![Kate Moles](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/3190?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Dr Kate Moles
- Media commentator
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Teams and roles for Kate Moles
Reader in Sociology
Overview
My research and writing explores the relationships between everyday practices of memory and heritage, mobility and place, and future imaginaries and the enduring legacies of colonialism, which I have engaged with through ethnographic research.
I have an ongoing interest in ideas of public and community engagement in research and in my work and am committed to social justice, inclusive practice and reparative processes. Previous projects I have undertaken have included research on postcolonialism, heritage, post-industrial communities and young people's sense of their historical and contemporary places and their imagined futures. Underpinning all this work, and developed through my writing, is an interest in qualitative methods, particularly ethnographic, mobile and multimodal methods (soundwalks, visual methods).
I am co-PI of the Education, Justice and Memory network (EdJAM), which is a network of researchers, educators and civil society organisations working in the arts, education and heritage. We are committed to creative ways to teach and learn about the violent past in order to build more just futures. https://edjam.network/
EdJAM is funded by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Global Challenges Research Funding (GCRF) Collective Programme.
Publication
2025
- Walker, A., Moles, K. and Höpfel, J. V. A. 2025. Nostalgia and the cruel promises of austerity: Neoliberal narratives and post-industrial memory in the South Wales coalfield. Memory Studies
2024
- Bates, C. and Moles, K. 2024. Bobbing in the park: wild swimming, conviviality and belonging. Leisure Studies 43(6), pp. 887-899. (10.1080/02614367.2022.2085774)
- Bates, C. and Moles, K. 2024. Outdoor swimming: water, wellbeing, and wildness. In: Picken, F. and Waterton, E. eds. Shores, Surfaces and Depths. Oceanic Cultures of Tourism and Leisure. Routledge Studies in Cultural History Routledge
- Bates, C. and Moles, K. 2024. Drawn together by the sea: Swimming, waves, and well-being. In: Brown, M. ed. The Ocean, Blue Spaces and Outdoor Learning. London: Routledge, pp. 66-76., (10.4324/9781003272496-6)
2023
- Moles, K. et al. 2023. Imagining Futures/Future Imaginings: Creative heritage work with young people in Uganda. Journal of the British Academy 11(s3), pp. 225-247. (10.5871/jba/011s3.225)
- Moles, K., Anek, F., Baker, W., Komakech, D., Owor, A., Pennell, C. and Rowsell, J. 2023. The hard work of reparative futures: exploring the potential of creative and convivial practices in post-conflict Uganda. Futures 153, article number: 103224. (10.1016/j.futures.2023.103224)
- Bates, C., Moles, K. and Kroese, L. M. 2023. Animating sociology. Sociological Review 71(5), pp. 976-991. (10.1177/00380261231156688)
- Bates, C. and Moles, K. 2023. Submerging bodies in cold waters. In: Bates, C. and Moles, K. eds. Living with Water. Everyday Encounters and Liquid Connections. Manchester: Manchester University Press, pp. 217-234., (10.7765/9781526161734.00028)
- Moles, K. and Bates, C. 2023. Living with water. In: Bates, C. and Moles, K. eds. Living with Water. Everyday encounters and liquid connections. Manchester University Press, pp. n/a.
- Bates, C. and Moles, K. eds. 2023. Living with water. Everyday encounters and liquid connections. Manchester University Press.
