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4. John O'Brien

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Biography

John O'Brien is a sociologist in the Department of Sociology and Criminology, UCC. His teaching and research interests focus on social theory, alcohol regulation and criminology.‍

Research Grants

	Project	Funding Body	Start Date	End Date	Award
	Sociology in Schools	National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education	01-JAN-22	31-DEC-22	€2,500.00
	WIT PhD Scholarship	Other: Not Listed	01-JAN-19	31-DEC-21	€74,000.00
	SETU PhD Scholarship		01-JAN-22		€74,000.00
	Commemoration: Cultivating Mutual Understanding by Addressing Contested Pasts?	Irish Research Council	01-JAN-16	31-DEC-16	€9,800.00
	WIT PhD Scholarship		01-JAN-14	31-DEC-17	€50,000.00
	Aiseiri Treatment Services Evaluation	Irish Research Council	01-JAN-15	31-DEC-17	€48,000.00
	Research Connexions SETU funding	Other: Not Listed	01-JAN-22	31-DEC-22	€1,000.00
	Commemoration: Contexts and Concepts	Irish Research Council	01-JAN-15	31-DEC-15	€5,140.00
	Commissioned Research. Evaluation Study of 12-Step programme in Aiseiri		01-JAN-14	31-DEC-14	€22,250.00

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Publications

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Books

	Year	Publication
	(2018)	States of intoxication: The place of alcohol in civilisation. O'Brien J. (2018) States of intoxication: The place of alcohol in civilisation. [DOI] [Details]

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Book Chapters

	Year	Publication
	(2022)	'Ritual to Reflexivity – From Promotion and Problematisation of Intoxication to Proportionality' O’Brien, John (2022) 'Ritual to Reflexivity – From Promotion and Problematisation of Intoxication to Proportionality' In: Routledge Handbook of Intoxicants and Intoxication. London: Routledge. [Details]
	(2022)	'Formal Generations of Drinkers: Generational Change in Irish Drinking Culture to 1950' O’Brien, John (2022) 'Formal Generations of Drinkers: Generational Change in Irish Drinking Culture to 1950' In: Fenton, Laura & Thurnell-Read (eds). Alcohol, Age, Generation and the Life Course. London: Palgrave McMillan. [DOI] [Details]
	(2020)	'Plato’s Statesman: Protecting Phronesis from Coding' O’Brien, John (2020) 'Plato’s Statesman: Protecting Phronesis from Coding' In: Modern Leaders: In between charisma and trickery. London: Routledge. [Details]
	(2018)	''The Subversion of Worldviews and Possibility of ‘Virtuous Drinking’ through Public Health Policy' O'Brien, John (2018) ''The Subversion of Worldviews and Possibility of ‘Virtuous Drinking’ through Public Health Policy' In: Horvath, A. & Roman, C (eds). Divinisation and Technology. London: Routledge. [Details]
	(2015)	'On the Statistical Composition of Unemployment' O’Brien, John and Griffin, Ray (2015) 'On the Statistical Composition of Unemployment' In: Boland, Tom & Griffin, Ray (eds). The Sociology of Unemployment. Manchester: Manchester University Press. [Details]
	(2015)	'Graceful Living: The Experience of Unemployment and the Built Environment' O’Brien, John (2015) 'Graceful Living: The Experience of Unemployment and the Built Environment' In: Boland, Tom & Griffin, Ray (eds). The Sociology of Unemployment. Manchester: Manchester University Press. [Details]

