Stephanie Jones

I began my doctoral research in October 2015 having been awarded a WISERD PhD studentship as part of the ESRC funded WISERD Civil Society Research Centre. Prior to this I gained an MA (Merit) in Comparative Criminology and Criminal Justice in 2015, and a BA (Hons) (First Class) in Criminology and Criminal Justice in 2014.

My thesis explores heritage activity as an emerging forms of cultural and social participation. Whilst some traditional forms of association are perceived to be in decline, participation and volunteering in heritage groups appears to flourishing.

My research aims to understand this dynamic by focusing on the people who take part and volunteer for local heritage groups in different parts of Wales. It aims to understand their backgrounds and motivations, the meanings they attach to volunteering, and their orientations to place. The thesis also strives towards understanding the contribution heritage groups make to local communities. A multi-method approach is adopted to explore this including the secondary analysis of baseline data on cultural and heritage participation as well as the collection of different sorts of primary data with individuals and groups