- Bates, C. and Moles, K. 2023. Immersive encounters: video, swimming and wellbeing. Visual Studies 38(1), pp. 69-80. (10.1080/1472586X.2021.1884499)
2022
- Bates, C. and Moles, K. 2022. Swimming without water: Buckets, bins and bathtubs. [Online]. (10.51428/tsr.arsq2915) Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.51428/tsr.arsq2915
- Bates, C. and Moles, K. 2022. My cold hug and confidante. [Online]. Online: The Outdoor Swimming Society. Available at: https://www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com/my-cold-hug-and-confidante/
2021
- Moles, K. and Bates, C. 2021. Laughter, trust and friendship in the water. [Online]. Vol. June. Orca Community Blog. Available at: https://www.orca.com/gb-en/community/blog/20210617/frienship-water/
- Abedo, A. N., Nono, F., Moles, K. and Milligan, L. O. 2021. Participatory curatorship: negotiating heritage, memory and justice in northern Uganda. In: Mkwananzi, F. and Cin, F. M. eds. Participatory Arts for Epistemic and Social Justice in Post-Conflict Settings. London: Taylor and Francis Group, pp. 50-67., (10.4324/9781003121046-5)
- Bates, C., Moles, K. and Kroese, L. M. 2021. The water holds me/the water binds us. Vimeo.com: Vimeo. Available at: https://vimeo.com/596662522
2020
- Bates, C. and Moles, K. 2020. Suspended and immersed: video methods and wild swimming. [Online]. The Sociological Review. Available at: https://www.thesociologicalreview.com/suspended-and-immersed-video-methods-and-wild-swimming/
- Paulson, J. et al. 2020. Education as a site of memory: developing a research agenda. International Studies in Sociology of Education 29(4), pp. 451-429. (10.1080/09620214.2020.1743198)
- Moles, K. 2020. The social world of outdoor swimming: cultural practices, shared meanings and bodily encounters. Journal of Sport and Social Issues 45(1), pp. 20-38. (10.1177/0193723520928598)
2019
- Moles, K. 2019. Mobile Methods. In: SAGE Research Methods Foundations. Mobilities, Space and Place London: SAGE
- Moles, K. and Blakely, H. 2019. Everyday practices of memory: authenticity, value and the gift. The Sociological Review 67(3), pp. 621-634. (10.1177/0038026119831571)
- Muddiman, E., Taylor, C., Power, S. and Moles, K. 2019. Young people, family relationships and civic participation. Journal of Civil Society 15(1), pp. 82-98. (10.1080/17448689.2018.1550903)
- Moles, K. 2019. Mobile methods. In: Atkinson, P. et al. eds. SAGE Research Methods Foundations. SAGE, (10.4135/9781526421036847435)
- Blakely, H. and Moles, K. 2019. Everyday practices of memory: Authenticity, value and the gift. The Sociological Review 67(3), pp. 621-634. (10.1177/0038026119831571)
- Muddiman, E., Lyttleton-Smith, J. and Moles, K. 2019. Pushing back the margins: power, identity and marginalia in survey research with young people. International Journal of Social Research Methodology 22(3), pp. 293-308. (10.1080/13645579.2018.1547870)
2018
- Power, S., Muddiman, E., Moles, K. and Taylor, C. 2018. Civil society: Bringing the family back in. Journal of Civil Society 14(3), pp. 193-206. (10.1080/17448689.2018.1498170)
2017
- Blakely, H. and Moles, K. 2017. Interviewing in the 'interview society': making visible the biographical work of producing accounts for interviews. Qualitative Research 17(2), pp. 159-172. (10.1177/1468794116686825)
2016
- Saunders, A. and Moles, K. 2016. Following or forging a way through the world: Audio walks and the making of place. Emotion, Space and Society 20, pp. 68-74. (10.1016/j.emospa.2016.06.004)
2015
- Burgess, S. and Moles, K. 2015. The heads of the valleys. In: Jones, M., Orford, S. and Macfarlane, V. eds. People, Places and Policy: Knowing contemporary Wales through new localities. Regions and Cities Vol. 88. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 79-94., (10.4324/9781315683904)
- Moles, K. and Saunders, A. 2015. Ragged places and smooth surfaces: Audio walks as practices of making and doing the city. Journal of Urban Cultural Studies 2(1), pp. 151-164. (10.1386/jucs.2.1-2.151_1)
- Saunders, A. and Moles, K. 2015. Sound response: the public reception of audio walks. In: Lossau, J. and Stevens, Q. eds. The Uses of Art in Public Space. Routledge, pp. 98-114.
2013
- Saunders, A. and Moles, K. 2013. The spatial practice of public engagement: 'doing' geography in the South Wales valleys. Social & Cultural Geography 14(1), pp. 23-40. (10.1080/14649365.2012.733407)
2012
- Heley, J. and Moles, K. 2012. Partnership working in regions: reflections on local government collaboration in Wales. Regional Science Policy and Practice 4(2), pp. 139-153. (10.1111/j.1757-7802.2012.01061.x)
2011
- Moles, K. and Radcliffe, J. S. 2011. Deep rural communities: exploring service provision in rural Wales. In: Milbourne, P. ed. Rural Wales in the twenty-first century: society, economy and environment. Cardiff: University of Wales, pp. 237-253.
2010
- Moles, K., Martsin, M. and Ivinson, G. M. 2010. Moving in through and out of place. Presented at: Euroqual, London, UK, 4 - 6 May 2010.
