Country of residence

United Kingdom

Brief introduction

Senior Lecturer, University of Exeter

Education

PhD (Education, 2000, University of Exeter)

Academic profile

My work is inter-disciplinary - including theory from sociology, social psychology and anthropology, as well as from education and cultural studies. The central focus of my research relates to the interface between culture, identity and education among marginal groups. My work has investigated the above, mainly, in relation to Gypsy/Romani studies, and my articles have explored cultural dissonance in the home/school interface, considering aspects such as orientations to space, play, gender and literacy. In general, I am interested in the processes by which groups become marginalised; the ways in which group boundaries are established and maintained; and the evolution of identity markers. I am also interested in cultural experiences of childhood, and in the constructions of cultural memory. The methodological frameworks in which I work relate to ethnography; visual ethnography, and life stories. Ultimately, I believe that research should not be a narrow, academic exercise: ideally, it should entail work with communities and be of value to group members.

Publications

• Levinson, M.P. (2007): Literacy in Gypsy Communities: Cultural Capital manifested as negative assets, American Educational Research Journal, 44:1, pp.1-35
• Levinson, M.P. and Silk, A. (2007): Dreams of the Road - Sune Le Dromenge: Gypsy Life in the West Country, Edinburgh, Birlinn Books.
• Interviewed BBC Radio 4  Thinking Allowed (25.7.07)

Keywords

Marginalization; culture; identity; ethnography; education

Contact

M.P.Levinson@ex.ac.uk browse members list