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Peer Reviewed Journals

	Year	Publication
	(2023)	'What the Banshees of Inisherin is about' Keohane K.;Kuhling C.;O’Brien J. (2023) 'What the Banshees of Inisherin is about'. Irish Journal of Sociology, 31 (2):271-278 [DOI] [Details]
	(2021)	'The dialectic of alienation and sociability: A Simmelian reading of the pandemic' O’Brien J. (2021) 'The dialectic of alienation and sociability: A Simmelian reading of the pandemic'. Irish Journal of Sociology, 29 (1):113-117 [DOI] [Details]
	(2021)	'The use of public houses as a collective representation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland' O’Brien J. (2021) 'The use of public houses as a collective representation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland'. Irish Journal of Sociology, 29 (3):353-371 [DOI] [Details]
	(2020)	'A path to the future, or ambivalent payoffs: tragic complexity, or a foundation for good order?' O’Brien J. (2020) 'A path to the future, or ambivalent payoffs: tragic complexity, or a foundation for good order?'. Journal Of Political Power, 13 (3):382-396 [DOI] [Details]
	(2020)	'A cacophony of protocol: Disability services in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic' Doyle L.;O’Brien J. (2020) 'A cacophony of protocol: Disability services in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic'. Irish Journal of Sociology, 28 (3):370-374 [DOI] [Details]
	(2017)	'Precarity in the Night-Time Economy' O’Brien, John, Doyle, K. and Maguire, N. (2017) 'Precarity in the Night-Time Economy'. Irish Journal of Anthropology, 19 (1):19-30 [Details]
	(2015)	'Editors Introduction' O’Brien, John & Byrne, Lorcan (2015) 'Editors Introduction'. International Political Anthropology, 14 (2):3-5 [Details]
	(2015)	'Commemoration in the Civilizing Process: Reconciliation, Melancholy and Abstraction in Contemporary Memorializing' O’Brien, John (2015) 'Commemoration in the Civilizing Process: Reconciliation, Melancholy and Abstraction in Contemporary Memorializing'. International Political Anthropology, 14 (2):99-116 [Details]
	(2014)	'The Battle of the Clarence Hotel’' O’Brien, John (2014) 'The Battle of the Clarence Hotel’'. Irish Journal of Anthropology, 17 (2) [Details]
	(2009)	'ntoxication and Civilization: Drinking Culture and the Politicization of Everyday Life’' O’Brien, John (2009) 'ntoxication and Civilization: Drinking Culture and the Politicization of Everyday Life’'. International Political Anthropology 1, 2 (2):221-238 [Details]

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Editorship

	Year	Publication
	(2020)	Debates editors’ introduction: Sociological responses to Covid-19 (Part II). Flores R.;O'Brien J. (2020) Debates editors’ introduction: Sociological responses to Covid-19 (Part II). Editorship [DOI] [Details]

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Note

	Year	Publication
	(2020)	Debates editors’ introduction: Sociological responses to Covid-19 (Part I). Flores R.;O’Brien J. (2020) Debates editors’ introduction: Sociological responses to Covid-19 (Part I). Note [DOI] [Details]
	(2014)	Trends in public order offences. O’Brien J.;Doyle K.;Maguire N. (2014) Trends in public order offences. Note [DOI] [Details]

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Professional Activities

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Honours and Awards

	Year	Title	Awarding Body
	2004	UCC Departmental PhD Scholarship	UCC
	1999	UCD Undergraduate studentship	UCD

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Professional Associations

	Association	Function	From / To
	European Sociological Association	Member	11-FEB-20 / 07-DEC-23
	President of the Sociological Association of Ireland	President	02-JUN-19 / 04-AUG-23
	Sociological Association of Ireland	Member	04-JUN-03 / 07-DEC-23
	British Sociological Association	Member	04-JUN-13 / 07-JUN-22

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Committees

	Committee	Function	From / To
	CACSSS Teaching and Learning Forum	Member	2022 /
	CACSSS College Council	Member	2022 /
	Undergraduate Student Experience Committee	Member	2022 /
	WIT Research Strategy Committee	Member	2019 / 2022
	BA Social Science WIT	Course Leader	2014 / 2014

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Employment

	Employer	Position	From / To
	University College Cork	College Lecturer, Department of Sociology and Criminology	07-MAR-22 /
	Waterford Institute of Technology	Lecturer in Sociology	04-SEP-23 / 06-MAR-22
	Oscail National Distance Education Centre, Dublin City University	Tutor in sociology	01-SEP-03 / 31-AUG-23
	Waterford Institute of Technology	Assistant Lecturer in Sociology	01-SEP-08 / 04-SEP-11
	University College Dublin	Tutor in sociology	02-SEP-01 / 31-MAY-02
	University College Cork	Tutor in sociology	01-SEP-03 / 05-MAY-06

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Education

	Year	Institution	Qualification	Subject
	2001	School of Philosophy, Sociology and Social Work, University College Dublin	BSocSc	Sociology and Social Policy
	2003	Department of Sociology, University College Dublin	MSocSc	Sociology
	2011	UCC	PhD Sociology	Sociology

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Languages

	Language	Reading	Writing	Speaking
	English	Fluent	Fluent	Fluent
	Irish	Basic	Basic	Basic
	Spanish	Basic	Basic	Basic
	French	Functional	Functional	Functional

