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Biography

Aoife Neary is Associate Professor in Sociology of Education and Assistant Dean Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in the Faculty of Education and Health Sciences. Drawing on socio-cultural theory, her research explores the politics of gender and sexuality in schools and society and, more broadly, social justice in teacher education and schooling. She has held several Irish Research Council (IRC) awards (2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2022). She was also PI/Academic Mentor on an IRC/Marie Curie co-funded CAROLINE project entitled Researching and Advocating for Quality Education: Achieving Equality for Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth in Schools (2018-2020). Her recent research focuses on gender and sexuality in primary school contexts. She was formerly a second-level teacher of Physical Education and English (2003-2011). Her work is published in journals such as Gender and Education, Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education and Sex Education and she led a team to produce the Gender Identity and Gender Expression E-Resource for Teachers with links housed on the NCCA SPHE toolkit and PDST website. She has been involved in curriculum development at a national level through her membership of the NCCA SPHE/RSE National Development group at junior cycle and senior cycle level. Since her appointment to UL in 2014, she has been leading and teaching teacher education modules that explore equality and diversity from a sociological perspective.

Research Interests

��
Broadly, my current research interests lie within and across the following areas:

Gender, Sexualities and Schooling.
School Culture and the Workings of Privilege�
Feminist Post-strucutral and Queer Epistemologies and Methodologies
The Sociology of Emotionality

Peer Reviewed Journals

�	Year	Publication
	2023	'Up Schitt's Creek: Comedy as a Slantwise Encounter with Queerness' Henry, S., Bryan, A. and Neary, A. (2023) 'Up Schitt's Creek: Comedy as a Slantwise Encounter with Queerness'. Teachers College Record, [DOI] [Details]
	2023	'Intersections of Age and Agency as Trans and Gender Diverse Children Navigate Primary Schools: Listening to Children in (Re)Considering the Potential of Sexuality Education' Neary, A. (2023) 'Intersections of Age and Agency as Trans and Gender Diverse Children Navigate Primary Schools: Listening to Children in (Re)Considering the Potential of Sexuality Education'. Sex Education, [Details]
	2023	'�Laughing ourselves out of the closet�: comedy as a queer pedagogical form' Henry, S., Bryan, A and Neary, A. (2023) '�Laughing ourselves out of the closet�: comedy as a queer pedagogical form'. Ethics And Education, [DOI] [Details]
	2022	'Preparing to research LGBTQI+ lives with children: an imaginary conversation with Kathleen Quinlivan about failure, art and hope' Neary, A. (2022) 'Preparing to research LGBTQI+ lives with children: an imaginary conversation with Kathleen Quinlivan about failure, art and hope'. Sex Education-Sexuality Society And Learning, [Details]
	2021	'Trans and gender diverse youth resisting cisnormativity in school' McBride R.S.;Neary A. (2021) 'Trans and gender diverse youth resisting cisnormativity in school'. Gender And Education, [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
	2021	'Trans children and the necessity to complicate gender in primary schools' Neary A. (2021) 'Trans children and the necessity to complicate gender in primary schools'. Gender And Education, [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
	2021	'Beyond inclusion: trans and gender diverse young people�s experiences of PE and school sport' Neary. A and McBride, R-S. (2021) 'Beyond inclusion: trans and gender diverse young people�s experiences of PE and school sport'. Sport, Education And Society, [Details]
	2020	'LGB teachers and the (Com)Promised conditions of legislative change' Neary A. (2020) 'LGB teachers and the (Com)Promised conditions of legislative change'. Teaching Education, [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
	2019	'Complicating constructions: middle-class parents of transgender and gender-diverse children' Neary A. (2019) 'Complicating constructions: middle-class parents of transgender and gender-diverse children'. Journal Of Family Studies, [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
	2019	'Critical imaginaries of empathy in teaching and learning about diversity in teacher education' Neary A. (2019) 'Critical imaginaries of empathy in teaching and learning about diversity in teacher education'. Teaching Education, [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
	2019	'Marriage Equality Time: Entanglements of sexual progress and childhood innocence in Irish primary schools' Neary A.;Rasmussen M. (2019) 'Marriage Equality Time: Entanglements of sexual progress and childhood innocence in Irish primary schools'. Sexualities, [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
	2018	'Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual teachers' negotiations of civil partnership and schools: ambivalent attachments to religion and secularism' Neary, A;Gray, B;O'Sullivan, M (2018) 'Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual teachers' negotiations of civil partnership and schools: ambivalent attachments to religion and secularism'. Discourse Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 39 :434-447 [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
	2018	*'New trans visibilities: working the limits and possibilities of gender at school'** Neary, A (2018) 'New trans* visibilities: working the limits and possibilities of gender at school'. Sex Education-Sexuality Society And Learning, 18 :435-448 [DOI] [Details]
	2017	'LGB Teachers� Ambivalent Relations with Parents and Students While Entering into a Civil Partnership' Neary, A. (2017) 'LGB Teachers� Ambivalent Relations with Parents and Students While Entering into a Civil Partnership'. Irish Educational Studies, [DOI] [Details]
	2016	'A Queer Politics of Emotion: Reimagining Sexualities and Schooling' Neary, A., Gray, B. and O'Sullivan, M. (2016) 'A Queer Politics of Emotion: Reimagining Sexualities and Schooling'. Gender And Education, 28 (2) [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
	2016	'Civil Partnership and Marriage: LGBT-Q Political Pragmatism and the Normalisation Imperative' Neary, A. (2016) 'Civil Partnership and Marriage: LGBT-Q Political Pragmatism and the Normalisation Imperative'. Sexualities, 11 (6):726-739 [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
	2013	'Lesbian and gay teachers� experiences of �coming out� in Irish Schools' Neary, A. (2013) 'Lesbian and gay teachers� experiences of �coming out� in Irish Schools'. British Journal Of Sociology Of Education, 34 (4):583-602 [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]

