You may not view that information via this system.Research interests
- Injury, death and suicide
- Mobilities – in particular cycling
- Peripheral labour
- Work and danger
- Mental health
- Culture and community
See the Sustainable Mobilities Research Group page
Current projects
- Sociological autopsy of suicide
- Evaluation of discourses of mental health and work
- Developing theoretical frames for mobile methodologies
Profile
Ben Fincham trained as an FE teacher at Cardiff University, where he subsequently completed a PhD (2001-4) and an ESRC postdoctoral fellowship (2004-5). He then worked as a research associate with Qualiti, a part of the ESRC National Centre for Research Methods.
He joined the lecturing staff at the University of Brighton in September 2006 and is currently developing projects around non-motorised mobilities. He is also involved with developing qualitative approaches to studying work in unstable employment environments – and with Dr Carl Walker is currently concentrating the complex relationship between work and mental health. He continues to write and publish on suicide and death.
Teaching
Dr Fincham teaches sociology across the undergraduate and postgraduate programme, in particular offering modules on death and mobilities.
Recent publications
Books and reports
Fincham, B., Langer, S., Scourfield, J. and Shiner, M. 100 Suicides Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan (forthcoming 2010)
Fincham, B., McGuinness, M. and Murray, L. (eds) Mobile Methodologies Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan (forthcoming 2009)
Walker, C. and Fincham, B. (2009) Work and the Mental Health Crisis in Britain Oxford: Blackwells (forthcoming)
Bloor, M., Fincham, B. and Sampson, H. (2007) Qualiti (NCRM) Commissioned Inquiry into the Risk to Well-being of Researchers in Qualitative Research, Cardiff: Qualiti
Chapters
Fincham, B. (2007) 'Bicycle Messengers: Image, Identity and Culture' in Horton and Rosen (eds) Cycling and Society, Aldershot: Ashgate
Fincham, B. (2006) 'Bicycle Messengers and the Road to Freedom' in Jones, Bohm, Land and Pederson (eds) Against Automobility, Oxford: Blackwell
Available at: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1467-954X.2006.00645.x
Journal articles
Sampson, H., Bloor, M. and Fincham, B. (2008) 'A price worth paying: Considering the 'cost' of reflexive research methods and the influence of feminist ways of 'doing'' Sociology 42 (5) (forthcoming)
Fincham, B. (2008) 'Balance is everything: Bicycle messengers, work and leisure' Sociology 42 (4) 619-635
Fincham, B. Scourfield, J. and Langer, S. (2008) 'The Impact of Working with Disturbing Secondary Data: Reading Suicide Files in a Coroner's Office' Qualitative Health Research 18: 853-862
Langer, S., Scourfield, S. and Fincham, B. (2008) 'Documenting the quick and the dead: a study of suicide case files in a coroner's office' Sociological Review 56 (2) 293-308
Bloor, M., Fincham, B. and Sampson, H. (2007) 'Qualiti (NCRM) Commissioned Inquiry into the Risk to Well-being of Researchers In Qualitative Research' Qualitative Researcher 6 September 2007 2-4
Langer, S., Scourfield, J. and Fincham, B. (2007) Documents of life and death: Identities beyond the life course in a coroner's suicide files Qualiti (NCRM) Working Paper Series November 2007 Available at:
http://www.cf.ac.uk/socsi/qualiti/WorkingPapers/Qualiti_WPS_004.pdf
Fincham, B. (2007) ''Generally speaking people are in it for the cycling and the beer': Bicycle messengers, subculture and enjoyment' Sociological Review 55 (2) 189-202
Fincham, B., Scourfield, J. and Langer, S. (2007) 'Documentary Data: Single medium, multiple modes?' Qualitative Researcher 5 June 2007 2-4
Fincham, B., Scourfield, J. and Langer, S. (2007) The emotional impact of working with disturbing secondary data Qualiti (NCRM) Working Paper Series March 2007 Available at:
http://www.cf.ac.uk/socsi/qualiti/WorkingPapers/Qualiti_WPS_002.pdf
Fincham, B. (2006) 'Back to the Old School: Bicycle Messengers, Employment and Ethnography' Qualitative Research 6 (2) 187-205
Fincham, B. (2006) 'Ethics, risk and well-being' Qualitative Researcher 2 Spring 2006 1-2
Fincham, B. (2004) Bicycle Couriers in the New Economy Cardiff Working Paper Series. Paper 46 January 2004
Invited presentations
Fincham, B. 'It's a question of balance: Mobile methodologies and studies of mobility' ESRC Interdisciplinary Seminar Series, University of Cardiff, 12th June 2007
Fincham, B. 'Why would anybody hate cyclists? Everyday deviance on the roads' University of Brighton Social Science Forum, University of Brighton 25th April 2007
Conference papers
Johnson, K. and Fincham, B. (2008) Lost in translation: communication and suicidal behaviours Ethnographies of Suicide International Conference Brunel University 2nd-3rd July 2008
Johnson, K. and Fincham, B. (2008) Between the living and the dead: communication and suicidal behaviours Subjectivity International Conference Cardiff University 27th-29th June 2008
Scourfield, J., Shiner, M., Fincham, B. and Langer, S. (2008) Gender and suicide across the life course: integrating qualitative and quantitative data British Sociological Association Annual Conference Warwick University 28th-30th March 2008
Scourfield, J., Fincham, B. and Langer, S.(2006) Using multi-modal qualitative data as evidence ESRC Research Methods Festival St. Catherines College, Oxford University 17th-20th July 2006
Bloor, M., Fincham, B. and Sampson, H. (2006) An Early Report on the National Centre for Research Methods' Inquiry on Risk to Researcher Well-being' ESRC Research Methods Festival St. Catherines College, Oxford University 17th-20th July 2006
Fincham, B. (2006) "...taxi drivers and bus drivers hate us don't they, they really do" - Bicycle messengers in the city British Sociological Association Annual Conference 2006 Harrogate International Centre 21st-23rd April 2006
Fincham, B. (2006) The antagonism between cyclists and other road users National Cycling and Society Symposium University of Chester 10th-11th April 2006
Fincham, B. (2005) The road to freedom? Bicycle couriers, danger and work European Sociological Association Copernicus University, Torun, Poland. 9th-12th September 2005
Fincham, B. (2004) 'I heard the other day that somebody is riding a single speed free wheel bike with no brakes, so there's crazy people out there': Reflections on a study into the bicycle messenger industry in the UK National Cycling and Society Symposium Lancaster University. 29th-30th June 2004
Fincham, B. (2003) Comment esquiver la terrible avancée du capitalisme en donnant des vélos aux mesagers de la nouvelle économie Velo-City 2003 International Conference Maison de la Chimie, Marie de Paris, Paris. 23rd-26th September 2003
Fincham, B. (2003) Bicycle Messengers in the new economy International Conference of Critical Psychology Bath University 27th-31st August 2003
Fincham, B. (2003) Biycle messengers in the UK Welsh National Student Conference Gregynog, University of Wales 2003
Fincham, B.(2002) Dodging the juggernaut of capitalism: Bicycle messengers International Automobility Conference Keele University 8th-10th September 2002