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Home > Social Sciences > Sociology > Academic Staff > Gavin Smith

Dr Gavin J. D. Smith

Overview of Dr Smith

Gavin Smith joined City University as a Lecturer in September 2008 after completing, at the University of Aberdeen, an Economic and Social Research (ESRC)-funded PhD thesis on the sociology of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) operation. He holds, from the same university, a Master of Arts degree in Sociology (With First Class Honours) and a Master of Research degree in Social Research Methods (With Distinction), the latter of which was also ESRC-supported through their ‘1 plus 3’ studentship scheme. He is an active member of the British Sociological Association, The British Society of Criminology and the Surveillance Studies Network, and is in the process of developing his role within these organisations. He also is a major contributor to the department's Criminology Research Group.

Gavin has extensive teaching experience, lecturing, over the years, on a number of sociological modules at the University of Aberdeen. He is also the instructor of a two-week observational course for graduates at the University of Essex Summer School in Social Science Data Analysis and Collection.

His prime interest is the sociology of surveillance, particularly the sociological and interactional processes through which surveillance systems are produced and brought into being; how they are operationalised and how they function in practice, also what the wider effects and implications are for contemporary understandings of self and society. He is specifically interested in the ambiguities, dialectics and unintended consequences which emerge from the relationship between surveillance practice and lived experience. Gavin has spent considerable time ethnographically researching the internal workings, dynamics and operation of differing CCTV control rooms within the UK, enabling him to contribute empirical knowledge, phenomenological understanding and sociological theory to the ongoing academic debate about technological control systems, whilst also furthering his epistemological interests in the interrelations existing between method and theory. More broadly, Gavin has interests in the wider sociology of crime and deviance, sociology of emotions and sociology of knowledge fields, along with an enthusiasm for social psychology and forms of consciousness, methodology, epistemologies, hermeneutical phenomenology, ethnomethodology, interactionism, morality and ethics, and existential philosophies.

Gavin is frequently consulted by the media on sociological issues and has appeared on Sky News and The BBC and in The Guardian, The Independent and The Times. He is happy to deal with media requests on a variety of topics.

Gavin is also responsible for organising the forthcoming European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) 'A Global Surveillance Society?' conference at City University London on April 13 - 15, 2010. More information on this event will follow shortly.

Current Publications

Journal Articles

• Haggerty, K. D., D. Wilson and G. J. D. Smith (forthcoming) ‘Theorizing Surveillance in Criminal Justice’, Theoretical Criminology (special edition editorial and sole authored research article)

• Smith, G. J. D. (2007) 'Exploring Relations Between Watchers and Watched in Control(led) Systems: Strategies and Tactics', Surveillance and Society, 4(4): 280-313

• Smith, G.J.D. (2004) 'Behind the Screens: examining constructions of deviance and informal practices among CCTV control room operators in the UK', Surveillance and Society, 2(2/3): 376-395

Book Chapters

• Smith, G.J.D. (forthcoming) ‘The Iron Code in the Velvet Glove: on the dangers of digital rule’, in R. Firmino, F. Duarte and C. Ultramari (eds) ICTs for Mobile and Ubiquitous Urban Infrastructures: Surveillance, Locative Media and Global Networks, Hershey, PA: IGI Global.
• Smith, G. J. D. (2008) 'Empowered Watchers or Disempowered Workers? The ambiguities of power within technologies of security', in K. F. Aas, H. O. Gundhus and H. M. Lomell (eds) Technologies of Insecurity: The surveillance of everyday life, London: Routledge–Cavendish
• Smith, G. J. D.  (2007) 'The night-time economy: exploring tensions between agents of control', in R. Atkinson, G. Helms (eds), Securing an Urban Renaissance: Crime, Community and British Urban Policy, Bristol: The Policy Press

Book Reviews

• Smith, G. J. D. (2009) 'Identifying Citizens: ID Cards as Surveillance', Identity in the Information Society, (TBC)
• Smith, G. J. D. (2007) 'Violent Night: Urban Leisure and Contemporary Culture', Urban Studies, 44(10): 2053-2056

Governmental Reports 

• Shucksmith, J., C. King, S. Bell, K. Philip and G. J. D. Smith (2003) 'Exploration of Attitudes Towards Family Health Plans', Edinburgh: NHS Health Scotland

Internet Blogs

• Smith, G. J. D. (2009) 'Studying the Surveillance Society', Liberty Central, The Guardian
• Smith, G. J. D. (2006) ‘Explaining Closed Circuit Television's (CCTV) acceptance among the UK public’, Criminal Justice Scotland

Conference Papers and Invited Lectures

• 2004, 'Watching the Watchers: Closed Circuit Television monitoring 'uncovered'', presented at The Faculty of Social Science and Law Viva Examination, University of Aberdeen

• 2005, 'Selling surveillance': a critical consideration of the acceptance of, and reasons for, surveillance creep in the UK', presented at the 55th  Political Studies Association Annual Conference, University of Leeds

• 2005, 'On a different wavelength? CCTV operators' relationship with door staff within the night-time economy', presented at Securing the Urban Renaissance: Policing, Community and Disorder, University of Glasgow

• 2005, 'Communicational Conflict’, presented at the Moving Forward Postgraduate Conference, University of Aberdeen

• 2006, 'Exploring relations between watchers and watched:  CCTV, interaction, hermeneutics and the creation of 'Celebnotoriety', presented at Crime, Justice and Surveillance Conference, University of Sheffield

• 2006, 'CCTV: watching objects or subjects?', presented at The British Sociological Annual Conference, Harrogate International Centre

• 2007, 'CCTV Operators and Ontological Security', presented at The British Sociological Annual Conference, University of East London

• 2007, 'Who Would Be A CCTV Operator? Mapping the human-technology interaction and the social impacts of systems of surveillance on their operators', presented at Technologies of (in)Security, University of Oslo, Norway

• 2008, 'Rooms without doors? Researching 'closed settings' – getting in, getting out', presented at The British Sociological Association Annual Conference, University of Warwick

• 2008, 'Surveilling Surveillance: reflections on method', presented at InVisibilities: The Politics, Practice and Experience of Surveillance in Everyday Life, University of Sheffield

• 2008, 'The Unintended Consequences of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Operation', presented at The British Society of Criminology Annual Conference, University of Huddersfield

• 2008, 'Rethinking CCTV operation: interactions and ontologies', presented at The Centre for Law and Society Seminar Series, University of Edinburgh

• 2009, ‘The contradictions of security: the interaction and emotion orders’, presented at The Department of Sociology Seminar Series, Loughborough University

• 2009, ‘Surveillance, Space and Time: on the fallacy of pre-emption', Surveillance Societies: What Price Security?, presented at Macaulay Honors College, City University New York

• 2009, ‘On the Contemporary Logic and Inclinations of Surveillance Practice: a critique of code and criminological manifesto’, presented at The British Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Cardiff University

Forthcoming Lectures

• October 2009, 'The Labours of Watching', to be presented at The CCTV User Group Autumn Conference, Cotswolds, UK

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