2009
- Housley, W., Moles, K. and Smith, R. 2009. Identity, brand or citizenship: the case of post-devolution Wales. Contemporary Wales 22(1), pp. 196-210.
- Moles, K. 2009. Deep rural localities. Project Report. [Online]. Cardiff: Welsh Assembly Government. Available at: http://www.walesruralobservatory.org.uk/sites/default/files/DeepRuralReport_Oct09_0.pdf
- Moles, K. 2009. Narrating a national space. Working paper. Cardiff: Cardiff University. Available at: http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/socsi/resources/wp124.pdf
- Moles, K. 2009. A landscape of memories: layers of meaning in a Dublin park. In: Anico, M. and Peralta, E. eds. Heritage and Identity: Engagement and Demission in the Contemporary World. Museum Meanings London: Routledge, pp. 129-140.
2008
- Anderson, J. M. and Moles, K. 2008. Walking into coincident places. Qualitative Researcher 9, pp. 5-8.
- Moles, K. 2008. A walk in thirdspace: place, methods and walking. Sociological Research Online 13(4), pp. 31 July. (10.5153/sro.1745)
- Anderson, J. M. and Moles, K. 2008. Walking into coincident places. Presented at: Peripatetic Practices': A Workshop on Walking., Royal Holloway, University of London.
2007
- Moles, K. 2007. Narratives of postcolonialism in liminal space : The place called Phoenix Park. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
Articles
- Walker, A., Moles, K. and Höpfel, J. V. A. 2025. Nostalgia and the cruel promises of austerity: Neoliberal narratives and post-industrial memory in the South Wales coalfield. Memory Studies
- Bates, C. and Moles, K. 2024. Bobbing in the park: wild swimming, conviviality and belonging. Leisure Studies 43(6), pp. 887-899. (10.1080/02614367.2022.2085774)
- Moles, K. et al. 2023. Imagining Futures/Future Imaginings: Creative heritage work with young people in Uganda. Journal of the British Academy 11(s3), pp. 225-247. (10.5871/jba/011s3.225)
- Moles, K., Anek, F., Baker, W., Komakech, D., Owor, A., Pennell, C. and Rowsell, J. 2023. The hard work of reparative futures: exploring the potential of creative and convivial practices in post-conflict Uganda. Futures 153, article number: 103224. (10.1016/j.futures.2023.103224)
- Bates, C., Moles, K. and Kroese, L. M. 2023. Animating sociology. Sociological Review 71(5), pp. 976-991. (10.1177/00380261231156688)
- Bates, C. and Moles, K. 2023. Immersive encounters: video, swimming and wellbeing. Visual Studies 38(1), pp. 69-80. (10.1080/1472586X.2021.1884499)
- Paulson, J. et al. 2020. Education as a site of memory: developing a research agenda. International Studies in Sociology of Education 29(4), pp. 451-429. (10.1080/09620214.2020.1743198)
- Moles, K. 2020. The social world of outdoor swimming: cultural practices, shared meanings and bodily encounters. Journal of Sport and Social Issues 45(1), pp. 20-38. (10.1177/0193723520928598)
- Moles, K. and Blakely, H. 2019. Everyday practices of memory: authenticity, value and the gift. The Sociological Review 67(3), pp. 621-634. (10.1177/0038026119831571)
- Muddiman, E., Taylor, C., Power, S. and Moles, K. 2019. Young people, family relationships and civic participation. Journal of Civil Society 15(1), pp. 82-98. (10.1080/17448689.2018.1550903)
- Blakely, H. and Moles, K. 2019. Everyday practices of memory: Authenticity, value and the gift. The Sociological Review 67(3), pp. 621-634. (10.1177/0038026119831571)
- Muddiman, E., Lyttleton-Smith, J. and Moles, K. 2019. Pushing back the margins: power, identity and marginalia in survey research with young people. International Journal of Social Research Methodology 22(3), pp. 293-308. (10.1080/13645579.2018.1547870)
- Power, S., Muddiman, E., Moles, K. and Taylor, C. 2018. Civil society: Bringing the family back in. Journal of Civil Society 14(3), pp. 193-206. (10.1080/17448689.2018.1498170)
- Blakely, H. and Moles, K. 2017. Interviewing in the 'interview society': making visible the biographical work of producing accounts for interviews. Qualitative Research 17(2), pp. 159-172. (10.1177/1468794116686825)
- Saunders, A. and Moles, K. 2016. Following or forging a way through the world: Audio walks and the making of place. Emotion, Space and Society 20, pp. 68-74. (10.1016/j.emospa.2016.06.004)
- Moles, K. and Saunders, A. 2015. Ragged places and smooth surfaces: Audio walks as practices of making and doing the city. Journal of Urban Cultural Studies 2(1), pp. 151-164. (10.1386/jucs.2.1-2.151_1)
- Saunders, A. and Moles, K. 2013. The spatial practice of public engagement: 'doing' geography in the South Wales valleys. Social & Cultural Geography 14(1), pp. 23-40. (10.1080/14649365.2012.733407)
- Heley, J. and Moles, K. 2012. Partnership working in regions: reflections on local government collaboration in Wales. Regional Science Policy and Practice 4(2), pp. 139-153. (10.1111/j.1757-7802.2012.01061.x)
- Housley, W., Moles, K. and Smith, R. 2009. Identity, brand or citizenship: the case of post-devolution Wales. Contemporary Wales 22(1), pp. 196-210.
