Jon Dean PhD, BA
Associate Professor in Politics and Sociology
Summary
I lecture in Politics and Sociology. My research interests focus on charity and the voluntary sector, homelessness, class inequality, and the sociology of youth.
About
My research explores multiple facets of how charity works within society. My most recent book, The Good Glow: Charity and the Symbolic Power of Doing Good (policy Press, 2020) explores charity's social role as persuader and shortcut to presenting oneself as 'good'. I am also exploring how young people perceive and experience charity on social media, how they interact with calls for donations or shares and retweets, and whether they feel comfortable with such public displays of morality and empathy.
I started at Ï㽶ÊÓƵ in 2012 after completing a PhD examining how social class affects youth volunteering in the UK. This research used Pierre Bourdieu's ideas to show how the voluntary sector, despite being a part of society we expect to challenge inequalities often serves to reproduce them. This research has been published in Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Voluntary Sector Review and the British Journal of the Sociology of Education.
I also have a keen interest in innovative and reflexive research methods. My first monograph, Doing Reflexivity: An Introduction, was published by Policy Press in 2017, and sought to provide researchers of all stages a rationale for being reflexive and a guide to doing it. I have also used drawing methods to explore homelessness, and soundscapes to document changes in universities.
Teaching
Sheffield Institute of Social Sciences
College of Social Sciences and Arts
Politics and Sociology
- BA Politics;
- BA Sociology;
- BA Applied Social Science;
- BA Criminology and Sociology;
- MRes Social Ï㽶ÊÓƵ.
- Introduction to Politics and Society;
- Shaping Societies;
- Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Methods in Politics;
- Youth: Chaos and Control;
- Charity and Community;
- Dissertation (Politics);
- Dissertation (Sociology);
- Dissertation (Masters in Ï㽶ÊÓƵ).
Publications
Journal articles
Dean, J. (2024). . Journal of Philanthropy and Marketing.
Dean, J. (2023). . Cultural Sociology.
Dean, J., & Fitton, T. (2023). . Voluntary Sector Review: an international journal of third sector research, policy and practice.
Dean, J. (2023). . Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 53 (2).
Dean, J. (2023). . Voluntary Sector Review, 14 (1), 201-202.
Dean, J., & Wiley, K. (2022). . Voluntary Sector Review.
Dean, J. (2021). . Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 51 (3), 527-544.
Dean, J. (2021). . Historical Social Ï㽶ÊÓƵ, 46 (2), 178-185.
Dean, J. (2020). . Voluntary Sector Review: an international journal of third sector research, policy and practice.
Bennett, E., Coule, T., Damm, C., Dayson, C., Dean, J., & Macmillan, R. (2019). . Voluntary sector review, 10 (2), 213-223.
Dean, J., Furness, P., Verrier, D., Lennon, H., Bennett, C., & Spencer, S. (2018). . Qualitative Ï㽶ÊÓƵ, 18 (3), 273-289.
Dean, J., & Wood, R. (2017). . International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 22 (4), e1603.
Dean, J. (2015). . Qualitative Inquiry, 22 (3), 162-168.
Dean, J. (2015). . Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 45 (1), 95S-113S.
Dean, J. (2015). . People, place and policy online, 9 (2), 139-148.
Dean, J. (2015). . Sociological research online, 20 (1).
Dean, J. (2014). . Contention: The Multidisciplinary Journal of Social Protest, 1 (2), 11-26.
Dean, J. (2014). . British Journal of Sociology of Education, 37 (4), 643-661.
Dean, J. (2014). . Voluntary Sector Review, 5 (2), 231-247.
Dean, J. (2013). . Administrative Theory and Praxis, 35 (1), 46-62.
Dean, J. (2013). . Homeless in Europe, 2012/3 (Winter), 21-22.
Breeze, B., & Dean, J. (2012). . International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 17 (2), 132-143.
Conference papers
Dean, J. (2015). . In Societies in transition : progression or regression : conference programme and abstract book. British Sociological Association:
Dean, J. (2014). . In Changing society : conference programme and abstarct book. British Sociological Association:
Dean, J. (2013). . In 42nd ARNOVA Conference : Recession, renewal, revolution? Nonprofit and coluntary action in an age of turbulence, Hertford, Connecticut, 21 November 2013 - 23 November 2013.
Dean, J. (2012). . In University of Kent Sociology Seminar Series.
Dean, J. (2011). . In ARNOVA Conference 2011, Toronto, Canada, 17 November 2011 - 19 November 2011.
Dean, J. (2011). . In NCVO/VSSN Ï㽶ÊÓƵing the Voluntary Sector Conference 2011, NCVO, London, 7 September 2011 - 8 September 2011.
