I joined CCCU in 2015, following a previous career in journalism and communications.
My research and teaching focuses on generations, education, policy, and parenting culture.
I am Reader in Sociology, and Course Director for Sociology / Sociology and Social Policy.
I convene a number of undergraduate modules focused on social policy, and the module 'Growing Up In Society', which employs a generational lens to engage with developments in the sociology of education and family life. I am also engaged in postgraduate supervision.
My principal area of research investigates the development of rhetoric of generational conflict in cultural, political, and policy discourse. In 2019 I gained funding from the Wellcome Trust to co-convene the Generations Network, an interdisciplinary network of academics and Third Sector organisations actively working with the concept of generation.
I also research developments in education and parenting culture. From 2017-2019, I led a study of the academic-student relationship and the meaning of the university experience, funded by a BA/Leverhulme grant. During Covid-19 pandemic, I delivered a number of articles, public talks and videos reflecting on the impact of Covid-19 restrictions on young people.
Research Projects
- 'A Qualitative Exploration of Parents’ Experiences of using Food Charity Projects.'. Researcher(s): Mrs Daisy Skirton. Supervisor(s): Dr Jennie Bristow, Dr Sarah Cant. [Postgraduate Research Project]
- Assessing the Impact of Participatory Action Research on Police Perceptions and Engagement with Homeless People – The Homelessness Project. Researcher(s): Ms Cassandra Unger. Supervisor(s): Professor Steve Tong, Dr Jennie Bristow, Dr Sarah Cant. [Postgraduate Research Project]
- Doctoral Research Project. Researcher(s): Miss Cissie Catherine Buxton. Supervisor(s): Dr Jennie Bristow, Professor Shane Blackman. [Postgraduate Research Project]
- Severed Threads, Enduring Ties. An Anthropological Exploration of the Competing Imaginaries of Inter-Country Adoption from Ethiopia. Researcher(s): Mrs CHIARA COSTA. Supervisor(s): Dr Ruth Rogers, Dr Jennie Bristow, Professor Adrian Holliday. [Postgraduate Research Project]
- UK CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENERGY POLICY UNDER THE CONSERVATIVES SINCE 2010:MULTIPLE-ELITISM OR NEO-PLURALISM?. Researcher(s): Dr ASMAA KADDOUR-TREA. Supervisor(s): Dr Matthew Ogilvie, Professor Peter Vujakovic, Dr Jennie Bristow. [Postgraduate Research Project (past)]
- Under the folds of masculinity: A study of young fathers’ parenting identities in London and Kent, in the context of intergenerational relations.. Researcher(s): Miss Cissie Catherine Buxton. Supervisor(s): Dr Jennie Bristow, Professor Shane Blackman. [Postgraduate Research Project]
- Visiting Research Fellow, Centre for Parenting Culture Studies
- Co-convener, Generations Network
- Fellow, Higher Education Academy
Academia.edu - https://canterbury.academia.edu/JennieBristow
Personal website - http://jbristow.co.uk/
- Studying generations: Multidisciplinary perspectives, (29 Feb 2024). Bristol. [Book]
- Gen Z, identity politics, and the problem of belonging Dr Jennie Bristow, Clout Culture: Youth Cultures in Changing Societies. [Conference paper]
- Generational tensions in higher education Dr Jennie Bristow, British Educational Studies Association. [Conference keynote]
- Parenting culture studies Dr Jennie Bristow, (27 Dec 2023). Cham. [Book]
- From ‘protection’ to ‘resilience’ – the Covid-19 pandemic and the rhetoric of children’s wellbeing Dr Jennie Bristow. [Conference paper]
- The problem of atomisation: from 'bowling alone' to lockdowns Dr Jennie Bristow, Ideas Matter 2022: The Old Roots of the New Normal. [Conference keynote]
- The problem of the 'Covid generation' Dr Jennie Bristow, Connecting Generations Thought Leader Talks. [Lecture]
