Professor Jan Windebank
School of Languages and Cultures
Professor of French and European Societies
+44 114 222 4888
Full contact details
School of Languages and Cultures
1.34
Jessop West
1 Upper Hanover Street
ºù«Ӱҵ
S3 7RA
- Profile
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I began a degree in Modern Languages (French & German) at Aston University in 1981. At the time, this was one of only a handful of universities that offered modern language courses based on social scientific rather than literary studies and whilst at Aston I developed an interest in social and economic inequalities and related policies.
I embarked on a PhD in the School of Modern Languages at the University of Bath on the subject of the theorisation of the informal economy in France, an interest which has informed my research ever since.
I obtained my doctorate in 1989 and held my first post as Lecturer in the School of Languages and European Studies at the then Wolverhampton Polytechnic. I joined the Department of French at ºù«Ӱҵ in 1990, first as Lecturer, then as Senior Lecturer from 1997 and was awarded a Personal Chair in 2009. I served as Head of the Department of French from 2010 to 2013 and Head of the School of Languages and Cultures from 2018 – 2021.
- Research interests
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My research takes as its overarching theme 'informal work' (that is, forms of work other than formal employment such as domestic labour, caring work, voluntary work and undeclared employment and entrepreneurship). I apply sociological and social policy methodologies to the research questions that I address. Within this broad category, I have had two principal interests: on the one hand, gender and domestic and care work and on the other, undeclared employment and entrepreneurship.
I have undertaken research on these themes in the context of France, Franco-British cross-national comparisons and more widely across Europe and the advanced economies funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, the Joseph Rowntree Trust, the European Union and ºù«Ӱҵ City Council. I have collaborated with fellow researchers from a range of disciplines on these projects.
The first strand of this research on gender and domestic work has included analyses of the domestic labour debates in France, Franco-British comparisons of employed mothers' childcare strategies, evaluations of the impact of French state policy on gender divisions of labour in the home, policy towards paid domestic services in France, Franco-British comparisons of the use of paid domestic services and their impact on gender divisions of domestic labour, Franco-British comparisons of gender and voluntary work, and the impact of the 2008 economic crisis on work-family reconciliation policy in France and the UK. Most recently I have written on the relationship between paid domestic services and the gender division of unpaid domestic labour.
I have published numerous articles on these subjects in journals such as Work, Employment and Society, Journal of European Social Policy, International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Journal of International and Comparative Social Policy and the Service Industries Journal as well as two books: The Informal Economy in France, published by Avebury in 1988 and in 2000 Women and work in France and Britain: practice, theory and policy (written jointly with Prof Abigail Gregory, University of Salford) was published with Palgrave Macmillan.
My second strand of research addresses undeclared employment and entrepreneurship. My book Informal Employment in the Advanced Economies: implications for work and welfare, (written jointly with my long-term collaborator, Prof. Colin Williams, University of ºù«Ӱҵ) was published in 1998 by Routledge and was the first publication to recognise and theorise the heterogeneity of undeclared employment and entrepreneurship in the advanced economies. It has become a seminal work in the field.
I have also undertaken projects looking at the question of using informal work as a tool for tackling social exclusion in a European perspective. This work resulted in a number of books: Poverty and the Third Way, (with Prof Williams, Routledge, 2003) analyses the role that informal work could play in tackling poverty in Europe. Further works on related research questions include: Community self-help (with Prof Williams & Prof Daniel Burns, Palgrave, 2003); Revitalising Deprived Urban Neighbourhoods: an assisted self-help approach, (with Prof Williams, Ashgate, 2001); A Helping Hand: harnessing self-help to combat social exclusion (with Prof Williams, York Publishing Services, 1999).
More recently, this research has focused on analysing the results from two 27-country Eurobarometer surveys of undeclared work in the European Union.
Currently, I am writing a book for Palgrave Macmillan entitled Domestic and Care Work in Modern France - Gender, Family and the State; undertaking further researching on the relationship between the use of paid domestic services and gender divisions of unpaid labour in the home; and starting work on a history of policies to tackle undeclared work in France since 1945.
- Publications
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Books
- Domestic and Care Work in Modern France Gender, Family and the State. Springer Nature.
- .
- Introduction.
- Community Self-Help. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Revitalising Deprived Urban Neighbourhoods: an assisted self-help approach. Aldershot: Ashgate.
- . Palgrave Macmillan UK.
- Informal Employment in Advanced Economies. Routledge.
- The Informal Economy in France.
- . Routledge.
- . Routledge.
Journal articles
- . PLoS ONE, 16(10).
- . Fulbright Review of Economics and Policy.
- . Service Industries Journal, 38(11-12), 875-895.
- . International Journal of Social Economics, 44(11), 1421-1436.
- . Journal of Economic Studies, 44(4), 605-616.
- . International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 37(3-4), 203-217.
- . Journal of International and Comparative Social Policy, 33(1), 55-72.
- . Revue Française de Civilisation Britannique, 21(1).
- . International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 28(2/3), 178-178.
- . International Journal of Business and Globalisation, 15(1), 45-62.
