AM., Dunlap, A. and Monroe-White, T., (2024). Speaking evidence to power? An interdisciplinary conversation. South African Journal of Science. 120 (11/12)
Langley, P., Ashenden, S., Barry, A., Bear, L., Kelly, A., McGoey, LJ., Molyneux, M., Neyland, D., Parry, B., Tonkiss, F. and Weszkalnys, G., (2023). Nigel Dodd: An appreciation. Economy and Society. 52 (1), 1-8
McGoey, L., (2021). Philanthrocapitalism and the Separation of Powers. Annual Review of Law and Social Science. 17 (1), 391-409
McGoey, L., (2021). Hiding the Rentier Elephant in Plain Sight: The Epistemology of Vanishing Rent. Sociologica. 15 (2), 75-93
McGoey, L., (2020). Micro-Ignorance and Macro-Ignorance in the Social Sciences. Social Research: An International Quarterly. 87 (1), 197-217
McGoey, L., (2018). Bataille and the Sociology of Abundance: Reassessing Gifts, Debt and Economic Excess. Theory, Culture and Society. 35 (4-5), 69-91
McGoey, L. and Thiel, DJ., (2018). Charismatic violence and the sanctification of the super-rich. Economy and Society. 47 (1), 111-134
Kelly, AH. and McGoey, L., (2018). Facts, power and global evidence: a new empire of truth. Economy and Society. 47 (1), 1-26
McGoey, L., Thiel, D. and West, R., (2018). Philanthrocapitalism and crimes of the powerful [Le philanthrocapitalisme et les « crimes des dominants »]. Politix. 2018 (1), 29-54
Mallard, G. and McGoey, L., (2018). Strategic ignorance and global governance: an ecumenical approach to epistemologies of global power. The British Journal of Sociology. 69 (4), 884-909
McGoey, L., (2017). The Elusive Rentier Rich: Piketty's Data Battles and the Power of Absent Evidence. Science, Technology, & Human Values. 42 (2), 257-279
Clark, J. and McGoey, L., (2016). The black box warning on philanthrocapitalism. The Lancet. 388 (10059), 2457-2459
McGoey, L., (2014). The philanthropic state: market-state hybrids in the philanthrocapitalist turn. Third World Quarterly. 35 (1), 109-125
McGoey, L., (2012). Philanthrocapitalism and its critics. Poetics. 40 (2), 185-199
Davies, W. and McGoey, L., (2012). Rationalities of ignorance: on financial crisis and the ambivalence of neo-liberal epistemology. Economy and Society. 41 (1), 64-83
McGoey, L., (2012). Strategic unknowns: towards a sociology of ignorance. Economy and Society. 41 (1), 1-16
McGoey, L., (2012). The logic of strategic ignorance. The British Journal of Sociology. 63 (3), 533-576
McGoey, L., Reiss, J. and Wahlberg, A., (2011). The global health complex. BioSocieties. 6 (1), 1-9
McGoey, L., (2010). Profitable failure: antidepressant drugs and the triumph of flawed experiments. History of the Human Sciences. 23 (1), 58-78
McGoey, L., (2009). Pharmaceutical Controversies and the Performative Value of Uncertainty. Science as Culture. 18 (2), 151-164
McGoey, L. and Jackson, E., (2009). Seroxat and the suppression of clinical trial data: regulatory failure and the uses of legal ambiguity. Journal of Medical Ethics. 35 (2), 107-112
McGoey, L., (2009). Compounding Risks to Patients: Selective Disclosure is Not an Option. The American Journal of Bioethics. 9 (8), 35-36
Kendall, T., McGoey, L. and Jackson, E., (2009). If NICE was in the USA. The Lancet. 374 (9686), 272-273
McGoey, L., (2009). Sequestered Evidence and the Distortion of Clinical Practice Guidelines. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine. 52 (2), 203-217
Wahlberg, A. and McGoey, L., (2007). An Elusive Evidence Base: The Construction and Governance of Randomized Controlled Trials. BioSocieties. 2 (1), 1-10
McGoey, L., (2007). On the will to ignorance in bureaucracy. Economy and Society. 36 (2), 212-235
