Dr Chris Nottingham

Emeritus Reader in Contemporary History

Visiting Research Fellow. University of Amsterdam.

Research summary to date

• Insecure Professionals. A long-term project which has involved conferences, lecture series, witness seminars, specific research projects, postgraduate supervisions and publications. It is based on the proposition that there is a distinct stratum of society composed of practitioners in health, welfare and education which developed in the last decades of the 19th century which has a distinct identity and has had, and continues to have, a significant social impact. The concept suggests ways in which detailed studies of such professions can be created which make some contribution to understanding the current situation of such professions in the context of broader social, historical and theoretical themes. (For the generic theme see, ‘The Rise of the Insecure Professionals’, International Review of Social History, 52, 4 2007).  Specific studies to date have included District Nurses, Health Visitors, Health Educators, and Medical Social Workers. (Latter study, supported by major Wellcome award, summarised in ‘A Close and Practical Association with the Medical Profession. Scottish Medical Social Workers and the cause of Social Medicine 1940-1980.’ Medical History, 51, 3, July 2007(with Rona Dougall)).
• Prophets of the New Politics. This is a longer term project concerned with Havelock Ellis and other fin de siècle prophets of the New Politics based inter alia on sexuality, gender, public health and welfare:
  • ‘’The Broader Desire to see Things Fitly Ordered'- Fabians and New Liberals in the Context of the Generation of the 1890s.’, in  A.Blok  et als (Eds.) - Generations in Labour History. International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam,1989.
  • '"An Intellectual Titan of our Modern Renaissance." Havelock Ellis and the Progressive Tradition.', Amsterdam Sociologish Tijdschrift., October 1998
  • The Pursuit of Serenity. Havelock Ellis and the New Politics, Amsterdam University Press, (Amsterdam,1999). ISBN 90 5356  
  • ‘Grant Allen: Godfather of the New Politics’ in W. Greenslade and T. Rodgers (Eds.) Grant Allen. Cultural Politics at the Fin de Siecle, Ashgate Press, May 2005.
  • ‘Some of My Best Friends. Havelock Ellis on Homosexuality.’  Metascience, March 2009
• Governance in Health and Welfare. A long standing interest in Health and Welfare Politics. See:
  • The NHS in Scotland. The Legacy of the Past and the Prospect of the Future.  Ashgate Press. (Basingstoke, 2000) ISBN 0 7546 1276
  • ‘The National Health Service in Scotland’, Vol. 7, “Craft and Service: Working Life of the Scots”, in Scottish Life and Society: A Compendium of Scottish Ethnology. John Donald, Edinburgh, 2008.

Specific interest in politics of public health.:

• ‘Two Cheers for Public Health’, in Alison Hann, Health Policy and Politics (Politics of Health Group of the Political Studies Association of the UK). Ashgate, 2007.

Also interests in comparative studies of health and welfare systems:

• ‘The Peculiarities of the Dutch. The political history of welfare in the Netherlands.’ (with Piet de Rooy) Steven King and John Stewart, Welfare Peripheries in Modern European History Peter Lang AG 2007.

Research interests and future projects

Current projects:

• In conjunction with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, a study of Glasgow Medical Officers of Health involving Public Exhibition, Witness Seminar and publication of edited writings.
• History of Social Work in Scotland. See: (With Ian Brodie and Stephen Plunkett) “A Tale of Two Reports. Scottish Social Work 1966- 2006.” British Journal of Social Work. June 2008; 38: 697 – 715
• History of Child Protection in Scotland, building on past work with Children 1st. In conjunction with Chris Robinson of the Social Work Inspection Agency, Scottish Government.
• Currently writing articles for Journal of Medical Humanities (‘Established and Insecure Profession in the era of Joint Working’) and International Social Work (‘Social Work Professionalism in the Comparative Context’)

Research student supervision

Currently supervising 3 Ph.D.s and 1 Prof. D.
Director of Studies on 2:

• Scottish Social Work and the New Public Management. (sponsored studentship by Association of Directors of Social Work Scotland)
• Telemedicine and Occupational Therapists

Recent successful completions:

• A History of District Nursing in Scotland
• Health Visitors and Community Development in Glasgow

Teaching

• British Political and Administrative Development   
• Politics of Health
• Research Methodology for studies of professions   

Contact

Email: c.nottingham@gcal.ac.uk
Tel +44 (0) 141 331 3169
Fax: +44 (0) 141 331 3439
School of Law & Social Sciences
Glasgow Caledonian University
Cowcaddens Road, Glasgow G4 0BA