Austerity + Altered Life-Courses

Brings a whole new meaning to "Bread & Roses"!

Speaking of, a small group of us have been coming together for c2yrs as the Bread & Roses Collective to think about radical care and activism in an unequal world.

We have a logo and blurb: @austerityalters site will be updated soon with more info 🍞🌹

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

Just published this article 🥳.
Research on food aid is always important but there is more to food aid thank food banks. As seen in this paper. Please share my article 🙏 or give it a 👍.

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Dead chuffed to say that @austerityalters.bsky.social has been funded for another 3yrs (2026-29) with a focus on co-creating spaces, stories & solidarities. Think creative sharing, collective future-making, solidarity infrastructure and more. Will share further details soon x

Picture of a table at an event, with a jigsaw graphic showing the interconnected ways in which groups of people can effectively communicate and ensure that all perspectives are valued.

This time last week we were delighted to support the @austerityalters.bsky.social Anti-Poverty Chats for Change, a brilliant lunch meeting for communities, practitioners & @manchester.ac.uk peeps to explore how to act together on vital anti-poverty ambitions

#fairerhealthforall #healthierfuturesuom

*creative plate

A photograph of a paper plate with colourful annotated drawings. It includes an ear (listening), football pitch (left-field ideas) and a heart (compassion).

Photograph of a tablecloth featuring our co-designed Anti-Poverty research framework, a colourful image with 11 values designed into a jigsaw. The image is surrounded by pens, pencils and coffee cups. An accessible version of the framework can be found on our website.

Last week we had our Anti-Poverty Chats for Change, a lunch event bringing together community, policy+uni folk in Manchester. Together we explored how to galvanise A-P change, working collectively+creatively. Here's our winning create plate by Terri Lucas! If you want to know more, get in touch! 🍽🖍

Screenshot of a slide that reads "Young migrants, austerity and housing: How austerity alters lives and futures across Europe. Prof. Sarah Marie Hall, University of Manchester. (Counter) Narratives on Migration in Times of Crisis, Wednesday 11th June 2025". The text is while on a grey background that is an illustrated jigsaw.

Tomorrow we'll be in Neuchâtel presenting some emerging ideas on young people, migration and housing in the context of austerity. Looking forward to the other talks and generating new ideas 💡

This conference looks like just the ticket: A Feminist Politics of Radical Hope in Times of Oppression.
And it's in Liverpool!
See you there? X

Sarah's hand holding a copy of the co-edited book 'Contemporary Economic Geographies' in paperback. With Jennifer Johns.

This arrived the other day! Paperback! Available from 20th of this month and much more affordable at £28.99. 30 brilliant chapters on contemporary economic geographies, and all written by female and non-binary authors.

New blog series alert - how austerity alters disabled people's lives + futures.
-Open to all: researchers, activitists, lived experts.
-Your blog will be received with care + consideration. -You'll be supported to publication on our website & we will promote it on social media and our news list.
✊️🩷

We are looking forward to reading your submissions!

As an international project, we also welcome blogs that focus on various geographical locations. We encourage submissions from people at different career stages, and from academic, community, and policy backgrounds.

We approach disability inclusively and broadly, welcoming reflections on and about experiences of physical impairment, chronic illness, mental illness, body size, neurodivergence and learning disabilities, in relation to austerity.

If this date is not accessible for you, but you would still like to submit a summary, please let us know. If you have any questions, please get in contact using the email address above and one of our team will be able to help.

If you are interested in contributing to our blog series on the topic of austerity and disability, send us a short summary of your blog (200 words max) to austerityalters@manchester.ac.uk by Friday 30th May, with the subject line as ‘Disability and Austerity Blog’.

Do you conduct work on disability + austerity? Do you have lived/research/policy experience of how austerity alters disabled people’s lives? We are curating a blog series focusing on ways austerity shapes + changes disabled people’s lives + futures, and we want to hear from you!