- Anderson, J. M. and Moles, K. 2008. Walking into coincident places. Qualitative Researcher 9, pp. 5-8.
- Moles, K. 2008. A walk in thirdspace: place, methods and walking. Sociological Research Online 13(4), pp. 31 July. (10.5153/sro.1745)
Book sections
- Bates, C. and Moles, K. 2024. Outdoor swimming: water, wellbeing, and wildness. In: Picken, F. and Waterton, E. eds. Shores, Surfaces and Depths. Oceanic Cultures of Tourism and Leisure. Routledge Studies in Cultural History Routledge
- Bates, C. and Moles, K. 2024. Drawn together by the sea: Swimming, waves, and well-being. In: Brown, M. ed. The Ocean, Blue Spaces and Outdoor Learning. London: Routledge, pp. 66-76., (10.4324/9781003272496-6)
- Bates, C. and Moles, K. 2023. Submerging bodies in cold waters. In: Bates, C. and Moles, K. eds. Living with Water. Everyday Encounters and Liquid Connections. Manchester: Manchester University Press, pp. 217-234., (10.7765/9781526161734.00028)
- Moles, K. and Bates, C. 2023. Living with water. In: Bates, C. and Moles, K. eds. Living with Water. Everyday encounters and liquid connections. Manchester University Press, pp. n/a.
- Abedo, A. N., Nono, F., Moles, K. and Milligan, L. O. 2021. Participatory curatorship: negotiating heritage, memory and justice in northern Uganda. In: Mkwananzi, F. and Cin, F. M. eds. Participatory Arts for Epistemic and Social Justice in Post-Conflict Settings. London: Taylor and Francis Group, pp. 50-67., (10.4324/9781003121046-5)
- Moles, K. 2019. Mobile Methods. In: SAGE Research Methods Foundations. Mobilities, Space and Place London: SAGE
- Moles, K. 2019. Mobile methods. In: Atkinson, P. et al. eds. SAGE Research Methods Foundations. SAGE, (10.4135/9781526421036847435)
- Burgess, S. and Moles, K. 2015. The heads of the valleys. In: Jones, M., Orford, S. and Macfarlane, V. eds. People, Places and Policy: Knowing contemporary Wales through new localities. Regions and Cities Vol. 88. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 79-94., (10.4324/9781315683904)
- Saunders, A. and Moles, K. 2015. Sound response: the public reception of audio walks. In: Lossau, J. and Stevens, Q. eds. The Uses of Art in Public Space. Routledge, pp. 98-114.
- Moles, K. and Radcliffe, J. S. 2011. Deep rural communities: exploring service provision in rural Wales. In: Milbourne, P. ed. Rural Wales in the twenty-first century: society, economy and environment. Cardiff: University of Wales, pp. 237-253.
- Moles, K. 2009. A landscape of memories: layers of meaning in a Dublin park. In: Anico, M. and Peralta, E. eds. Heritage and Identity: Engagement and Demission in the Contemporary World. Museum Meanings London: Routledge, pp. 129-140.
Books
- Bates, C. and Moles, K. eds. 2023. Living with water. Everyday encounters and liquid connections. Manchester University Press.
Conferences
- Moles, K., Martsin, M. and Ivinson, G. M. 2010. Moving in through and out of place. Presented at: Euroqual, London, UK, 4 - 6 May 2010.
