Dr Sarah L Jones

Research

I’m a social and cultural historian of gender and sexuality, working mostly on histories of modern Britain and America.

My current research explores the popular life of sexual science in print, specifically looking at how debates and ideas from sexual science played a role in early twentieth-century culture. While I’m interested in the relationship between science, sexuality, and print culture more broadly, my most recent work has investigated the history of popular, mass-produced sex advice literature - how it was written, published, sold, and accessed, but also how and why it was read and consumed. 

This research has been informed by my work on the Wellcome Trust funded Rethinking Sexology project at the University of Exeter, where I was a research fellow prior to joining the University of Bristol.

Elsewhere, I have written on histories of sex radicalism and transatlantic 'free love' movements. I’m also really interested in how we can use research into histories of gender and sexuality to meaningfully engage with the public beyond the university.

Teaching

When i'm not busy with all of that I conduct research into impactful and innovative pedagogy. In 21/22 I was a BILT Associate, working as part of a team to investigate new ways of helping students transition to university. My current pedagogical research project focuses on issues around student engagement and the accessibility of undergraduate history programmes. In addition to producing commissioned educational resources for Bloomsbury and Adam Matthew Digital, I have written for the Radical History Review on creative historical practice and image-based learning. I am also co-convenor of History UK's Pedagogy Forum, leading critical conversations about teaching across British universities.

Supervision

I’ve supervised a vast array of excellent research projects that have covered such diverse topics as the history of drag culture, polyamory, Victorian pornography, women's magazines, sex scandals, sex work, gender in video games, and the Spice Girls. I'd be delighted to speak to any students with interests in modern histories of gender, feminism, sexuality, sex radicalism, or popular culture, as well as the history of science and medicine, LGBTQ+ history, and histories of print and the media.

My pronouns are she/her/hers.

Contact details:

Email: Sarah.Jones@bristol.ac.uk

Twitter: @callingdrjones_

Office: 101a, 71 Cotham Hill