Austerity and Altered Life-Courses: Call for blogs Series Three – How austerity alters disabled people’s lives and futures: intersectional understandings in research, policy, and practice Do you work at the intersection of disability and austerity? Do you have lived and/or research/policy-based experience of how austerity alters disabled people’s lives? We are curating a blog series which focuses on the ways austerity shapes and changes disabled people’s lives and futures, and we want to hear from you! If you are interested in contributing to our blog series on the topic of austerity and disability, send us a short summary of your blog (200 words max) to austerityalters@manchester.ac.uk by Friday 30th May, with the subject line as ‘Disability and Austerity Blog’. If this date is not accessible for you, but you would still like to submit a summary, please let us know. We approach disability inclusively and broadly. Please see post thread for full text details.

📢✏️As well as publishing the final blog of series two (socialsciences.manchester.ac.uk/morgan-centr...) we can now share an exciting update about series THREE, which explores 'How austerity alters disabled people’s lives + futures: intersectional understandings in research, policy, + practice'

Follow this link to read John's blog: socialsciences.manchester.ac.uk/morgan-centr...

We are very pleased to share the final blog of series 2 by Prof. John H. McKendrick, on 'Futility and necessity: reflecting on an academic life researching poverty'. Thank you for your brilliant, reflective contribution to the series. To read John's blog, see below for the link.

Embedded text available via website link.

Embedded text available via website link.

This past year, we've been working closely with 3 ace community partners to co-create anti-poverty strategies in Manchester.
Our framework for how to work together & toolkit for policy-makers are now on our website:
www.socialsciences.manchester.ac.uk/morgan-centr...

Please use and share widely!

Austerity policies have a huge impact on young adults in Europe, including their sense of the future. Adopting a life-course perspective, we explore how place-based experiences of austerity shape temporalities and normative ideas of life transitions, introducing the concept of 'foreclosed futures'.

Come and say hello on the 19th!

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We've a new paper out today on Austere Life-Courses and Foreclosed Futures in @dialogueshg.bsky.social. Read for free here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

A screenshot of a Guardian article about child poverty illustrated by an image of a child scooting along the pavement.

Back on the other place, I developed a thread about how pieces on child poverty were regularly illustrated with images of children playing in their neighbourhoods, yet play (deprivation) rarely features in mainstream discussions of child poverty.

Here’s another example.

Who voted for this Interviews with people dealing with housing problems and welfare cuts. Dislike for those who let it all happen.Kate Belgrave Journalist and bloggerHomepage photos courtesy of Latoya, the mother of the...

Anyone interested in public funding cuts and council service crises - housing, SEND, care services etc:

Kate Belgrave, who's been covering this stuff longer than me, has launched a podcast focused on how cuts affect people... aptly called Who Voted For This: whovotedforthis.buzzsprout.com/2414550

Join ACORN, the union in the community.

Direct action works, and there is strength in community solidarity!
I’d urge everyone to consider joining their local @acornunion.bsky.social, and I’m happy to chat all things Newcastle if anyone has questions.

www.acorntheunion.org.uk/join

A new PhD opportunity just landed with our good friends @childrensrightsqub.bsky.social who we've been working with alongside @savethechildrenni.bsky.social to understand the impact of #SocialSecurity on children's experiences of poverty. It's time to hear from children themselves:
t.co/BtYhyM91Ms

Of House and Immigrants In this contribution to Bulletin 31, Theresa Audrey O. Esteban reflects on how post-war Rotterdam's urban geography and political climate shifted in response to changing migration patterns.

Of House and Immigrants

In this contribution to the upcoming ISRF Bulletin 31, Theresa Audrey O. Esteban reflects on how post-war #Rotterdam's urban geography and political climate shifted in response to changing #migration patterns.

isrf.org/blog/of-hous...

📢 FINAL CALL Gender and Justice seeks a suitably qualified senior feminist academic to join the existing team as Co-editor-in-chief. Details 👇@
bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/journals/gen... @sharronfitz.bsky.social @asanews.bsky.social @stinewadrian.bsky.social