Books

	Year	Publication
	2017	LGBT-Q Teachers, Civil Partnership and Same-Sex Marriage: The Ambivalences of Legitimacy. Neary, A. (2017) LGBT-Q Teachers, Civil Partnership and Same-Sex Marriage: The Ambivalences of Legitimacy. New York: Routledge. [Details]

Book Chapters

�	Year	Publication
	2023	'Trans Children in Primary Schools: Thinking Queerly About Happiness and Time' Neary, A. (2023) 'Trans Children in Primary Schools: Thinking Queerly About Happiness and Time' In: Queer Studies in Education: An International Reader. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Details]
	2022	'LGBTQI+ Teachers in Ireland' Neary, A. (2022) 'LGBTQI+ Teachers in Ireland' In: Diversifying the Teaching Profession. London: Taylor and Francis. [Details]
	2019	*'New trans visibilities: working the limits and possibilities of gender at school'** Neary, A. (2019) 'New trans* visibilities: working the limits and possibilities of gender at school' In: Gilbert, J and Sinclair-Palm, J (eds). Trans Youth in Education. London: Routledge. [Details]
	2019	'Robot Babies, Young People and Pregnancy Prevention: Alternative Imaginings of Sexual Futures' Rasmussen, ML. and Neary, A. (2019) 'Robot Babies, Young People and Pregnancy Prevention: Alternative Imaginings of Sexual Futures' In: Cambridge Handbook of Sexual Development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [Details]
	2019	'Lesbian, gay and bisexual teachers� ambivalent relations with parents and students while entering into a civil partnership' Neary, A. (2019) 'Lesbian, gay and bisexual teachers� ambivalent relations with parents and students while entering into a civil partnership' In: Queer Teaching - Teaching Queer. London: Routledge. [Details]
	2014	'Teachers and Civil Partnership: (Re)producing Legitimate Subjectivities in the Straight Spaces of Schools' Neary, A. (2014) 'Teachers and Civil Partnership: (Re)producing Legitimate Subjectivities in the Straight Spaces of Schools' In: Queer Teachers, Identity and Performativity. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. [Details]

Other Journals

	Year	Publication
	2020	'The Post-Primary School Experiences of Transgender and Gender Diverse' McBride, R-S, Neary, A., & Lacey, V. (2020) 'The Post-Primary School Experiences of Transgender and Gender Diverse' Sexual Health News, . [Details]
	2019	'Gender, Sexuality & Bullying Special Issue Editorial' Ging, D. & Neary, A. (2019) 'Gender, Sexuality & Bullying Special Issue Editorial' International Journal of Bullying Prevention, 1 :227-230. [Details]
	2018	'Exploring Gender Identity and Gender Norms in Primary Schools' Neary, A. & Cross, C. (2018) 'Exploring Gender Identity and Gender Norms in Primary Schools' Sexual Health News, . [Details]
	2012	'Same-sex Relationship Recognition and the Weight of Heteronormative Expectation' Neary, A. (2012) 'Same-sex Relationship Recognition and the Weight of Heteronormative Expectation' Limerick Student Journal of Sociology, . [Details]

Published Reports

	Year	Publication
	2020	The Post-Primary School Experiences of Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth in Ireland. McBride, R-S, Neary, A., Gray, B & Lacey, V. (2020) The Post-Primary School Experiences of Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth in Ireland. University of Limerick, Limerick. [Details]
	2018	Exploring Gender Identity and Gender Norms in Primary Schools. Neary, A. and Cross, C. (2018) Exploring Gender Identity and Gender Norms in Primary Schools. University of Limerick and Irish Research Council, Limerick. [DOI] [Details]
	2017	Exploring Homophobia and Transphobia in Primary Schools in Ireland. Neary, A., Irwin-Gowran, S. and McEvoy, E. (2017) Exploring Homophobia and Transphobia in Primary Schools in Ireland. University of Limerick and Gay and Lesbian Equality Network, Limerick. [ULIR Link] [Details]
	2014	Unravelling 'Ethos' and Section 37(1): The Experiences of LGBTQ Teachers. Neary, A. (2014) Unravelling 'Ethos' and Section 37(1): The Experiences of LGBTQ Teachers. . [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]

Conference Publications

	Year	Publication
	2013	*New Foundations: School 'Ethos' and LGBT Sexualities* Neary, A. (2013) LGBT Teachers� Negotiations of Irish Schools New Foundations: School 'Ethos' and LGBT Sexualities [ULIR Link] [Details]