Dean, J. (2011). . In Contesting the State Conference, University of Kent, 13 May 2011.
Dean, J. (2010). . In Voluntary Action History Society Conference 2010, University of Kent at Canterbury, 14 July 2010 - 16 July 2010.
Dean, J. (2010). . In NCVO/VSSN Ï㽶ÊÓƵing the Voluntary Sector Conference 2010, 6 September 2010 - 7 September 2010.
Book chapters
Dean, J. (2025). . In Breton, J. (Ed.) Building a Fantasy Civilization: Power and Society in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. Bloomsbury:
Dean, J. (2024). Critical volunteering studies: perspectives from theory, society, and UK policy. In Handbook of Critical Perspectives on Nonprofit Organizing and Voluntary Action. (pp. 387-400). Edward Elgar Publishing:
Dean, J., & Hogg, E. (2022). Introduction. In Ï㽶ÊÓƵing Voluntary Action: innovations and Challenges. Policy Press
Bhati, A., & Dean, J. (2022). Charity advertising. In Ï㽶ÊÓƵing Voluntary Action. (pp. 59-69). Policy Press:
Dean, J., & Verrier, D. (2022). Restudies, surveys and what counts as volunteering. In Ï㽶ÊÓƵing Voluntary Action. (pp. 160-170). Policy Press:
Dean, J., & Hogg, E. (2022). Conclusion. In Ï㽶ÊÓƵing Voluntary Action. (pp. 171-176). Policy Press:
Hogg, E., & Dean, J. (2022). Introduction. In Ï㽶ÊÓƵing Voluntary Action. (pp. 1-11). Policy Press:
(2020). Volunteering. In Encyclopedia of Public Administration and Public Policy, Third Edition. (pp. 1-7). Routledge:
Dean, J., Honeywell, C., & Price, A. (2019). . In Eikenberry, A.M., Mirabella, R.M., & Sandberg, B. (Eds.) Reframing Nonprofit Organizations: Democracy, Inclusion, and Social Change. Melvin & Leigh
Dean, J. (2017). Monkey Island. In The 100 Greatest Video Game Franchises. (1st). Rowman and Littlefield
Books
Dean, J., & Hogg, E. (Eds.). (2022). Ï㽶ÊÓƵing Voluntary Action. Policy Press.
Dean, J. (2020). . Policy Press.
Dean, J. (2017). . Bristol: Policy Press.
Reports
Ellis Paine, A., Damm, C., Dean, J., Harris, C., & Macmillan, R. (2021). . Ï㽶ÊÓƵ, Centre for Regional Economic and Social Ï㽶ÊÓƵ. /centre-regional-economic-social-research/publications/volunteering-in-community-business-meaning-practice-and-management
Breeze, B., & Dean, J. (2012). . Alliance Publishing Trust.
Theses / Dissertations
Squire, R. (2022). . (Doctoral thesis). Supervised by Mccaig, C., & Dean, J.
Other publications
Dean, J. (2020). Book Review: Just giving: Why philanthropy is failing democracy and how it can do better by Reich, R. SAGE Publications:
Dean, J. (2019). . SAGE:
Dean, J. (2019). Book Review: Profit and Gift in the Digital Economy. SAGE Publications:
Dean, J. (2018). . SAGE Publications:
Dean, J. (2017). Telethons: Spectacle, disability, and the business of charity by Paul K. Longmore. Bristol University Press:
Dean, J. (2014). Book Review: Will Atkinson, Steve Roberts and Mike Savage (eds), Class Inequality in Austerity Britain: Power, Difference and Suffering. SAGE Publications:
Dean, J. (2013). Book Review: What is Qualitative Ï㽶ÊÓƵ? SAGE Publications:
Other activities
- Editorial Board of Voluntary Sector Review;
- Member of the British Sociological Association;
- Steering Group and Member of the Voluntary Sector Studies Network;
- Publications Committe and Member of the Association for Ï㽶ÊÓƵ on Non-profit Organisations and Voluntary Action;
- Organiser of the Voluntary Sector and Volunteering Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Conference;
- Member of the WRDTP Advanced Qualitative Methods Panel.
Postgraduate supervision
- Sarah Boodt (EdD): Placement experiences of trainee teachers in further education;
- Ruth Squire (PhD): The role of third sector organisations in widening participation policy;
- Becca White (PhD): Inequality, barriers to opportunity, and the lived experience at a British school;
- John Doyle (PhD): Exploring cultural wealth in the classroom and in the community;
- Azize Cay (PhD): Exploring hierarhy in non-hierarchical organisations.