Biography
My research practice focusses on the inclusion of young people in development policy and programming and uses my experience as a youth worker and educator to bring youth voices into policy arenas. My recent work has had an emphasis on youth employment, youth participation and youth mobility, but with a strong gender component with projects on women’s economic empowerment, informal forms of ‘everyday politics’ and the gendered experience of work, migration and political participation. With recent experience in Sierra Leone and The Gambia I have strong regional experience of both rural and urban West Africa, though I have also conducted several projects in Brighton, UK.
After converting from English Literature to do a Masters in Anthropology at Βι¶ΉΣ³», my doctoral research focussed on the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), the largest youth NGO in the world and explores the role of urban youth centres as trans-local spaces of transformation, transition and middle-class morality. Based on 18 months ethnographic fieldwork split between The Gambia and the UK, my thesis offers significant contributions to understanding:
- The contribution of NGOs to the formation of youth identities and the circulation of youth as a development object
- The intersectional and socially embedded nature of youth identity, relating strongly to both gender and class.
- The power of space as a transformational tool and site of moral negotiation.
- The role of religion and belief in youth identity, particularly in precarious economic contexts
Role
Associate Lecturer
Qualifications
2011 - present. ESRC funded PhD in Social Anthropology.
Supervisors: Dr Jon P. Mitchell (Anthropology) Professor James Fairhead (Anthropology)
“Moralities of Transformation at YMCA centres in UK and The Gambia”
2010- 2011: MScin Cross-Cultural Research Methods
2007- 2009: MAin Social Anthropology.
2001- 2002: MA in Literatures of Conflict, University of York
1997- 2000: BA English Language and Literature,
University of Lancaster
Activities
PUBLICATIONS
Journal Articles (Peer-Reviewed)
Wignall, R.,2017,“From Swagger to Serious: Managing Masculinities Between Faiths at Gambia YMCA.” Forthcoming for Journal of Religion in Africa, 46(2)
Wignall, R., 2016, "‘A man after God's own heart ’: Charisma, Masculinity and Leadership at a Charismatic Church in Brighton and Hove, UK." (Published)
Book Chapter
Wignall, R,. 2016 “Being Big and Tough”: Moral Masculinities on a Sports Leaders Course at the YMCA,” in Cornwall, A & Lindisfarne, N. Eds.(2016), “Masculinities Under Neoliberalism” London: Zed Books. (Published)
Non-Peer Reviewed Work:
Wignall, R., 2016. ‘Leave No One Behind’: The Post-2015 Universality Agenda and Youth Employment (IDS Evidence Report; No. 212). IDS. (Published)
In Preparation (draft available on request):
Wignall, R 2017, “Just Managing or Just Getting By?: Entrepreneurial Selves, Masculinity and Moral Dissonance in Cross-Cultural Comparison at the Young Men’s Christian Association in the UK and Gambia.” Submitted to Economic Anthropology, January 2017
Wignall, R 2017, Belonging without Believing?: Making Space for Marginal Masculinities at the Young Men’s Christian Association in the UK and The Gambia. In preparation for edited volume “Youth, Place and Theories of Belonging”
Wignall, R 2017, “Universal Trouble?: Young Men, Morality and the ‘Problem’ of Employment in the Sustainable Development Goals.” Submitted to Geoforum, February 2017
PRESENTATIONS
2017
(February) “Belonging without Believing?: Making Space for Marginal Masculinities at the Young Men’s Christian Association in the UK and The Gambia, University of Brunel Departmental Seminar Series
2016
(February) "A Heart for Service: Love, Leadership and Charisma at the YMCA." Βι¶ΉΣ³» Departmental Seminar Series
2015
(May) “Being the ‘Whole Man’: Enacting Moral Masculinity on a YMCA Sports Leader’s Course in Brighton & Hove.” Auto-ethnography Conference at Brighton University.
2014
(September) “Swagger, Stubborn or Serious: Youth, Islamic Masculinities and Leadership at Gambia YMCA.” Workshop on “Religion and Masculinities in Africa” at School of African and Asian Studies, London.
(September) “Our Brother’s Keeper’: Doing Friendship in Faith-Based Development at YMCA Centres in UK and Gambia”. African Studies Association of the UK Biennial Conference, Βι¶ΉΣ³»
Panel Convenor: “Sacred Spaces: Interfaces of the Secular and Sacred in Development across Africa.” African Studies Association of the UK Biennial Conference, Βι¶ΉΣ³».
“Being Big and Tough”: Moral Masculinities on a Sports Leaders Course at the YMCA.” Paper Submitted for “Dislocating Masculinities Revisited” Worksop. Βι¶ΉΣ³».
2013
(December) “Big and Tough”: Moral Masculinities on a Sports Leaders Course at the YMCA” Βι¶ΉΣ³» Africa Centre, Emerging Research Landscapes Event.
(September): “The Big Change”: Sport, Leadership and Transformation on an Alternative Education Course in the UK and The Gambia.” at Βι¶ΉΣ³» Department of Education and Social Work R.I.P. Seminar.
(June) “Our Brother’s Keeper’: Doing Friendship in Faith-Based Development at YMCA Centres in UK and Gambia”. Conference on Critical Debates With(In) Development: Power, Resilience and Change. IDS and the School of Global Studies at Βι¶ΉΣ³»
Academic Activities
2015-2017 Brighton Auto-Ethnography Group (Βι¶ΉΣ³»)
As co-convenor I am responsible for organising meetings, selecting participants and organising conferences, workshops and wider academic activities.
2013-2014 NGender (Βι¶ΉΣ³») As a key member for the ‘Graduate Research Events in Gender and Sexuality Research’ I actively contributed to the administration, organisation and facilitation of the Spring Seminar Series 2014 and the first annual N Gender Conference in May 2014 as well as convening the Feminist Literature Discussion Group.
2014 Creative Public Engagement Conference (Βι¶ΉΣ³»)
As a member organising the inaugural conference, I helped coordinate this conference, creatively and critically drawing together interdisciplinary students and faculty using a variety of media, including participatory photography, social media and film-making.
2014 Dislocating Masculinities Workshop (Βι¶ΉΣ³») As part of the doctoral school organising team, I helped facilitate this exciting conference that brought doctoral students into contact with some of the leading names in gender studies.
2014 ASAUK 2014 (Βι¶ΉΣ³») As part of the organising and communications team, I helped facilitate the event, acting as a key point of communication and contributing to the social media strategy.
2014 Βι¶ΉΣ³» Africa Centre (Βι¶ΉΣ³») As a member of the Postgraduate Committee of the Βι¶ΉΣ³» Africa Centre I have organised and facilitated a variety of activities.
Consultancies
2017 Institute of Development Studies/ Plan UK: Young Women’s Economic Empowerment in Fragile Settings
2016 Institute of Development Studies/ Plan UK: Youth Responses to Fragile Settings (Sierra Leone)
2016 Institute of Development Studies/ DFID: Framing Paper- Youth Employment and the SDGs
2014 Βι¶ΉΣ³»: Creating an Accessible Online History of Βι¶ΉΣ³» Anthropology
2013 YMCA: Youth in Conversation: Film-making project between Hove and Gambia YMCAs
2011 Voluntary Service Overseas (Gambia): Participatory Workshops on Youth Issues
2008 YMCA: Youth Homelessness in East Βι¶ΉΣ³»- Using Participatory Research
2008 YMCA: Addressing the Youth Housing Crisis in Brighton and Hove