Blog

	Year	Publication
	2019	LGBTQI+ Diversity Work in Teacher Education. Neary, A. (2019) LGBTQI+ Diversity Work in Teacher Education. Blog [Details]

Thesis

	Year	Publication
	2014	Teachers and Civil Partnership in Ireland: Ambivalent Promises of Legitimacy. Neary, A. (2014) Teachers and Civil Partnership in Ireland: Ambivalent Promises of Legitimacy. Thesis [DOI] [Details]

Honours and Awards

Year	Title	Awarding Body
2023	Equity and Diversity in Teacher Educator Professional Development (Collaborator, �400,000)	Erasmus+
2023	Champions of Inclusion and Diversity using Meaningful Physical Education (Collaborator, �120,000)	Erasmus+
2023	Nurturing Global Citizenship Education as core to the values, culture and discourse of Initial Teacher Education at University of Limerick.(Collaborator, �89,292.72)	Ubuntu/Irish Aid
2022	New Foundations for LGBTQ+ Inclusivity in Primary Schools (Sole PI, �12,000)	Irish Research Council
2023	ERC Proposal Preparation Grant (Sole PI, �15,821)	Enterprise Ireland
2020	Junior Cycle Evaluation (One of 20 team members, �284,232)	NCCA
2020	ERC Proposal Preparation (PI) (Sole PI, �12,442)	Enterprise Ireland
2019	Government of Canada Insight Development Grant (Collaborator, �33,000)	Government of Canada
2018	Irish Research Council Postgraduate Scholarship (as Co-Supervisor) (�24,000)	Irish Research Council
2018	Researching and Advocating for Quality Education: Achieving Equality for Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth in Schools (as PI/Academic Mentor to Postdoctoral Fellow) (�174,018)	CAROLINE Irish Research Council/Marie Curie Co-Fund
2018	Irish Research Council Postgraduate Scholarship (as Co-Supervisor) (�24,000)	Irish Research Council
2017	Exploring Gender Identity and Gender Norms in Primary Schools (PI in Partnership with Transgender Equality Network of Ireland) (�19.902))	Irish Research Council New Foundations
2016	Faculty of Education and Health Sciences Early Career Researcher Seed Funding (�1000)	Faculty of Education and Health Sciences
2015	New Foundations: Teacher Education for Gender and Sexuality Diversity (�9,980)	Irish Research Council
2015	UL Development Education Project (�6310 Joint Application)	Ubuntu Network
2014	New Foundations Engaging Civic Society (�9,778)	Irish Research Council
2014	National Seminar Series Award (�1,440)	National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning
2012	New Foundations (�4,816)	Irish Research Council
2011	Irish Research Council Postgraduate Scholarship 2011-2014 (�60,963)	Irish Research Council

Professional Associations

Association	Function	From / To
European Conference for Educational Research	Member	/
SPHE Educators Network	Network Member	/
Ubuntu Teacher Education Network	Board Member	/
Educational Studies Association of Ireland	Irish Educational Studies Journal Peer Reviewer	/

Committees

Committee	Function	From / To
School of Education Research Committee	Member	/
Irish Sexualities and Genders Research Network	Committee Member	/
Faculty of EHS Equality & Diversity Committee	Co-Chair	/

Employment

	Employer	Position	From / To
	University of Limerick	Lecturer in Sociology of Education	/
	Department of Education and Skills	Post-Primary Teacher	01-SEP-03 / 31-AUG-14

Education

Year	Institution	Qualification	Subject
2015	University of Limerick	PhD	Sociology
2010	University of Limerick	Master of Arts	Sociology: Gender, Culture & Society
2003	University of Limerick	BSc	PE and English 1.1

Consultancy

	Client	Description
	NCCA	Co-opted Member of National Council for Curriculum and Assessment Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) Post-Primary Development Group
	Oireachtas Education Committee	Invited consultant to Government/Oireachtas Education Committee RSE Review

Outreach Activities

	Description

Other Activities

	Description
	International Advisory Board Member for Stonewall Cymru's Inclusive RSE Guide for Schools
	International Advisory Board of Queer Studies and Education book series (Palgrave Macmillan)

Teaching Interests

My teaching interests span the following areas: diversity, equality, power and privilege in schools and society; the intersections of gender, sexuality, social class, religion, race/ethnicity/nation and ability; cultural sociology; the sociology of emotion and affect; qualitative research methods.

Currently, I lead and teach two foundational studies Sociology of Education modules with undergraduate and postgraduate pre-service post-primary school teachers: EN4025: Inclusive Education 1 (New Iteration Forthcoming: EN4045: Diversity and Social Justice in Education: Sociological Perspectives) and EN6144: Sociological Perspectives on Diversity and Social Justice in Schools.

National Collaborators

�	Name	Institute	Country
	Dr Audrey Bryan	Dublin City University

International Collaborators

�	Name	Organisation / Institute	Country
	Dr Se�n Henry	Edge Hill University
	Prof. Mary Lou Rasmussen	Australian National University	Australia

Aoife Neary

Contact Details