Dr Paul Gilfillan (B.A. Hons, MSc. (Taught), MSc. (Research), PhD) is a Senior Lecturer in the Psychology, Sociology and Education Division. He is also an associate member of the Centre for Applied Social Sciences.
- Overview
- Research Interests
- Research Publications
- Teaching & Learning
- Activities & Awards
I was born in 1965 in Kirkcaldy (Fife) and was educated at the local Catholic schools. I left Scotland aged 17 to attend Maynooth College (Ireland) and graduated in 1987. After some years travelling and working abroad I returned to Scotland to complete a Doctorate in Social Anthropology at Edinburgh University (1997-2002) on the topic of Scottish Nationalism.
I was Research Fellow at Glasgow University (2006-2008) before being appointed Lecturer in Sociology at QMU in 2008 and Senior lecturer in 2014. I was Programme Leader for the Psychology & Sociology programme (2010-2014) and during this time helped to successfully launch the new single honours programme in Public Sociology at QMU.
Since 2017 I have co-convened the BSA Scottish Sociology study group. In 2021/2022 I was Senior Visiting Fellow at Mathias Corvinus Collegium (Budapest).
Affiliations/Memberships to Other Organisations:
- British Sociological Association
Research/Knowledge Exchange Centre Membership:
- An associate member of the Centre for Applied Social Sciences
Active research interests:
Ethnography, Social Class, Nationalism, Sociology of Christianity, Sociology of Scotland, Pilgrimage, Cancel Culture
Research Methods:
Ethnography, Interviewing, Longitudinal Research
My main areas of teaching are Introduction to Academic Life, Research Methods, the history of social theory, the sociology of contemporary Scotland.
Awards:
I was nominated for the 2014 BSA Philip Abrams Memorial Prize for best first sole-authored monograph in sociology.
Senior Research Fellow, Mathias Corvinus Collegium (Budapest); Sept. 2021-February 2022.
Activities:
Blog post: The Current State of Scottish Nationalism (2024)
Podcast interview with Grant Dahl: Scottish Nationalism: From Left to Right?
Podcast interview with Szabolcs Janic: Analysis of 2024 UK General Election.
Podcast interview: Did 2024 Elections begin Great Britain’s Breakup?
Podcast interview with Grant Dahl: UK 2024 General Election
MCC Podcast: Patriotism and religion in education - Huub Ruël and Paul Gilfillan
Podcast: Paul Gilfillan on Courage and Humility in the Modern University
MCC Article: Lunch Talks
Mandiner Podcast: Paul Gilfillan a Mandinernek
Corvinak Article: Restoring Scottish education onto its own axis
MCC Conference Budapest: Photo Gallery
MCC Conference Budapest: Photo Gallery 2
MCC Conference Budapest: Photo Gallery 3