Brian Doherty

Biography

I have worked at Keele since 1991 after completing my PhD at Manchester University (on The Ideology of Green Parties). Prior to this I studied Politics at the Universities of Durham (BA) and Kent (MA).

Research and scholarship

My principal research interest is in the relationship between radical ideas and actions, particularly in environmental movements. My work has therefore covered green parties, local environmental protesters, major NGOs, and environmental direct action in Britain and other countries. I have had funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) for projects on UK environmental direct action and on Friends of the Earth International and from the Environment Agency for projects on local environmental campaigns in the UK.

My most recent book (with Tim Doyle - Keele and Adelaide) is a study of the internal politics of Friends of the Earth International. We carried out a three year study of FoEI, funded by the ESRC. This included a survey of its member organisations, observation of key meetings and analysis of its internal debates. The research concentrates on the sometimes contentious relations between Northern and Southern member organisations of FoEI. We were fortunate to be able to do the research while FoEI was developing a strategic plan following political differences that had caused divisions in previous years. We argue that FoEI has developed a particularly productive form of solidarity which enables its members to work together despite their differences, and that the complex processes that create solidarity in transnational networks and organisations, while little appreciated or studied, are of great significance in showing how common action can be sustained transnationally.

Teaching

I am currently the co-ordinator of the following modules:

Why Politics Matters (Politics, Level 1)

This aims to introduce students to the normative and contestable aspects of politics. It is taught by a team of SPIRE colleagues and covers the nature of politics, democracy, dissent, violence and terror, power, inequality and political disenchantment and political ideologies.

Power to the People: Understanding the Origins of Modern Western Politics (Politics Level 2)

Examines the major social changes that have shaped politics such as the emergence of capitalism, national identities, democratization, protest and political violence and grassroots movements. We focus on Britain, France, Germany and the USA.

Protest and Social Movements (Level 3)

Covers the debates about the role of protest in current democratic politics, the effects of the state on mobilization, activist cultures and identity, movements against authoritarian regimes, and trans-national movements – with reference to theories of social movements or normative theories of political dissent.

Dimensions of Environmental Politics (MA)

This is a team-taught module which offers a broad overview of environmental politics covering political theory, policy, international relations and political sociology.

Environmental Movements: North and South (MA)

This module fits closely with my main research. We look at environmental movements past and present – from a thematic perspective, examining the comparative impacts of political systems on environmental movements; the bureaucratic pressures on large environmental NGOs; the culture of local environmental campaigns; direct action protesters; radical environmentalism in the global South, how transnational environmental networks manage their differences; the heroes and villains of green movement history and whether we are now seeing the 'end of environmentalism'.

Further information

Editing

Co-editor of Social Movement Studies 2005-12 (Managing Editor 2006 – 2010), now Consulting Editor, and a member of the Editorial Board since 2001.
Book Reviews Editor of Environmental Politics from 1996 until 2003 and a member of the Editorial Board since 1992.
Member of the Editorial Board of Sociology Compass (Social Movements section) 2007-13.
Co-Editor of a series of biographies of left-activists called Revolutionary Lives for Pluto Press 2009-13.

External Examining

University of Kent, 2007-10 BA Environmental Social Science; MA in Political Sociology and Msc Environmental Social Science
Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, 1996-2000 MA in the Politics of Democracy,
Research Degrees: Sheffield University, Bristol University, University of Paisley; Newcastle University, University of Kent, University of Manchester, Queen’s University Belfast, the University of East Anglia, European University Institute, University of Cambridge.

Selected Publications

Saunders C, Doherty B, Hayes G. 2020. A New Climate Movement? Extinction Rebellion’s Activists in Profile. CUSP Working Paper No 25. link> full text>
de Moor J, Catney P, Doherty B. 2021. What hampers 'political' action in environmental alternative action organizations? Exploring the scope for strategic agency under post-political conditions. SOCIAL MOVEMENT STUDIES, 312-328, vol. 20(3). link> doi> full text>
Wahlström M, Sommer M, Kocyba P, de Vydt M, De Moor J, Davies S, Wouters R, Wennerhag M, van Stekelenburg J, Uba K, Saunders C, Rucht D, Mickecz D, Zamponi L, Lorenzini J, Kołczyńska M, Haunss S, Giugni M, Gaidyte T, Doherty B, Buzogany A. 2019. Protest for a future: Composition, mobilization and motives of the participants in Fridays For Future climate protests on 15 March, 2019 in 13 European cities. full text>
Doherty BJA, Cammiss S, Hayes G. The use of anti-terror laws to convict the Stansted 15 will chill public dissent. News magazinelink>
Doherty BJA, De Moor J, Hayes G. 2018. The 'new' climate politics of Extinction Rebellion?. link>

