Dr Gemma Gibson (she/her)
School of Sociological Studies, Politics and International Relations
Teaching Associate in Sociology
Full contact details
School of Sociological Studies, Politics and International Relations
The Wave
2 Whitham Road
Sheffield
S10 2AH
- Profile
-
Gemma joined the University of Sheffield as a University Tutor in the Department for Lifelong Learning where she taught and supervised students in their foundation year.
In 2022, she joined Sociological Studies as a Teaching Associate in Sociology. Gemma has a particular specialism in Widening Participation and began her career working with Realising Opportunities and the Centre of Lifelong Learning at the University of York. She completed her PhD at the Centre for Women's Studies, University of York which focused on the feminist history of the contemporary body positivity movement.
- Research interests
-
Gemma's work is rooted in feminist thought and practice. She published her first monograph The Body Positivity Movement: A Story of 'Acceptable' Fatness in 2025.She is current working on a BA funded project that investigates the repurposing of food-tracking apps among the diabetic population. She has written on health, femininity and popular social movements. Gemma prioritises community in her work and hosted The FAT Conference at the University of Sheffield in 2023.
- Publications
-
Books
- The Body Positivity Movement A Story of ‘Acceptable’ Fatness. Emerald Group Publishing.
- . Emerald Publishing Limited.
Journal articles
- . Fat Studies, 12(1), 135-148.
- . Fat Studies, 11(1), 22-35.
- .
Book chapters
- , °Ã¶°ù±è±ð°ù°³Ü±ô³Ù³Ü°ù±ð²Ô (pp. 145-148). transcript Verlag
- Grants
-
12/09/24 - 1/11/25 The Value of Judgement-Free Design to Support Food Monitoring in the Diabetic Population - £8474
- Teaching interests
-
Gemma currently convenes SPR213 Sociology of the Body and teaches on a variety of modules related to sociological theory, social policy and inequalities.
Gemma takes a social justice oriented approach to teaching that asks students to reflect on their own life experiences to apply critical thinking and theory to the ‘real’ world.
- Teaching activities
-
Since joining SCS Gemma has taught on the following modules:
- SCS1029 Welfare, Politics and the State
- SCS1008 Introduction to Social Research
- SCS61012 Sociology of Genders, Sexualities and the Bodies
She supervises undergraduate and Master’s students and will run a module that pulls from her own research in the 23/24 academic year titled Sociology of the Body. Gemma takes a social justice oriented approach to teaching that asks students to reflect on their own life experiences to apply critical thinking and theory to the ‘real’ world.
- Postgraduate Supervision
Gemma is particularly interested in postgraduate supervision in the areas of:
Gender and the body
Social justice and technology
Digital social movements