- Evaluating the Prevalence and Distribution of Envelope Wages in the European Union: Lessons from a 2013 Eurobarometer Survey. Journal of Contemporary European Research, 11(2), 179-195.
- . International Sociology, 30(3), 294-313.
- . Journal of Public Health, 36(1), 111-116.
- . International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 33(9/10), 528-541.
- . Management Decision, 51(6), 1161-1175.
- . Nottingham French Studies, 52(1), 9-23.
- . International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 9(3), 447-463.
- How much for cash? Tackling the cash-in-hand culture in the European property and construction sector. Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction, 17(2), 123-134.
- . Modern and Contemporary France, 20(1), 21-35.
- Evaluating the participation of students in the informal economy: some lessons from a European survey. Journal of Economy and its Applications, 2(1), 51-65..
- . International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 32(9/10), 576-588.
- . The Service Industries Journal, 32(15), 2365-2377.
- . Service Industries Journal, 32(11), 1811-1822.
- . European Spatial Research and Policy, 19(1), 129-142.
- . Sociological Research Online, 16(1), 43-53.
- Beyond the formal/informal labour dualism: mapping the social organization of labour in Moscow. Sociological Research On-Line, 16(1).
- . Journal of Contemporary European Studies, 19(3), 393-407.
- . Construction Management and Economics, 29(8), 853-867.
- . Journal of Contemporary European Studies, 18(3), 401-437.
- . Geographical Journal, 176(1), 116-116.
- . International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 30(7/8), 387-398.
- . Modern & Contemporary France, 17(2), 221-247.
- State support for domestic services: a comparison of the outsourcing of domestic cleaning in France and Britain. Journal of Contemporary European Studies, 17(3), 437-449.
- . Community, Work and Family, 11(4), 457-473.
- . Journal of European Social Policy, 17(3), 257-270.
- . Modern & Contemporary France, 14(2), 189-203.
- . Community, Work & Family, 9(2), 181-196.
- . International Journal of Manpower, 27(6), 535-551.
- . Journal of Economic Studies, 32(5), 435-449.
- . Community, Work & Family, 8(3), 301-320.
- . European Societies, 7(1), 81-102.
- . International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 24(1/2), 124-139.
- . Gender, Work and Organization, 10(3), 281-300.
- . International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 27(2), 250-264.
- . Policy & Politics, 30(4), 501-513.
- . Work, Employment and Society, 16(2), 231-250.
- . Community, Work & Family, 5(1), 67-83.
- . International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 29(1), 16-24.
- . Work, Employment and Society, 15(2), 269-290.
- . Work, Employment & Society, 15(2), 269-290.
- . Journal of European Area Studies, 9(1), 13-26.
- Paid Informal Work in Deprived Urban Neighborhoods: Exploitative Employment or Cooperative Self-Help?. Growth and Change, 2001, 32(4), 562-571.
- Paid Informal Work: A Barrier to Social Inclusion?. Transfer: Journal of the European Trade Union Institute, 2001, 7(1), 25-40.
- . Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, 7(1), 025-040.
- . SAIS Review, 21(1), 117-122.
- . Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 33(1), 121-140.
- . Growth and Change, 32(4), 548-557.
- . European Urban and Regional Studies, 8(1), 49-61.
- . Policy & Politics, 29(1), 15-27.
- . The Service Industries Journal, 20(4), 33-46.
- . Cities, 17(4), 285-291.
- . Journal of Social Policy, 29(3), 355-373.
- Helping Each Other Out?: Community Exchange in Deprived Neighbourhoods. Community Development Journal, 2000, 35(2), 146-156.
- . The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 10(1), 73-94.
- . Community Development Journal, 35(2), 146-156.
- . Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 7(3), 129-136.
- . Urban Studies, 37(1), 127-147.
- . Futures, 31(6), 547-558.
- . Journal of Social Policy, 28(1), 1-25.
- . Policy Studies, 20(4), 221-233.
- . Foresight, 1(4), 319-332.
- . Modern & Contemporary France, 5(1), 91-119.
- . International Planning Studies, 2(3), 315-327.
- . Journal of European Social Policy, 6(2), 147-161.
- . Modern & Contemporary France, 4(4), 533-535.
- . Modern & Contemporary France, 4(3), 345-348.
- . Regional Studies, 29(8), 723-728.
- . International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 19(1), 23-39.
- . Modern & Contemporary France, 3(4), 379-380.
- . Modern & Contemporary France, 3(2), 169-180.
- . Modern & Contemporary France, 3(3), 297-299.
- . Regional Studies, 28(8), 819-825.
- . Modern & Contemporary France, 2(3), 301-310.
- . Women's Studies International Forum, 17(5), 499-509.
- EXPLAINING WOMENS RELATIONSHIP TO HOME AND FAMILY - THE DOMESTIC LABOR DEBATES IN FRANCE. NOUVELLES QUESTIONS FEMINISTES, 15(1), 9-34.
- Social and spatial inequalities in the informal economy: some evidence from the European Community. Area, 25(4), 358-364.
- . Modern & Contemporary France, 1(2), 171-184.
