Overview

Harriet began her ESRC (1+3) funded PhD, Homeless Women and their ‘transgressive’ bodies, in 2019 under the supervision of Professor Paul Cloke and Professor Jo Little. Her research seeks to work with homeless women and homeless service providers to explore the ways in which homeless women’s bodies are perceived and treated by wider society, the homeless community and homeless women themselves.

Harriet completed the MRes in Critical Human Geographies at Exeter University in 2019, enabling her to engage in other areas of geography, particularly cultural geography. Part of this involved the production of a Little Miss Homeless book, which sought to engage wider audiences in the issues homeless women face. During the MRes, Harriet completed a 15,000-word dissertation titled: Passports, Pills and Purple Jumpers: The Materialities of Homelessness. This research approached homelessness through the lens and methodology of material culture, seeking to explore the types of things homeless people have, why they have them and how they manage them. Harriet worked with a local homeless service provider and service users and produced a report to share the findings. The dissertation was awarded a distinction grade and the research is currently being disseminated and utilised by local homeless services.

Prior to joining the University of Exeter, Harriet completed a PGCE in Secondary Geography and a BA in Geography from the University of Plymouth.  Her dissertation Do Homeless People Have a Place in Bath? Place, Belonging and Exclusion in cities, focused on the ways in which homeless communities in Bath try and negotiate hostile urban space through making and remaking a sense of place. It also explored the “in-placeness” of homeless people in homeless spaces, focusing on those whose gender identity, ethnicity or nationality still rendered them ‘Other’ in homeless spaces. Her dissertation was awarded a first and nominated for the RGS SCGRG Dissertation Prize.

Harriet currently holds a position on the ethics committee as a PGR representative and is the PGR Representative for Human Geography.

Broad research specialisms:

In addition to homelessness research, I am interested in research surrounding the body, feminist geographies, issues of social injustice as well as creative methods for data collection and research dissemination. 

Qualifications

MRes in Critical Human Geographies, Distinction – University of Exeter
PGCE Secondary Geography – University of Plymouth
BA Geography, First Class (Hons)- University of Plymouth

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Publications

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