Thursday Lunch Online Seminars
Lunchtime Seminar Sessions (12-1pm, Thursdays)
Our lunchtime sessions share fresh perspectives on a range of methods and methodological topics. Our sessions take place between 12pm and 1pm on Thursdays during University term time.
They are designed for researchers adopting social science and humanities research methods & approaches, and attract an engaged audience from inside and outside academia to provide a forum to share and discuss the latest research techniques and methodologies.
If you are interested in presenting in the Methods North West Lunchtime Seminar Series, please contact your institutional lead:
- University of Manchester Jessica Gagnon
- University of Lancashire Emily Cooper
- University of Lancaster Catherine Oliver
- University of Liverpool Michael Mair
- Keele University Santiago Abel Amietta
Thursday Lunchtime Seminars ran previously can be found here. Please note in some years, these events ran between 2pm – 3pm.
Upcoming Lunchtime Seminars
Making (slowly) as method: stitching together a patchwork ethnography of natural textile dyeing
This Methods North West Lunchtime Seminar draws on emerging ideas about ‘patchwork ethnography’, an approach mobilising the often multi-sited, fragmented, non-linear character of ethnographic research in practice. The talk shares findings from the Making Slow Colour research and outlines two textile making methods: group stitching conversations, and auto-ethnographic quilt-making. I explore how the ‘soft’ metaphors of piecing, steeping and stitching might be useful for cultivating gentle, creative and slowly-paced methodological praxis.
Lead: Dr Laura Pottinger (University of Manchester)
Date: 1 October 2026
Action-guiding for whom? Social movements and political theory of migration
In this Methods North West Lunchtime Seminar, attendees will be introduced to grounded normative theory and consider how empirical engagement with social movements can inform normative political theorising. The session will explore how this approach can bring empirical research and normative political theory into dialogue, including questions about whose knowledge informs theory, how researchers can theorise with rather than simply about marginalised groups, and what is gained by treating social movements as producers of political knowledge.
Lead: Dr Clara Sandelind (University of Manchester)
Date: 22 October 2026
Collaboration, Creativity, and the Ethics of Care: Engaging arts-based methods to explore everyday inequalities
This Methods North West Lunchtime Seminar will talk through the creative arts-based and collaborative approaches used in the Embodied Everyday project, showcasing how ethical, practical, and creative elements work through each stage of the research process, from collaborative research design, through group workshops, and preparation of creative outputs. Whilst the session will discuss themes from broad theological and ethical theories around care, embodiment, and social change, the session will be of interest to and accessible to researchers across a range of disciplines, particularly those interested in issues of collaborative research, creative arts-based approaches, and inequality.
Lead: Dr Wren Radford (University of Manchester)
Date: 28 January 2027
Viral Memories: Understanding Gay Men’s Experiences of HIV and COVID-19 in the UK
This Methods North West Lunch Time Seminar will explore the methodology and methods used in more depth by discussing some of the benefits and limitations of conducting online semi-structured interviews. The presentation will spark a broader discussion about some of the ethical implications of using of online interview methods to research sensitive topics as well as showcasing some dissemination pieces from the project.
Lead: Sophie Atherton (University of Manchester)
Date: 18 February 2027
Getting to know the unemployed: insights from 12 months of ethnographic research among Manchester’s Jobseekers
In this Methods North West Lunchtime Seminar, attendees will explore the challenges and benefits of immersive longitudinal research into social life alongside the personal challenges of the ethnographer in faithfully representing what they have experienced. John will suggest that genuine ethnographic immersion holds the potential to provide levels of depth and intimacy with a subject which are much needed within today’s research community.
Lead: Dr John Foster (University of Manchester)
Date: 6 May 2027
Upcoming Events
Methods North West Catalyst and Methods Lab Grants Info Session
Date: 14 October 2026
Time: 3 – 3:45pm
Venue: Online via MS Teams
Interested in applying for a Methods North West Catalyst grant or Methods Labs grant? Join our online information session to learn more about both funding opportunities, what they support, eligibility, and the application process. We’ll introduce the aims of each scheme, explain what we’re looking for in proposals, and provide practical guidance to help you develop a strong application. The webinar will conclude with an opportunity for attendees to ask questions.
Queer Methods in the Social Sciences Workshop Series (Catalyst Bid)
Leads: Dr Jamie Hagen (University of Manchester) and Dr Emma Spruce (University of Liverpool)
- 12 October, Queer and Feminist Art-Based Methods Workshop (Manchester)
- 26 October, Queer and Trans Archival Research Workshop (Liverpool)
- 9 November, Methods for Interviews and Fieldwork with LGBTQ Organizations (Liverpool)
- 23 November, Queer Methods in Social Sciences Toolkit Launch and Showcase (Manchester)
How might queer approaches transform the way we do social science research?
Join us in Manchester and Liverpool for a series of interactive workshops exploring Queer Methods in the Social Sciences, designed for postgraduate researchers and early career researchers interested in gender, sexuality, and innovative approaches to research.
The series brings together leading researchers working across a range of qualitative methods, offering a chance to explore how queer can shape the way we design, conduct, analyse and communicate research. Workshops will focus on arts-based research, archival research, and fieldwork and interviews, whilst making space for broader questions about what queer methods can offer social science research.
Register your place at the links above.
Archives out of the Box: Innovating Methods for Critical and Creative Praxis (Catalyst Bid)
Date: 8 and 9 December 2026
Venue: University of Manchester
Leads: Dr Arianna Tozzi, Dr Purva Dewoolkar and Sharan Kaur (University of Manchester)
This two-day workshop will help participants translate theoretical insights into practical methodological tools and think with archives “outside of the box”.
Participants are invited to present an “archival puzzle”: an object, image, absence, or contradiction that has challenged their archival journey. For instance, disruptive more-than-human agents or colonial planning failures might reveal how material conditions or marginalised actors shape social conditions but are hard to map using conventional archival practices.
Queries and submissions should be directed to archivesoutofthebox@manchester.ac.uk
