Stephen Spencer retired as a Senior Lecturer in Sociology in 2020. His research interests include the visual and popular cultural mediation of social and political values in everyday life, the exploration of ‘race’ and ethnicity, media representation and social identities. He is the author of ‘A Dream Deferred’: Guyana Under the Shadow of Colonialism (Hansib, 2006) and Race and Ethnicity: Culture, Identity and Representation (Second Edition, Routledge, 2014), which concerned the ways in which people are classified and the role of images in popular culture as a means of circulating mythical concepts of ‘race’ and multicultural identity. His more recent research has focused on visual methodologies for research and teaching as well as exploring urban divisions, including Africville in Nova Scotia in 2008 and Sheffield in South Yorkshire in 2013–18. He has also produced short video pieces on consumerism, moral panics, media representation of the Iraq conflict, homeless Aborigines in Darwin and the complex meanings of multiculturalism.
This is such an energising and thoughtful exploration of visual methods in their myriad forms. Written accessibly, and blending theoretical and critical discussions with practical advice, Stephen Spencer's book is a must for any researcher using visual methods for the first time, or seeking to develop their visual skillset. Jon Dean , Associate Professor in Politics and Sociology, Sheffield Hallam University, UK