Contact Details

Email

p.abbott@abdn.ac.uk

Address

The University of Aberdeen Room 517
University of Aberdeen
MacRobert Building 
King's College
Aberdeen
AB24 3FX
Aberdeen 
 

Biography

I am a professor in the School of Education at the University of Aberdeen and Director of the Centre for Global Development. I am also a member of the Centre for Civil Society and the Rule of Law and the New Europe Centre.

My main reseach interests are in gender, quality of life and social quality, and social, economic and political transfromations. I have carried out reseach in the UK, the European Union, the former Soviet Union, East Africa and the Middle East and North Africa. I am author (with Claire Wallace and Melissa Taylor) of the best selling text An Introduction to Sociology: Femminist Perspectives (3rd editon 2005). Routledge. My most recent books are: (with Andrea Teti, Valeria Talbot and Paolo Maggiolini) Democratisation against Democracy: How the EU Fails the Middle East. Palgrave Macmillian, published in January 2020 and; (with Andrea Teti and Francesco Cavatorta) The Arab Uprisings in Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia: Social, Economic and Political Transfromations in the Arab World. Palgrave Macmillian, published in January 2018. I have published more than 50 articles in peer review journals.  My work has been published in English, French, Swedish, Polish, Korean and Chinese. 

I am currently writting up for publication, with Andrea Teti, the findings from the Arab Transformations Project funded under the EU's Framework Programme 7 (€2.49m, SSH-2012, grant number 320214, 2012-16). I am directing the Fostering a Social Practice Approach to Adult Literacies for Improving People’s Quality of Life in Western Rwanda project funded under the Scottish Government's Scotland Rwanda Programme  (£1.2m, 2017-22). With Lucia D'Ambruoso I am working on a project Fostering Support for Child And Family Wellbeing - Learning from International Experience, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.  I am also  directing  a University of Aberdeen funded project  The Social Impact of a Specialist Paediatric Surgical Service in Rwanda : A Qualitative Evaluation of the Effects on Child, Family and Community.

Research Interests

I am Director of the Centre for Global Development and a member of the Centre for Civil Society and the Rule of Law.

My main research interests are in gender and social quality and quality of life  and social, economic and political transformations. I have expertise in both qualitative and quantitative social reseach methods. I have carried out reseach in the UK and Europe, the former Soviet Union, East Africa and the Middle East and North Africa.

Current Research

I am currently working on three research projects: with Dr Andrea Teti (Politics and International Relations) I am writting up the findings from the  EU funded Arab Transfromations project looking at social. political and economic change in the Arab World since the 2011 Uprisings;  I am reseaching the experiences of parents careing for children who have undergone pediatric surgery in Rwanda and have onging care needs; and with Drs Aileen  Ackland and Peter Mkita (Education) I am  implementing a project on a social  practices  to literacies approach in Rwanda. 

Research Grants

I am currently the Principal Investigator on  the Fostering a social practice approach to adult literacies for improving people’s quality of life in Western Rwanda project funded by the Scottish Government 2017-2022.

Teaching Responsibilities

I currently teach on the 6th Century Course:  Africa:  Sustainable Development for All. I also surpervise PhD students.  

Publications 

View publications