- Beyond ‘the choice to drink’ in a UK guideline on FASD: the precautionary principle, pregnancy surveillance, and the managed woman Dr Jennie Bristow, (10 Nov 2021): Health, Risk & Society. [Journal article]
- Growing up In lockdown Dr Jennie Bristow, (Feb 2021). London. [Discussion paper]
- Parenting the crisis: The cultural politics of parent-blame Tracey Jensen Bristol: Policy Press, March 2018, ISBN:978-1447325062, 216 pages, £20.79 pbk Dr Jennie Bristow, (18 Apr 2021): Children & Society. [Journal article]
- Talking about generations: 5 questions to ask yourself Dr Jennie Bristow, (Mar 2021). [Discussion paper]
- The future of universities Dr Jennie Bristow. [Conference paper]
- “Helicopter parents”, higher education, and ambivalent adulthood Dr Jennie Bristow, (May 2020). [Journal article]
- Generational Encounters with Higher Education The Academic–Student Relationship and the University Experience Dr Jennie Bristow, Dr Sarah Cant, Dr Anwesa Chatterjee, (13 Mar 2020). Bristol. [Book]
- Generational Encounters with Higher Education The academic–student relationship and the university experience Dr Sarah Cant, Dr Jennie Bristow, Dr Anwesa Chatterjee, (16 Mar 2020). Bristol. [Book]
- Post-Brexit boomer blaming: The contradictions of generational grievance Dr Jennie Bristow, (23 Jan 2020): The Sociological Review. [Journal article]
- The Corona generation: coming of age in a crisis Dr Jennie Bristow, (27 Nov 2020). [Book]
- Ageism is putting all our retirements at risk Dr Jennie Bristow, (05 Sep 2019): Spiked. [Journal article]
- Are students these days more fragile? Dr Jennie Bristow, Dr Sarah Cant, Talk for the Salomons Institute for Applied Psychology public lecture series. [Speech]
- Have the old stolen young people’s futures? Our contributors debate Dr Jennie Bristow, (07 Oct 2019). [Journal article]
- Knowledge, scholarship, and the ‘schoolification’ of the University Dr Jennie Bristow, Dr Sarah Cant, Fifth Cambridge Symposium on Knowledge in Education. [Conference paper]
- Stop mugging Grandma : the 'generation wars' and why boomer-blaming won't solve anything Dr Jennie Bristow, (25 Jun 2019). New Haven. [Book]
- The futility of generation wars Dr Jennie Bristow, (21 Jun 2019): Spiked. [Journal article]
- The graduate generation: how students navigate the contradictions of higher education. Dr Jennie Bristow, Faculty workshop presentation to the Faculty of Social and Applied Sciences.. [Conference paper]
- The graduate generation: how students navigate the contradictions of higher education. Dr Jennie Bristow, Dr Sarah Cant, Dissemination workshop. [Conference paper]
- The real meaning of ‘OK Boomer’ Dr Jennie Bristow, (13 Nov 2019): Spiked. [Journal article]
- The toddlers have taken over Dr Jennie Bristow, (05 Apr 2019): Spiked. [Journal article]
- Buying off young people Dr Jennie Bristow, (11 May 2018): Spiked. [Journal article]
- Don’t turn Britain’s schools into mental health centres Dr Jennie Bristow, (29 Mar 2018): Discursive of Tunbridge Wells. [Journal article]
- Everyone’s a loser in today’s fabricated generation wars Dr Jennie Bristow, (05 Oct 2018): City AM. [Journal article]
- This strike reminds us what universities are for Dr Jennie Bristow, (05 Mar 2018): Spiked. [Journal article]
- Time for a truce in the 'generation wars' Dr Jennie Bristow, (09 Jan 2018): Spiked. [Journal article]
- Who cares about the university? Dr Jennie Bristow, Dr Sarah Cant, Presentation to CCCU's public lecture programme 'Engaging Sociology'. [Speech]
- After Grenfell: more health and safety? Dr Jennie Bristow, (20 Jun 2017): Spiked. [Journal article]
- Constructing the 'perfect pregnancy' today Dr Jennie Bristow, Policing Pregnancy: Who Should Be a Mother?. [Conference paper]
- From Brexit to the pensions crisis, how did the Baby Boomers get the blame for everything? Dr Jennie Bristow, (08 Feb 2017): LSE British Politics and Policy. [Journal article]
