Kate Smith

I am a Research Fellow: Children and family wellbeing (asylum and migration) in the Centre for Applied Childhood, Youth and Family Research, University of Huddersfield. I also work as a practitioner manager at WomenCentre, Kirklees in the women’s mental health and wellbeing services, focused on asylum and new migration.

I was awarded a PhD for my thesis entitled "Challenging dominant narratives: Stories of women seeking asylum" (ESRC funded) in February 2015. My research interests centre broadly on the areas of migration, asylum and refugee studies. This includes contesting the inequalities and injustices that coincide with asylum and immigration policies and practices.

I have a strong commitment to qualitative and participatory methods and developing projects and research that contribute to the well-being of women, children and families. My methodological concerns are with the development of narrative relational approaches, storytelling and the role of resistance. I am particularly interested in the stories of women and children whose accounts have been absent from the formation of dominant narratives.

For more information on my publications and current projects please see:
http://www.hud.ac.uk/ourstaff/profile/index.php?staffuid=shumks4

My current work includes a contract with Palgrave Macmillan to co-edit a book – ‘Feminist narrative research: Opportunities and challenges’ which is due to be published in 2016.