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Outreach Activities

	Description
	https://open.spotify.com/show/566JOUulySt5NZEo7odZOK?si=6T-26x3HT627oy6PVe5iDA
	https://open.spotify.com/show/70e7BGAb50MWVurAz5SfJ9?si=l_DHYBxRQyu204JxNwA46g
	2019. Interviewed in June by Lucas Richart on the Points Podcast about my book ‘States of Intoxication’
	Company Secretary
	On 13th November 2015, I was interviewed on the Moncrieff Show, Newstalk, on the topic ‘What are the Moral Foundations of the Irish State’, which was focused on my research on commemoration.
	Guest Columnist for Public Service Review: Journal of the Public Service Executive Union: ‘The Moral Foundations of the Easter Rising’.
	I have worked with the office of the President of Ireland on the Ethics Initiative, in the Decade of Centenaries.
	2017. Appeared on ‘The Cave’ podcast, in an interview on 'smart cities'

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Journal Activities

	Journal	Role	To / From
	Irish Journal Of Sociology	Editor	01-NOV-23 -
	International Political Anthropology	Member of Editorial Board	07-FEB-17 -
	Deviant Behavior	Peer Reviewer	-
	Capital And Class	Peer Reviewer	-
	Memory	Peer Reviewer	-

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Teaching Activities

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Teaching Interests

Contribution to developing blended learning programmes

• Member of the course board of the Higher Certificate in Custodial Care: I was part of the course board that developed this innovative blended programme delivered between the influential think tank Social Justice Ireland and WIT, training professionals working in public policy in advocacy and social analysis.  
• Member of the course board of the Masters in Social Justice and Public Policy. An innovative blended programme delivered between the influential think tank Social Justice Ireland and WIT, training professionals working in public policy in advocacy and social analysis. 

• Redesign of the suite of sociology modules on the BA Social Care WIT as a part of the CORU accreditation process and on the BA Arts as part of the School Review.

Faculty member in Summer Schools

• Cultural Trauma PhD Summer School, Lesvos, Greece. July 2017, 2018
• Economy and Society PhD Summer School, Blackwater Castle, Cork. May 2014-18, 2021.
• International Political Anthropology Summer School, Acquapendente, Italy. June 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017
• Theory and Philosophy Summer School, Blackwater Castle, Cork. May 2013

PhD / Masters by research supervision. Examination
Graduated PhDs

• Irena Loveikaite (graduated, PhD). Thesis title: How can I become a woman?' Media discourses and the formation of feminine identity among teenage girls in Ireland: a qualitative study. 

Graduated MAs by Research

• Pat Coughlan (Year 2, Masters by Research). Thesis Title: A Moral Ferment: An Examination of the Moral Foundations Shaping the Involvement of Religious Organisations in Addressing Alcohol Problems in Contemporary Irish Society. (IRC Postgraduate Scholar)

PhDs in process

• Kelly Fitzgerald (Year 5, PhD). Thesis title: Exploration of Site-Specific Engagement and Cultural Heritage Produce of Difficult Past Remembrances in Ireland through Cultural Memory.
• Laura Doyle (Year 3, PhD) Thesis title: Moving towards Rights-Based Practice in Disability Services: an analysis of social care worker skills and competencies.
• Catherine McCarthy (Year 2, PhD) Thesis title: Reading Yourself into Being: Establishing the Role of Children’s Literature in Identity Formation. 
• Shannon Hughes-Spence

Examination of PhDs

• 2018 PhD Viva Voce Internal Examiner for Noel Connors- Glimpsing the alternative: An anthropological exploration of the GAA as an alternative organisation. 
• 2022 External Examiner for Kenny Doyle- Assessing Ireland's Pathways to Work: The impact of behavioural conditionality and sanctions 
  
• 2023 PhD Viva Voce Internal Examiner for Kate Bollard- The Power of Empty Places: A Re-appraisal of Modernity through Void Experiences 

     
Internal examiner for transfer from MPhil to PhD on 6 occasions.

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Research Information

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Internal Collaborators

	Name	Institute	Country
	Analysing Social Change Research Group	Waterford Institute of Technology	IRELAND
	Crime and Justice Research Group	Waterford Institute of Technology	IRELAND
	Pedagogy of Sociology in Professional Practice Study Group	Sociological Association of Ireland	IRELAND
	Alcohol Research Community Links Project	Atlantic Technological University	IRELAND
	Sociology of Consumption Research Network of the European Sociological Association	European Sociological Association	FRANCE
	Social Theory Research Network of the European Sociological Association	European Sociological Association	FRANCE
	Drinking Studies Network	Various	UNITED KINGDOM
	Centre for the Study of the Moral - Foundations of Economy and Society.	University College Cork/ Waterford Institute of Technology	IRELAND

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External Collaborators

	Name	Organisation / Institute	Country
	ACORN. UK-Ireland Alcohol Research Network	Various	UNITED KINGDOM
	Alcohol Study Group of the British Sociological Association	British Sociological Association	UNITED KINGDOM