Research themes
We have four theme leads who support our work by developing interdisciplinary research clusters. The theme leads work with colleagues from across the university to develop strategic opportunities and projects. The clusters are open to anyone interested in cultural approaches to the grand challenges and are led by early to mid-career researchers.
Culture, trust and technology
Theme lead: Dr Lexi Webster
Research in this theme explores the complexities of our shifting relationships with technology. We examine its influence — both positive and negative — on society and culture.
We explore how technology shapes and interacts with climate awareness, social justice, data ethics, and artistic integrity. Our focus spans across industry, policy, academia, and creative fields.
About Dr Lexi Webster
Lexi Webster is Associate Professor of Digital Culture and Deputy Director of Digital Humanities at the University of Southampton. Lexi’s work is positioned at the interdisciplinary intersections of digital media, communication, and gender/sexuality studies. She is author of the forthcoming monograph Tweeting While Trans (Cambridge University Press) and has published extensively on the relationship between digital media and society. Recent examples of Lexi’s interdisciplinary research collaborations related to the theme of ‘Culture, Trust, and Technology’ include her work as Principal Investigator of Queer Joy as a Digital Good and of the internally funded AI-Enhanced Assessment project in the School of Humanities.
Culture, environment and sustainability
Theme lead: Dr Mike Bintley
This strand fosters collaboration between colleagues in the arts, humanities, and other disciplines. It explores artistic and cultural responses to interactions between humans and environment across time. We highlight the role of creative practice, humanities research, and cultural resources in addressing current and future environmental issues.
Our environmental projects bring together researchers from different fields. They involve creative practitioners focused on biodiversity, climate, and environmental policy. Our projects often focus on specific regions or historical contexts.
Past projects include Creative Writing Against Coastal Waste and Cultures of Ocean Literacy. We are a key partner in the new Environmental Humanities Research Hub. This is led by the School of Advanced Study.
About Dr Mike Bintley
Mike Bintley joined Southampton in 2023 and is Associate Professor in Medieval English literature in the English department. His doctoral work was supervised across literature and archaeology, and his research has a transdisciplinary focus on landscapes and environments of the Middle Ages.
Mike's recent publications include Landscapes and Environments of the Middle Ages (Routledge, 2023), and Trees as Symbol and Metaphor in the Middle Ages: Comparative Contexts (Boydell, 2024).
Culture, health and wellbeing
Theme lead: Dr Joan Tumblety
This strand develops a critical approach to culture and wellbeing. We live in a world saturated with references to wellbeing. It’s there in corporate language, in discussions about mental health, and in relation to a commercialized ‘wellness industry’.
The emergence of this discourse is interesting in itself. It provides important opportunities for those with arts and humanities training to apply the critical perspectives of our respective disciplines.
About Dr Joan Tumblety
Dr Joan Tumblety works on histories of health and wellbeing in modern Europe. Her monograph on physical culture in early to mid-20th century France identified the important role that physicians played as cultural agents in the get-fit craze of the era. Her current research explores natural health cures across mid-century. She is co-organiser of the Southampton Centre for Medical and Health Humanities.
As lead on 'Culture, health and wellbeing,' she looks forward to learning more about how colleagues across the Faculty are already engaging with this theme.
Culture, place and inequality
Theme lead: Dr Kwame Phillips
We develop new approaches to using culture to address inequalities in place. We work with civic partners and community groups in Southampton and Winchester.
Our theme examines place from an arts and humanities perspective. We seek to highlight the lived, geographic, and economic aspects of place. Our aim is to understand how to use culture to support local ambitions and identities.
We want to promote understanding of how places and people create shared meanings. We will also emphasise social impact and community engagement.
This theme supports socially-engaged research across academic disciplines, and ambitious grant opportunities. We will foster collaboration with international academic and cultural institutions. Additionally, we will seek to involve local grassroots organisations and community groups.
About Dr Kwame Phillips
Dr Kwame Phillips is Senior Lecturer in Media Practices at the Winchester School of Art. He specialises in sensory media production, mixtape scholarship and critical media studies.
Phillips’ work combines multi-modal and experimental methods, often centered on remixing and re-purposing. His focus is on resilience, race, and social justice.
He produced the visual mixtape Lovers Rock Dub: An Experiment in Visual Reverberation, and the accompanying chapter "Dub, Ecstasy and Collective Memory in Lovers Rock" in ReFocus: The Films of Steve McQueen.
He is also co-author of "'The People Who Keep on Going': A Radical Listening Party" in The Futures of Black Radicalism and co-creator of the multi-sensorial sound art work “Kabusha Radio Remix.”