Full Publications Listshow

Books

Pickerill J, Krinsky J, Hayes G, Gillan K, Doherty B. 2014. Occupy! a Global Movement. Routledge.
Doherty B and Doyle T. 2013. Environmentalism, Resistance and Solidarity. Palgrave Macmillan UK. doi>
Doherty BJA and Doyle T. 2013. Environmentalism, Resistance and Solidarity: the Politics of Friends of the Earth International. Palgrave Macmillan.
Doherty B and Doyle T. Doherty B and Doyle TJ (Eds.). 2008. Beyond borders: Environmental Movements and Transnational Politics. Routledge.
DOHERTY BJA. 2002. Ideas and Action in the Green Movement. Routledge.
Seel B, Paterson M, Doherty B. 2000. Direct action in British environmentalism. Routledge. doi>
Doherty B and Geus MD. 1996. Democracy and green political thought. Routledge.

Journal Articles

Cammiss S, Hayes G, Doherty B. 2021. Necessity, Non‐Violent Direct Activism, and the Stansted 15: Reasserting ‘Hoffmann's Bargain’. The Modern Law Review. doi> full text>
Hayes G, Cammiss S, Doherty B. 2021. Disciplinary Power and Impression Management in the Trials of the Stansted 15. SOCIOLOGY-THE JOURNAL OF THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, 561-581, vol. 55(3). link> doi> full text>
de Moor J, Catney P, Doherty B. 2021. What hampers 'political' action in environmental alternative action organizations? Exploring the scope for strategic agency under post-political conditions. SOCIAL MOVEMENT STUDIES, 312-328, vol. 20(3). link> doi> full text>
Doherty B and Doyle T. 2018. Friends of the Earth International: Agonistic Politics, Modus vivendi and Political Change. Environmental Politics. doi> link> full text>
Doherty B. 1999. Paving the way: The rise of direct action against road-building and the changing character of British environmentalism. POLITICAL STUDIES, 275-291, vol. 47(2). link> doi>
DOHERTY BJA, Paterson M, Plows A, Wall D. 2003. Explaining the fuel protests. British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 1-23, vol. 5(1). doi> full text>
Doherty BJA and Hayes G. 2014. Having Your Day in Court: Judicial Opportunity and Tactical Choice in Anti-GMO Campaigns in France and the United Kingdom. Comparative Political Studies, 3-29, vol. 47(1). doi> full text>
Doherty BJA and Hayes G. 2012. Tactics, traditions and opportunities: British and French crop-trashing actions in comparative perspective. European Journal of Political Research, 540-562, vol. 41(4). doi> full text>
Doherty B. 1992. The fundi‐realo controversy: An analysis of four European green parties. Environmental Politics, 95-120, vol. 1(1). doi>
DOHERTY BJA, Plows A, Wall D. 2007. Environmental direct action in Manchester, Oxford and North Wales: A protest event analysis. Environmental Politics, 805-825, vol. 16(5). doi> full text>
Doherty B and Doyle T. 2006. Beyond borders: Transnational politics, social movements and modern environmentalisms. ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS, 697-712, vol. 15(5). link> doi> full text>
DOHERTY BJA. 2006. Friends of the Earth International: Negotiating a transnational identity. Environmental Politics, 860-880, vol. 15(5). doi> full text>
Doyle T and Doherty B. 2006. Green public spheres and the green governance state: The politics of emancipation and ecological conditionality. ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS, 881-892, vol. 15(5). link> doi> full text>
Doherty B, Plows A, Wall D. 2004. Covert repertoires: ecotage in the UK. Social Movement Studies, 199-220, vol. 3(2). doi> full text>
Doherty B, Plows A, Wall D. 2003. The preferred way of doing things: The British Direct Action Movement. Parliamentary Affairs, 669-686, vol. 56(4). doi>
Doherty B, Paterson M, Plows A, Wall D. 2002. The fuel protests of 2000: implications for the environmental movement in Britain. Environmental Politics, 165-173, vol. 11(2). doi>
DOHERTY BJA. 2002. The revolution in High Lane? Direct action community politics in Manchester in the 1970s. North West Labour History Journal, 60-64, vol. 27.
Barry J and Doherty B. 2001. The Greens and Social Policy: Movements, Politics and Practice?. Social Policy and Administration, 587-607, vol. 35(5). doi>
DOHERTY B. 1999. Manufactured Vulnerability: Eco-Activist Tactics in Britain. Mobilization, 75-89, vol. 4(1). full text>
Doherty B. 1998. Opposition to road-building. PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS, 370-383, vol. 51(3). link> doi>
DOHERTY B and Faucher F. 1996. The Decline of Green Politics in France. Environmental Politics, 108-114, vol. 5(1).
DOHERTY B. 1992. 'The Fundi-Realo Controversy'. Environmental Politics, 95-120, vol. 1(1).
DOHERTY B. 1992. The Autumn 1991 Conference of the UK Green Party. Environmental Politics, 292-298, vol. 1(2). doi>