- . Journal of Area Studies, 1(3), 6-19.
- . Modern & Contemporary France, 1(2), 185-187.
- . Women's Studies International Forum, 15(1), 65-76.
- . SSRN Electronic Journal.
- . SSRN Electronic Journal.
- . SSRN Electronic Journal.
- . SSRN Electronic Journal.
- . SSRN Electronic Journal.
Chapters
- , Making Waves (pp. 73-84). Liverpool University Press
- Work-family reconciliation policy in France: challenging or reinforcing the gender division of domestic and care work since the 1970s? In Atack M, Fell A, Holmes D & Long I (Ed.), Making Waves: French Feminisms and their Legacies 1975-2015 (pp. 73-84). Liverpool: Liverpool University Press.
- , European Citizenship and Social Exclusion (pp. 103-117). Routledge
- The participation of the self-employed in the shadow economy in the European Union In Sauka A, Schneider F & Williams C (Ed.), Entrepreneurship and the Shadow Economy Edward Elgar Publishing
- Domestic Labour: Maintaining the Material Space of the Home and Gender Identity in France In Allison M & Long I (Ed.), Women Matter / Femmes Matiere: French and Francophone Women and the Material World (pp. 107-122). Peter Lang AG, Internationaler Verlag Der Wissenschaften
- , Unemployment and Social Exclusion: Landscapes of Labour Inequality (pp. 141-153).
- Regional variations in the nature of the shadow economy: evidence from a survey of 27 European Union member states In Schneider F (Ed.), Handbook on the Shadow Economy (pp. 177-200). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Pub.
- Gender and informal work In Marcelli E, Williams CC & Joassart P (Ed.), Informal Work in Developed Nations (pp. 82-96). Routledge
- , Informal Work in Developed Nations (pp. 82-96).
- , Community Self-Help (pp. 48-69). Palgrave Macmillan UK
- , Community Self-Help (pp. 131-147). Palgrave Macmillan UK
- , Community Self-Help (pp. 70-88). Palgrave Macmillan UK
- , Community Self-Help (pp. 6-28). Palgrave Macmillan UK
- , Community Self-Help (pp. 29-47). Palgrave Macmillan UK
- , Community Self-Help (pp. 117-130). Palgrave Macmillan UK
- , Community Self-Help (pp. 101-116). Palgrave Macmillan UK
- Community Self-Help Introduction, COMMUNITY SELF-HELP (pp. 1-+).
- , Community Self-Help (pp. 89-100). Palgrave Macmillan UK
- , Women's Work in Britain and France (pp. 144-172). Palgrave Macmillan UK
- , Women's Work in Britain and France (pp. 79-98). Palgrave Macmillan UK
- , Women's Work in Britain and France (pp. 11-42). Palgrave Macmillan UK
- , Women's Work in Britain and France (pp. 173-183). Palgrave Macmillan UK
- , Women's Work in Britain and France (pp. 101-143). Palgrave Macmillan UK
- , Women's Work in Britain and France (pp. 43-78). Palgrave Macmillan UK
- , Women's Work in Britain and France (pp. 1-7). Palgrave Macmillan UK
- (pp. 89-116). Edward Elgar Publishing
- Edward Elgar Publishing
- , Alternative Economic Spaces (pp. 128-150). SAGE Publications Ltd
- , Handbook of Urban Studies (pp. 308-322). SAGE Publications Ltd
Book reviews
- . Journal of Contemporary European Studies, 24(3), 434-435.
- . French History, 28(2), 293-293.
- . Journal of Contemporary European Studies, 22(2), 237-238.
- . Journal of Contemporary European Studies, 22(2), 210-211.
- . French Studies, 67(2), 296-297.
Other
- Research group
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I have supervised a number of doctoral students to completion on a variety of contemporary social topics including:
• Widening-participation Students’ Experience of Higher Education
• The Work-Care Experiences of Out-of-Work Partnered Parents in France and the UK: Ideals, Practice and Policy Learning
• Business sponsorship of the arts in France
• Gender and space in contemporary FrancePotential areas for future supervision include:
• Gender, the family and employment policy in France or in a European comparative perspective
• Gender divisions of labour in France or in a comparative European perspective
• Undeclared work and employment in France or in a comparative European perspective
- Teaching activities
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I teach French language from post-A level to advanced level and a range of undergraduate modules focusing on contemporary French society.
Currently I teach the Level 2 module ‘Understanding gender and society in France and the francophone world’’ and contribute to the Level 1 module on ‘Understanding modern France’.
I am very happy to supervise undergraduate dissertations on aspects of contemporary French society.
I also teach on Postgraduate courses on Research Methods and Ethnography, and supervise MA dissertations on a wide range of subjects.
- Professional activities and memberships
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I have been a very active member of the academic community promoting teaching and research in area studies within modern language departments. I have held a wide range of external examining posts including at the Universities of Leeds, Nottingham Trent, Bath, Aston, Southampton and the University of London in Paris (ULIP).
I am currently Honorary President of the ; have been co-editor of the ; and serve on the editorial board of the International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy.
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