Project Update | Update

It’s been a while since I gave an update on how my Professional Doctorate is coming along. My research examines how Gypsies, Roma, and Travellers experience the criminal justice system, and how agencies can change their service provision to better suit their needs.

After gathering information from the perspectives of service providers and publishing a paper based upon these findings, over the last few months I have been gathering the really insightful data – what Gypsies, Roma, and Travellers think, and whether what is framed as innovative practice really meets their needs.

Although due to data protection I can’t name the people who have taken part in interviews, I really can’t thank them enough for their hospitality and generosity. I’ve been welcomed into their homes, fed, offered resources for further research, whilst they have approached friends and relatives on my behalf for participation in the research.

They have given me more than this, though. Cultures of oral storytelling are prevalent throughout Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities, and they have trusted me with their stories and the stories of that have been passed down to them. These have been tales of hardship and happiness, of discrimination and celebration.  The challenge for me will be to represent these narratives in my thesis write-up.

The next steps for my Professional Doctorate project will be qualitative coding and analysis, and then the long slog of the write-up before my viva next spring. Part of me is keen to get my early mornings and evenings back, but having that much free time back will take some readjustment!

*Thanks for reading, folks. Image courtesy of Wikipedia. My recent short stories include ‘Little Daily Miracles‘ and ‘Those Abroad‘.

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Matthew Richardson is a writer of short stories. His work has featured in Gold Dust magazine, Literally Stories, Close to the Bone, McStorytellers, Penny Shorts, Soft Cartel, Whatever Keeps the Lights On, Flashback Fiction, Cafelit, Best MicroFiction 2021, Writer’s Egg, Idle Ink, The Wild Word, and Shooter magazine. He is a doctoral student at the University of Dundee, a lucky husband,