- Anderson, J. M. and Moles, K. 2008. Walking into coincident places. Presented at: Peripatetic Practices': A Workshop on Walking., Royal Holloway, University of London.
Monographs
- Moles, K. 2009. Deep rural localities. Project Report. [Online]. Cardiff: Welsh Assembly Government. Available at: http://www.walesruralobservatory.org.uk/sites/default/files/DeepRuralReport_Oct09_0.pdf
- Moles, K. 2009. Narrating a national space. Working paper. Cardiff: Cardiff University. Available at: http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/socsi/resources/wp124.pdf
Thesis
- Moles, K. 2007. Narratives of postcolonialism in liminal space : The place called Phoenix Park. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
Videos
- Bates, C., Moles, K. and Kroese, L. M. 2021. The water holds me/the water binds us. Vimeo.com: Vimeo. Available at: https://vimeo.com/596662522
Websites
- Bates, C. and Moles, K. 2022. Swimming without water: Buckets, bins and bathtubs. [Online]. (10.51428/tsr.arsq2915) Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.51428/tsr.arsq2915
- Bates, C. and Moles, K. 2022. My cold hug and confidante. [Online]. Online: The Outdoor Swimming Society. Available at: https://www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com/my-cold-hug-and-confidante/
- Moles, K. and Bates, C. 2021. Laughter, trust and friendship in the water. [Online]. Vol. June. Orca Community Blog. Available at: https://www.orca.com/gb-en/community/blog/20210617/frienship-water/
- Bates, C. and Moles, K. 2020. Suspended and immersed: video methods and wild swimming. [Online]. The Sociological Review. Available at: https://www.thesociologicalreview.com/suspended-and-immersed-video-methods-and-wild-swimming/
- Moles, K. and Saunders, A. 2015. Ragged places and smooth surfaces: Audio walks as practices of making and doing the city. Journal of Urban Cultural Studies 2(1), pp. 151-164. (10.1386/jucs.2.1-2.151_1)
Research
My research at the moment is organised around two main topics. The first focuses on heritage, memory, justice and conflict, particularly looking at how post-conflict countries creatively and constructively work towards justice, repair and ongoing peace. I am Co-PI on the AHRC GCRF Network + project Education Justice and Memory (EdJAM) which s a network of researchers, educators and civil society organisations working in the arts, education and heritage. We are committed to creative ways to teach and learn about the violent past in order to build more just futures. I continue this work as PI, on a project funded by the BA-GCRF in Uganda considering Youth Futures and how creative heritage practices, mneumonic work and future imaginaries are embedded in everyday lives, cause temporal disruptions and are a 'burden' for those who undertake them. This work is with the Uganda Museum and Refugee Law Project, and has produced a mobile exhibition that has iteratively travelled around Northern Uganda, changing the narrative and content of the exhibition as it goes. I have also worked on an AHRC funded project in Uganda that uses co-produced heritage narratives to inform the development of a digital resource that will allow heritage and memory work to be understood outside of the museum, and instead as part of the everyday lives and practices of people.This strand of my work is also part of an ongoing partnership I am involved in with the National Trust, developing from the GW4's Colonial Connections Community and into a funded project called Making Labour Visible in Penrhyn Castle, North Wales.
Running through this strand is a strong preoccupation with questions around the enduring legacies of colonialism, and how people negotiate and navigate these legacies in their everyday lives and practices.
The second thread of my work is on water, wild swimming practices and the relationship between people and place. This work explores the politics of access, pollution, enduring ideas of wildness or wilderness, and the ways people's swimming practices are complicit in and critical of established ways of understandings the entanglements of bodies, waters, human and non-human actors.
Teaching
I teach extensively across the School of Social Science, and particularly within the sociology programme.
I currently convene or co-convene: Sociological Inquiries (Year 1); Social Research Methods (Year 2); Live Theory (Year 3), Decolonising the Social Sciences (Year 3); The Museum (MA Global Heritage)
Biography
I did my undergraduate in sociology at Trinity College Dublin, before coming to Cardiff for my postgraduate degrees. I worked as a researcher in the Wales Rural Institute and at the Wales Institute for Social and Economic Research Data and Methods (WISERD) before beginning my lectureship at Cardiff School of Social Science in 2013.
Professional memberships
HEA Fellow (2016)
Supervisions
I am interested in supervising PhD students in the areas of:
- memory, heritage and the past
- mobile methods
- young people, place and community
- Swimming and water
- ethnography
