A view of Singleton Campus including Singleton Park and the beach, with the sea stretching into the horizon

Dr Daniel Evans

Lecturer, Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy

daniel.j.evans@swansea.ac.uk

Available For Postgraduate Supervision

Research Links

About

I have recently returned to academia after a 5-year hiatus working as a complex needs support worker with rough sleepers in Cardiff. At Swansea I am currently lecturing in Criminology, drawing on my extensive professional experience working with offenders and the criminal justice system.

I am an interdisciplinary scholar with a background in politics, international relations, and sociology. My current research focuses broadly on political sociology and sociological theory, with a particular interest in British and Welsh politics (particularly national identity and devolution), the sociology of education, trade unions and the labour process, critical military studies, crime and prisons, and ethnographic methods. The thread which unites these discrete topics is my long standing interest in social class and its influence on identity, political behaviour, and more.

My research has been published in journals including Nations and Nationalism, Capital and Class, and British Politics. In 2021 I edited the book The Welsh Way: Essays on Neoliberalism and Devolution. In January 2023 I published my book A Nation of Shopkeepers, exploring the role of the petty bourgeoisie in the modern class structure and its impact on populist politics. In 2024 I will publish a monograph based on my PhD- British Wales: Class, Place and Everyday Nationhood- with the University of Wales Press.

I am a public sociologist and have made numerous television and radio appearances, discussing my research and providing political analysis for BBC News, BBC Wales News, BBC Radio Wales and Novara Media. I regularly give public lectures and recently discussed my latest book on the petty bourgeoisie on Radio 4’s flagship sociology programme ‘Thinking Allowed’. I have written for popular platforms such as Jacobin, The New Statesman, Open Democracy, The Conversation, Planet: The Welsh Internationalist, and more.

Areas Of Expertise

Social Class
Wales and Devolution
British Politics/Political Economy
Trade Unions
Sociology of Education
Critical Military Studies
Ethnographic Methods
Critical Criminology

Career Highlights

Teaching Interests

I am currently teaching a range of modules across the criminology and sociology programmes at Swansea.

Research

Taught Modules

ASC112 An Introduction to the Criminal Justice System

The module focuses on the historical development of the Criminal Justice System (CJS) in England & Wales from the 18th century to the present day. It explains the agencies and services that make up the CJS and considers how criminal justice policy is formulated. It brings together the links between the study of criminology, law and social policy and presents definitions and patterns of crime, how it is recorded and reported. It introduces students to the use and shortcomings of official statistics and other sources and considers the response of the CJS to victims of crime.
ASC204 Penology and Punishment

This module aims to equip students with a robust understanding of theoretical explanations of why we punish and the way that punishment is actualised in society ¿ both within the criminal justice system and outside of it. The module examines contemporary approaches to the punishment of crime and `deviance¿, taking account of the history and philosophy of responses to offending and `deviant¿ behaviour, especially within prisons. It considers the purpose of and justification for a range of different forms of punishment in modern society, including the death penalty; incarceration; community orders; and civil injunctions. It also considers prisoner and prison officer experiences in the penal estate and how this has been influenced by the penal crisis. This module critically explores the treatment of different types of offenders, paying particular attention to disadvantaged/marginalised social groups.
ASC319 Social and Environmental Harms

Capitalism is the dominant economic system of the globalised world we live in and within this world neo-liberalism (the free market) is a defining characteristic that is increasingly understood to play a significant and controversial role in generating harm. This module moves away from traditional Criminological perspectives on crime to consider serious harms ¿ social and environmental ¿ generated through political, economic and social structures/systems and which negatively impact on groups, communities, human beings generally and other species which inhabit the planet. The module examines manifestations of social harms and environmental harms in a range of areas including: 'Gun violence'; 'Human trafficking'; `Ecological additions and Ecological Extractions' .
ASC325 Delivering Social Justice Interventions: Entrepreneurial Criminology

Interventions aimed at reducing offending in England and Wales are increasingly being delivered by non-governmental organisations (third sector). This module provides students with a critical knowledge and understanding of the role of the third sector within the Criminal Justice System of England and Wales. The module also enables students to understand and reflect on the skills necessary to design and manage a voluntary or non-profit organisation.
ASP109 Economics in Society

This module provides an introduction to the relationship between economics and society as well as the role of economic ideas, approaches and analysis in social policy and social problems. A brief history of economic thought provides a backdrop to the development of welfare economics and debate about the involvement of the state and the market in social welfare, wellbeing and economic crisis/stability. The structure and operation of public expenditure management in the UK is explored, along with an examination of how money is spent across different sectors, services and social groups. Examples of theory, policy and practice are drawn from social movements, health economics and other fields.
ASP256 Education, Policy and Society

This module aims to introduce students to the role of education in society and the impacts of recent educational policies on access to educational opportunities, the governance of educational institutions and on wider social well-being. Through the examination of contemporary educational issues from Britain, students will develop a greater appreciation for the role of education in society.

Dr Daniel Evans

Email address

Youtube Account

Research Links

About

Areas Of Expertise

Career Highlights

Taught Modules

ASC112 An Introduction to the Criminal Justice System

ASC204 Penology and Punishment

ASC319 Social and Environmental Harms

ASC325 Delivering Social Justice Interventions: Entrepreneurial Criminology

ASP109 Economics in Society

ASP256 Education, Policy and Society