View more on Dr Nicholas Hookway in WARP

Expertise

Nick’s research focuses on how social bonds, morality and identity are being transformed by wider social change. He has particular research expertise in social theory, online research methods and the sociology of morality. Nick is one of only a few international sociologists to combine cultural and moral sociology with new empirical methods. He was the first sociologist in Australia and one of the first in the world to develop a methodology for using blogs in social research. His 2008 article ‘Entering the Blogosphere’ has become a seminal piece in the field, cited over 500 times and reproduced in over seven international edited collections. As part of his wider research program on morality and social change, Nick’s current research analyses how kindness and community is changing in Australia, particularly across generations. The kindness research has led to extensive commentary with more than 30 local and national media outlets and engagement with a range of external stakeholders, including the World Kindness Movement (WKM), Australian Business Consulting and Solutions (ABCS) and the Foundation for Young People Australia (FYA). Nick makes regular contributions to the media on a wide range of cultural and social issues, from the impacts of social media and changes in intimate relationships to wellness movements, generational change and practices of kindness.

Research Themes

Nick is a cultural sociologist who does theoretically informed empirical work on culture, values and ethics. His research aligns to the University’s Creativity, Culture and Society research theme. Nick’s research focuses on how morality, identity and social bonds are being transformed by wider social and cultural changes. Recently, Nick has used everyday expressions of kindness in Australia as an avenue to investigate wider claims about the moral direction of Western societies. Nick’s research into morality and kindness has resulted in publications in prestigious sociology journals, including Sociology and British Journal of Sociology and led to community partnerships with the Foundation for Young People Australia, Australian Business Consulting and Solutions, Volunteering Tasmania and the Launceston City Council. From inspiring the development of whitepapers on kindness in the private sector and invited national radio discussions to citations in youth policy documents and innovative social media projects, Nick’s research has helped drive the public conversation about values and social change in Australia. In his role as co-convener of the TASA’s Cultural Sociology thematic group with Sara James (La Trobe), Nick organised two symposiums, Cultures of Authenticity (Adelaide, 2014) and Meaning and Morality in an Age of Uncertainty (Melbourne, 2016).

Current projects

Everyday Morality and Kindness: Nick has made a significant contribution to the sociology of morality. Critiquing dominant sociological accounts of moral decline, Nick makes the case for the significance of emotions, embodiment and values of authenticity as everyday moral structures. This research has been published in top international journals, including Sociology, The Sociological Review and Acta Sociologica. His monograph, Everyday Moralities: Doing it Ourselves in an Age of Uncertainty (Routledge) is forthcoming in 2018. This theoretical work has framed Nick’s empirical research on everyday expressions and understandings of kindness with colleagues Daphne Habibis and Anthea Vreugdenhil. The survey component of the kindness research has been published in the British Journal of Sociology, one of the most prestigious sociology journals in the world. The kindness research is also linked to a wider community engagement agenda and has resulted in partnerships with Australian Business Consulting and Solutions (ABCS), World Kindness Movement, Foundation for Young People Australia (FYA), Volunteering Tasmania and Launceston City Council. With Volunteering Tasmania and Launceston City Council, Nick led a multi-level community engagement project that used an Instagram competition, short-films and public exhibitions to celebrate the kindness and civic-participation of young Tasmanians. You can read about the Random Snaps of Kindness project in this feature article from The Age.  

Online Research Methods: Nick was the first sociologist in Australia and one of the first in the world to develop a methodology for using blogs in qualitative social research. His 2008 article ‘Entering the Blogosphere’ has become a seminal piece in the field, cited over 500 times (Google scholar) and reproduced in over seven international edited collections. He has recently published with Dr Helene Snee (Manchester Metropolitan University, UK) on using blog in social research in The SAGE Handbook of Online Research Methods.

Book clubs:  Led by colleague Robert Clarke, Nick is investigating the social and cultural benefits of book clubs in Tasmania and beyond. Nick is named as a chief investigator on a current ARC Discovery application that examines the history, role and impacts of books club in Australia with colleagues Robert Clarke (UTAS), Marguerite Nolan (ACU), Martyn Lyons (University of New South Wales), James Proctor (University of Newcastle Upon Tyne) and Danielle Fuller (University of Birmingham).

Online wellness movements and moral subjectivity: In collaboration with Tim Graham (Australian National University) and Naomi Smith (Federation University), this project uses ‘big data’ analysis of Facebook and Twitter posts to examine how online wellness culture (e.g., Isagenix; ‘I Quit Sugar’ and Paleo) are transforming practices of body, self and morality.

Publications

Grants & Funding

Projects

Research Supervision

Nick is keen to work with PhD students in areas such as identity, morality and changing social bonds and relationships. Nick has the capacity to strengthen a number of PhD projects with expertise in social theory, online research methods and qualitative research methods.

Current

Completed