Philip Smith

The project looks at the history of punishment in the West since about 1750, with special attention given to the UK, France and USA. It develops a Durkheimian perspective that gives attention to the ritual and communicative aspects of punishment activity. Topics include the evolution of the prison, the fate of the panopticon, the rise and fall of the guillotine and electric chair. A monograph with the University of Chicago Press was published.

Encounters with rude strangers are commonplace in everyday life. This project provides a mapping and audit. It offers the first information collected worldwide on where we find such people, what they do that is rude and how we experience these situations. A focus is given to routine activity and to the low key, unexpected and yet mundane quality of most such encounters, this in contrast with the high harm and high fear forms of incivility that dominate the literature. Dr. Tim Phillips of the Australian National University is a collaborator. Funding is provided by the Australian Research Council.