Kendall, T. and McGoey, L., (2007). Truth, Disclosure and the Influence of Industry on the Development of NICE Guidelines: An Interview with Tim Kendall. BioSocieties. 2 (1), 129-140
Mcgoey, L., (2007). Pharmaceutical Hope. Science as Culture. 16 (4), 489-492
McGoey, L., (2007). On the will to ignorance in bureaucracy. ECONOMY AND SOCIETY. 36 (2), 212-235
Books (7)
Gross, M. and McGoey, L., (2022). Routledge International Handbook of Ignorance Studies. Routledge
Gross, M. and McGoey, L., (2022). Revolutionary Epistemology. Routledge
McGoey, L., (2019). The Unknowers: How Strategic Ignorance Rules the World. Zed Books Ltd. 978-1780326351
McGoey, L., (2015). No Such Thing as a Free Gift: The Gates Foundation and the Price of Philanthropy. Verso Publication. 9781784780838
Gross, M. and McGoey, L., (2015). Routledge International Handbook of Ignorance Studies. Routledge. 978-0-415-71896-7
McGoey, L., (2014). An introduction to the sociology of ignorance: essays on the limits of knowing. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. 1-13-877967-9. 978-1-13-877967-9
Hunt, P., Bustreo, F., Gruskin, S., Eide, A., McGoey, L., Rao, S., Songane, F., Tarantola, D., Unnithan, M., Yamin, AE., van Bolhuis, A., Ferguson, L., Halliday, E., Kuruvilla, S., Popay, J. and Sander, G., (2013). Women's and Children's Health: Evidence of Impact of Human Rights. World Health Organization. 9789241505420
Book chapters (10)
McGoey, L., (2024). Henry George, economic solutionism and reappearance of economic rent. In: Global Rentier Capitalism. Routledge. 30- 41
McGoey, L., (2022). Philanthropy. In: The Routledge Handbook of Global Development. Routledge. 119- 128
McGoey, L., (2015). From accidental to ambitious sociology. In: Sociologists' Tales Contemporary narratives on sociological thought and practice. Editors: Twamley, K., Doidge, M. and Scott, A., . Policy Press. 9781447318675
McGoey, L., (2015). Vom Nutzen und Nachteil strategischen Nichtwissens. In: Vom Nutzen des Nichtwissens: Sozial- und kulturwissenschaftliche Perspektiven. Editors: Wehling, P., . transcript Verlag. 53- 74. 9783839426296
Thiel, D., (2015). Criminal Ignorance. In: Routledge International Handbook of Ignorance Studies. Editors: Gross, M. and McGoey, L., . Routledge. 1- 14. 978-0-415-71896-7
Gross, M. and McGoey, L., (2015). Introduction. In: Routledge International Handbook of Ignorance Studies. Routledge. 1- 14
Davies, W. and McGoey, L., (2014). Rationalities of ignorance: on financial crisis and the ambivalence of neo-liberal epistemology. In: An introduction to the sociology of ignorance: essays on the limits of knowing. Editors: McGoey, L., . Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. 64- 83. 1-13-877967-9. 978-1-13-877967-9
McGoey, L., (2014). Strategic unknowns: towards a sociology of ignorance. In: An introduction to the sociology of ignorance: essays on the limits of knowing. Editors: McGoey, L., . Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. 1- 16. 1-13-877967-9. 978-1-13-877967-9
McCoy, D. and McGoey, L., (2011). Global Health and the Gates Foundation - In Perspective. In: Partnerships and Foundations in Global Health Governance. Editors: Rushton, S. and Williams, OD., . Palgrave Macmillan. 9780230238763
McGoey, L., (2011). Police reinforcement: the anti-politics of organizational life. In: Reading Rancière: Critical Dissensus. Editors: Bowman, P. and Stamp, R., . Continuum. 148- 162. 9781441137814
Reports and Papers (1)
Bacevic, J. and McGoey, L., (2021). Surfing ignorance: Covid-19 and the rise of fatalistic liberalism
Grants and funding
2013
Evidence in interdisciplinary contextx: the value and ethics of randomised controlled trials
Economic & Social Research Council
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