7 Last checked 3 July 2020

Jo is currently a Reader in Sociology and Director of the Centre for Citizenship, Conflict, Identity and Diversity. She joined the University of Huddersfield as a Senior Lecturer in Sociology in 2007 having previously taught Sociology at the University of York, the University of East Anglia and Leeds Trinity. Jo completed her PhD (funded by the ESRC) in the Centre for Women’s Studies at the Univeristy of York.

Jo’s PhD explored women’s engagement with narratives of childhood sexual abuse and she has since published widely on this subject including the book ‘Contesting Stories of Childhood Sexual Abuse’ published by PalgraveMacmillan. In addition she has presented her work at both National and International conferences, including many as invited / key note speaker.

Jo’s interests are broadly within the areas of self and identity, childhood sexuality, LGBT+ young people, (historic) childhood sexual abuse and interpersonal sexual violence, , narratives, and the intersections of these with gender and / or sexuality. She is currently undertaking a number of research projects exploring the experiences of LGBT+ young peopel with a colleague from Sheffield Hallam University and proefessional's understandings of childhood sexual abuse with a colleague from Durham University.

Jo is also an active member of the wider sociological community. She is a member of the British and European Sociological Associations and a member of the editorial boards of Sociology (the flagshp journal of the BSA) and the Journal of Gender studies and is on the advisory board of Cultivate: The Feminist Journal of the Centre for Women's Studies.  She regularly reviews for these and other journals as well as book proposals for publishers and funding applications for Research councils.

• Narrative constructions of self/identity 
• Childhood sexual abuse and interpersonal violence
• Children and young people's sexualities
• LGBT+ young people
• Responses to abuse / Therapeutic and self-help cultures 

Click Here to see all postgraduate research opportunities with Dr Jo Woodiwiss

• Child sexual abuse and exploitation
• 'Historic' childhood sexual abuse
• Childhood, children and sexuality
• LGBT+ young people