Dr Lewis Bloodworth

About

I joined Kingston in 2022 and I currently hold the post of Lecturer in Sociology - as of August 2023 I am also Course Director for Sociology.

Before joining Kingston, I taught at the University of Kent where I also completed my PhD in Political and Social Thought - my thesis title being Love's Political Potential: Critical Reflections from a Deleuzian Perspective. In my work I have problematised love as a social and cultural phenomena, engaging with a litany of other thinkers beyond Gilles Deleuze including: Sigmund Freud, Hebert Marcuse, Alain Badiou, Alexandra Kollontai, Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, and Michael Hardt. My own reading of Deleuze returns him to Freud in the hope of rethinking the psychoanalytic reading of subject formation, extending this rethinking to a reimagining of love and the political more broadly.

Currently I am conducting research on the role dating apps have on influencing contemporary love relations and their broader impact on the formation of identity and subjectivity. This will likely become a more extensive study, emphasising global shifts in relationship dynamics under the influence of algorithmic technologies. 

Although my current teaching and research is primarily sociological, I also have taught during my academic career modules in political theory, British politics, terrorism studies, conflict analysis, research design, and criminology.

Academic responsibilities

Lecturer in Sociology

Qualifications

  • Phd, University of Kent, Political and Social Thought
  • MA, University of Kent, International Conflict Analysis
  • Bsc, Canterbury Christ Church University, Politics and Global Governance

Teaching and learning

At present I teach on a range of modules. 

At Level 4: SO4007 Classical Social Theory in a Contemporary World

At Level 5: PO5004 Securing Human Rights: Contemporary Themes and Issues

At Level 6: SO6034 Social Issues 

Qualifications and expertise

  • Associate Fellow (AFHEA)
  • Academic Misconduct Committee (Chair)

Undergraduate courses taught

Research

In my work I have problematised love as a social and cultural phenomena, engaging with a litany of other thinkers beyond Gilles Deleuze including: Sigmund Freud, Hebert Marcuse, Alain Badiou, Alexandra Kollontai, Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, and Michael Hardt. My own reading of Deleuze returns him to Freud in the hope of rethinking the psychoanalytic reading of subject formation, extending this rethinking to a reimagining of love and the political more broadly. 

Areas of specialism

  • The Sociology of Love
  • Poststructuralism
  • Feminism
  • Marxism and Post-Marxism
  • Psychoanalysis

Scholarly affiliations

  • Political Studies Association - Marxism Specialism Group

Research student supervision