Chapters

Doherty B and Saunders C. 2021. Global Climate Strike Protesters and Media Coverage of the Protests in Truro and Manchester. In When Students Protest: Universities in the Global North. (16 vols.). Rowman & Littlefield. link> full text>
Doherty B and Hayes G. 2018. Tactics and Strategic Action. In The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Social Movements. Snow DA, Soule SA, Kriesi H, McCammon HJ (Eds.). (vol. The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Social Movements). Oxford: Wiley Blackwell. link> link> full text>
Doherty BJA, Hayes G, Rootes CA. 2016. Social Movement Studies in Britain: No Longer the Poor Relation?. In Social Movement Studies in Europe: The State of the Art. Fillieule O and Accornero G (Eds.). (25 vols.). Oxford: Berghahn Books. full text>
Doherty BJA and Hayes G. 2015. The Courts: Criminal Trials as Strategic Arenas. In Breaking Down the State: Protesters Engaged. Duyvendak JW and Jasper JM (Eds.). (9 vols.). Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. link> full text>
Doherty BJA. 2013. Tactics. In The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social and Political Movements. Snow, D.A., della Porta, D., Klandermans, B., McAdam, D. (Eds.). (vol. 3). Blackwell. link>
Doherty BJA and Doyle TJ. 2012. North-South Environmentalisms: Friends of the Earth International (FOEI). In Global Matters for Non-Governmental Public Action. Howell J (Ed.). Basingstoke: Palgrave. doi> link>
Doherty B. 2009. Protest. In The Oxford Handbook of British Politics. Flinders M, Gamble A, Hay C, Kenny M (Eds.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi>
DOHERTY B and Hayes G. 2008. A Tale of Two Movements: manifestations ogm en Grande-Bretagne et en France. In La désobéissance civile. Hiez D, Mellon C, Villalba B (Eds.). Presses Univ. Septentrion.
DOHERTY BJA and Sloboda J. 2007. The Psychology of Anti-War Activism: 1. The British Anti-War Movement 1956-2006. In Just War: Psychology and Terrorism and Iraq. Roberts R (Ed.). PCCS Books.
DOHERTY BJA and Sloboda J. 2007. The Psychology of Anti-War Activism: 2. Building an Enduring Anti-War Movement. In Just War: Psychology and Terrorism and Iraq. Roberts R (Ed.). PCCS Books.
DOHERTY B. 2007. Environmental Movements. In The Politics of the Environment. London: Routledge. link>
Doherty B and Barry JJ. 2002. The Greens and social policy: movements, politics and practice. In Environmental Issues and Social Welfare. Barry J and Frankland EG (Eds.). Blackwell, Oxford.
Doherty B and Hayes G. Chapitre 10. A Tale of Two Movements. In La désobéissance civile. Presses universitaires du Septentrion. doi>
Doherty B. GREEN PARTIES, NONVIOLENCE AND POLITICAL OBLIGATION. In DEMOCRACY AND GREEN POLITICAL THOUGHT. Taylor & Francis. doi>

