Profile

Biography

PhD Sociology (In progress) - University of York

MSc Criminology and Criminal Psychology - University of Greenwich

BSc Sociology and Social Science (Hons) - Canterbury Christ Church University

My undergraduate degree involved studying the interactions between Sociology, Criminology, Anthropology, Psychology, and Philosophy. I then went on to study Criminology and Criminal Psychology during my Masters; taking a specific interest in the relationship between serial murder and the development of capitalism.

This ultimately left me with an interest in conducting interdisciplinary research. My PhD thesis combines elements of Sociology and Anthropology to explore how the materials of the dead body are managed as they pass through the death care process. I am specifically interested in how materials, such as a hip implant, are recycled and yield a form of value. The overall aim is to decipher what the definition of this value might be in order to better understand the management practices underpinning the UK death care process.

More widely, I lead a postgraduate group for researchers that study sensitive issues, otherwise known as ROSII.  It provides a place for peer support and discussion regarding the ethical and emotional challenges of researching sensitive issues. These issues may be internal ones, where we speak about coping with the emotions that the research triggers, but we also explore the wider implications of these, such as the consideration of sensitive research in the ethics process. The direction of the discussion and activities that we undertake is guided by what our members feel would be helpful. If you’re encountering these issues and would like to discuss them with others who are going through something similar, ROSII is open to you. If you are interested in becoming part of the group, please do email me at daniel.robins@york.ac.uk.

Publications

Full publications list

Journal Articles:

Robins, D, (2017), ‘Toxic Necro-Waste’, Social Epistemology Review and Reply Collective, 6, (10), 39-42.

Other Publications:

Robins, D, (2017), ‘Dealing with Toxic Necro-Waste’, Discover Society, Accessed here: https://discoversociety.org/2017/10/31/dealing-with-toxic-necro-waste/

Robins, D, (2017), ‘Corpses in the Threshold: Overcoming Toxicity’, Threshold. Accessed here: https://thresholdyork.wordpress.com/2017/10/19/corpses-in-the-threshold-overcoming-toxicity/

Conference Presentations:

Robins, D. (2018). ‘Disposing of Necro-Waste’. Nineteenth Colloquium on Cemeteries. University of York, York. 18 May.

Robins, D. (2018). ‘Disposing of Necro-Waste’. Skeletons, Stories, Social Bodies. University of Southampton, Southampton. 20-22 March.

Robins, D. (2017). 'The Poisonous Corpse: Disposing of Toxic Necro-Waste'. Invited Speaker. Encountering Corpses III. Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester. 9-10 December.

Teaching

Undergraduate

Current

Introduction to Social Theory

Previous

I have previously conducted lectures and seminars on the following modules:

Introducing Social Psychology
Crime, Culture, and Social Change
Theoretical Criminology

Postgraduate

Previous

Themes and Issues in Contemporary Sociology