Dr Ian Cook

Assistant Professor

Department: Social Sciences

Ian has worked in the Department of Social Sciences since 2011. He works across the disciplines/fields of geography, urban studies and criminology.

His research often focuses on cities, and his latest research project consider people's experiences of, and the governance of, pedestrian underpasses in Newcastle. Away from cities, he is also working on a research project looks at the experience of academics who move between academic disciplines.

Before arriving in the North East, Ian worked at the University of Liverpool, University of Portsmouth and University of Manchester. Most importantly, he is a fan of Portsmouth Football Club.

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Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

Ian's research focuses on cities, with a particular emphasis on five issues: (1) public spaces; (2) policy mobilities; (3) sex work; (4) fictional cities and crime; and (5) the temporality of cities:

Public spaces - Returning to an earlier interest in public space, Ian's current research explores a seldom-researched but common-place form of public space: pedestrian underpasses. A recent article by Ian and colleagues explores the sensory, gendered and aged dimensions of people's encounters with pedestrian underpasses.
Policy mobilities - Perhaps his best known work is on policy mobilities which looked at the construction and movement of models of best practice, often in the field of urban development and urban regeneration (e.g. Business Improvement Districts, suburban developments, waterfront regeneration, sporting mega-events) as well as sex work. A key part of this research involved looking at the methods through which policymakers learn about policies elsewhere, focusing in particular on study tours, conferences and award ceremonies.
Sex work - Ian has worked on a number of projects about sex work, many with an urban focus. These projects include ones looking at how clients of sex work are policed (and the use of John Schools in the UK); the international circulation of sex work policy models; the role of platforms within contemporary sex work; and activism by sex work academics.
Fictional cities and crime - Ian is examining the representation of cities within crime dramas and crime fiction. He has explored this through an analysis of the crime drama Breaking Bad and is currently analysing these issues in Ian Rankin's long-running John Rebus novels.
The temporality of cities - He is currently writing about the relationship between time and cities. Here he is exploring the role of time in the policing of urban sex work as well as how the issue of time runs through urban crime fiction.

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Platforms, sex work and their interconnectedness, Swords, J., Laing, M., Cook, I. 1 Mar 2023, In: Sexualities
Sensory criminology, social identities and public space: encounters with pedestrian underpasses in Newcastle upon Tyne, Cook, I., Wiper, C., Smith, M. 9 Sep 2023, In: Criminological Encounters
The Rebus guided tour: Edinburgh, UK, Cook, I., Rowe, M. 14 Mar 2023, 50 Dark Destinations, Bristol, Policy Press
"Maybe I’m a quiet activist": sex work scholars and negotiations of ‘minor’ academic-activism, Laing, M., Cook, I., Baker, T., Calder-Dawe, O. 1 Apr 2022, In: Sexualities
Time and detective novels: exploring the past and the night in Ian Rankin’s John Rebus series, Cook, I. Apr 2022, In: Clues: A Journal of Detection
Victims, witnesses and the criminal justice system, Davies, P., Cook, I. Nov 2021, An Introduction to Criminology, London, SAGE
Conferences, award ceremonies and the showcasing of ‘best practice’: A case study of the annual European Week of Regions and Cities in Brussels, Andersson, I., Cook, I. 1 Dec 2019, In: Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space
Criminological policy mobilities and sex work: Understanding the movement of the ‘Swedish model’ to Northern Ireland, Dodds, L., Cook, I., Laing, M. 1 Sep 2019, In: British Journal of Criminology
Inside mobile urbanism: cities and policy mobilities, Temenos, C., Baker, T., Cook, I. Jun 2019, Handbook of Urban Geography, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar
Sex work, sensory urbanism and visual criminology: Exploring the role of the senses in shaping residential perceptions of brothels in Blackpool, Cooper, E., Cook, I., Bilby, C. May 2018, In: International Journal of Urban and Regional Research

Professional Activity

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Organising a conference, workshop, ...: Sex Work Research Hub Postgraduate Conference 2018

PGR Supervision

Laura McMenzie Models on the Move: The Mobilities of Swedish and Dutch Sex Work Policies Start Date: 01/10/2015 End Date: 21/01/2022

Qualifications

Geography PhD September 01 2008
Fellow of Advance HE

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