Other

Saunders C, Doherty B, Hayes G. 2020. A New Climate Movement? Extinction Rebellion’s Activists in Profile. CUSP Working Paper No 25. link> full text>
Doherty B and Hayes G. 2019. What Now for Extinction Rebellion?.
Wahlström M, Sommer M, Kocyba P, de Vydt M, De Moor J, Davies S, Wouters R, Wennerhag M, van Stekelenburg J, Uba K, Saunders C, Rucht D, Mickecz D, Zamponi L, Lorenzini J, Kołczyńska M, Haunss S, Giugni M, Gaidyte T, Doherty B, Buzogany A. 2019. Protest for a future: Composition, mobilization and motives of the participants in Fridays For Future climate protests on 15 March, 2019 in 13 European cities. full text>
Doherty BJA, Cammiss S, Hayes G. The use of anti-terror laws to convict the Stansted 15 will chill public dissent. News magazinelink>
Doherty BJA, De Moor J, Hayes G. 2018. The 'new' climate politics of Extinction Rebellion?. link>
Barnett J, Breakwell G, Doherty B, Gray K, Rootes C. 2008. Understanding Special Interest Groups. link>
Barnett J, Carr A, Doherty B, Johnstone G, Rootes C. 2004. Literature review on environmental citizenship.
Sloboda J and Doherty B. 2004. The human face of political dissent: what we know about the anti-war marchers of February 2003.
DOHERTY BJA. 2001. Luddites.
DOHERTY BJA. 2001. The anti-roads movement.
DOHERTY BJA. 2001. monkey-wrenching.
DOHERTY BJA. 2001. non-violent direct action.
Doherty BJA, Hayes G, Cammiss S. 2019. TREATING THE STANSTED 15 AS TERRORISTS IS PART OF A WORRYING TREND. https://politicalquarterly.blog/2019/01/10/treating-the-stansted-15-as-terrorists-is-part-of-a-worrying-wider-trend/link>

PhD Supervision

I am particularly keen to supervise students working on any area of the study of social movements and protest, broadly defined; ideologies, and political activism.

Since 1998, I have supervised 7 PhDs and two MPhils. All completed their projects successfully.

Darren Hoad ‘Governance and Participation in Local Environmental Campaigns: Manchester and Amsterdam’ (MPhil).
Kasumi Ozawa ‘Political Dimensions in the Philosophy of the New Paradigm’ (MPhil).
Ben Seel ‘Strategy, Identity and Counter-Hegemony in British Environmental Groups’ (PhD).
Iosif Botetzagias, ‘A Network Analysis of the Greek Environment Movement,’ (PhD)
Steve Roberts ‘Prometheus Bound: A Materialist Critique of Science, Technology and Environmentalism’ (PhD).
Darrell Whitman, ‘The Political Shaping of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: A Critical Enquiry into the Politics of Climate Science’ (PhD).
Philip Burton-Cartledge ‘A Reflexive and Value-Added Analysis of Contemporary Trotskyist Activism in Britain' (PhD, ESRC funded).
Glenn Flint ‘ Otpor and Political Aesthetics’ (PhD).
Jon Cope 'Constructions of Neo-Liberal Hegemony' (PhD).

Current PhD Students:

Carys Hughes (Keele Graduate Teaching Assistant 2011-2014): ‘The Use of A-Legal Space.’

Prospective Students

Please feel free to contact me by email with an outline research proposal. This should include

Your research question – clearly identified.
How you propose to answer this question. What theoretical and/or empirical work do you expect to undertake (e.g. case studies)?
How your research project relates to relevant academic debates or literatures on movements, activism or protest? What likely contribution do you expect to make to such debates or literatures?
What research methodology do you expect to employ in your project?

Keele provides funding for PhDs through its annual studentship competition.

Further information is available about studying in SPIRE, including funding available for pursuing a doctoral research degree.

School of Social, Political and Global Studies
Chancellor's Building CBA1.039
Keele University
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Tel: +44 (0) 1782 734346

Undergraduate and postgraduate enquiries
Tel: +44 (0) 1782 734346
Email: spgs.office@keele.ac.uk

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Professor Brian Doherty