- Is it time to resist calls for more mental health interventions in education Dr Jennie Bristow, ResearchEd. [Conference paper]
- Policing pregnancy: the new attack on women's autonomy Dr Jennie Bristow, (03 May 2017): Spiked. [Journal article]
- Pregnant women don’t need a blanket ban on drinking. They need the facts Dr Jennie Bristow, (18 May 2017): Guardian. [Journal article]
- The manipulative flattery of the youth vote is demeaning to young people and bad for politics Dr Jennie Bristow, (15 Jun 2017): LSE British Politics and Policy. [Journal article]
- The promotion of 'generational equity' is a divisive pursuit Dr Jennie Bristow, (10 May 2017): European Financial Review. [Journal article]
- Universities and the construction of a new generation gap Dr Jennie Bristow, Fourth Cambridge Symposium on Knowledge in Education. [Conference paper]
- What should schools teach? Dr Jennie Bristow, (20 Nov 2017): Spiked. [Journal article]
- Why are today's students so fragile? Dr Jennie Bristow, Heads of University Counselling Services meeting. [Conference paper]
- Baby Boomers and the discourse of parental irresponsibility Dr Jennie Bristow, Parenting and Personhood: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Expertise, Family Life and Risk Management. [Speech]
- Don’t tell young people how to talk to gran Dr Jennie Bristow, (01 Jun 2016): Spiked. [Journal article]
- Generations and the intimate politics of reproduction Dr Jennie Bristow, Gender Research Seminar 2016. [Conference paper]
- Policing pregnancy is bad for babies Dr Jennie Bristow, (11 Jan 2016): Spiked. [Journal article]
- Remain voters, quit the granny-bashing Dr Jennie Bristow, (27 Jun 2016): Spiked. [Journal article]
- Rules about how to behave in pregnancy diminish women’s freedom Dr Jennie Bristow, (21 Apr 2016): The Conversation. [Journal article]
- The generation wars Dr Jennie Bristow, (10 Jul 2016): Spiked. [Journal article]
- The making of ‘Boomergeddon’: The construction of the Baby Boomer generation as a social problem in Britain Dr Jennie Bristow, (29 Jul 2016): British Journal of Sociology. [Journal article]
- The sociology of generations: new directions and challenges Dr Jennie Bristow, (13 Jun 2016). Basingstoke. [Book]
- Theresa May, forget social justice – give us politics Dr Jennie Bristow, (25 Jul 2016): Spiked. [Journal article]
- Understanding Trump voters Dr Jennie Bristow, (25 Nov 2016): Spiked. [Journal article]
- What is a citizen? Dr Jennie Bristow, (28 Jul 2016): Spiked. [Journal article]
- What we lose when Baby Boomers die Dr Jennie Bristow, (25 Apr 2016): Spiked. [Journal article]
- After the election: beware the politics of generationalism Dr Jennie Bristow, (27 May 2015): spiked.com. [Journal article]
- Baby boomers and generational conflict Dr Jennie Bristow, (May 2015). Basingstoke. [Book]
- Blaming the Baby Boomers does today’s young people no favours Dr Jennie Bristow, (08 Sep 2015): The Conversation. [Journal article]
- Helicopter or hands-off: today’s parents can’t seem to win Dr Jennie Bristow, (09 Jun 2015): The Conversation.com. [Journal article]
- How fear of offending has trumped freedom of speech among today’s young people Dr Jennie Bristow, (21 Jan 2015): The Conversation.com. [Journal article]
- Looking back, thinking forward Dr Jennie Bristow, (2015): Conscience. [Journal article]
- Millennial terrorism comes of age Dr Jennie Bristow, (18 Nov 2015): Spiked. [Journal article]
- Parents! Make the right kind of friends – or else Dr Jennie Bristow, (22 Sep 2015): Spiked. [Journal article]
- Schooling goes back to the future Dr Jennie Bristow, (10 Apr 2015): Spiked. [Journal article]
- Suffragettes: women in public Dr Jennie Bristow, The Academy 2015. [Lecture]
- 'Edge of Eternity': before freedom was feared Dr Jennie Bristow, (10 Oct 2014): Spiked. [Journal article]
- Parenting culture studies Dr Jennie Bristow, (Mar 2014). Basingstoke. [Book]