Human, Social and Political Sciences

Dr Marissa Quie is a College Lecturer in Politics at Magdalene and teaches a range of subjects across the Faculty of Human, Social, and Political Sciences.

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Matthew’s research combines his interests in social class(ification), consumption, debt-based finance, and political economy. His previous studies have explored savings variations amongst participants of the Great British Class Survey, the role of personal credit and debt in class making and struggle, and the origins of the economic ideas of financialisation in Britain. Matthew’s current research examines classificatory discourses, models and struggles across media outlets and amongst financial institutions, and traces their affective dimensions through people’s identities, political persuasions, and life chances.

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Dr James is Lucy Cavendish Director of Studies in Social Anthropology. His research ranges from contemporary urban development in India and Latin America to the history and archeology of farming in Mexico and Cambridgeshire. As a consultant in management and interpretation of historical resources, he negotiated and designed the local authorities' cultural heritage strategy for Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire. He is an avid exponent of adult education and has led Cambridge alumni on study tours in Latin America. His degrees are from Oxford, London, Birmingham and Michigan.

Before entering academia Ian spent 32 years in the UK’s Royal Air Force as a navigator, reaching very senior rank.  Prior to taking up his present appointment at Cambridge University he lectured broadly within the International Relations field at, among other universities, SOAS, Birmingham and Anglia Ruskin.

His research interests are broadly concerned with military-government relations.  More specifically, he is interested in why governments still use military force as a tool of policy and how this plays out in the international arena.  The impact of globalization, the declining role of war within international society, the rise of bodies such as the UN and the EU and, perhaps most telling, the increasing role and abilities of technology have not only altered the battlespace, but also the use of organised, state-sponsored violence and he seeks to identify emerging trends and apply these to the fundamental relationship between governments, governance, and militaries.

He is primarily a supervisor for POL2 qnd POL3, but also lecture on POL3 and on the MPhil in International Relations. 

I am Swedish, and worked in London, France and Taiwan before coming to Lucy Cavendish. I went on to do an MA in Public Policy at York University, and specialises in communications. I now work as a press officer at the European Commission which in practical terms means that I am given boring texts and make them interesting. My policy area is higher education. I loved the intellectual challenge of being a Cambridge student and would happily do it all over again! The first memory of College that springs to mind is rowing with the spectacularly bad Lucy rowing team on the equally spectacularly beautiful Cam at sunrise. I believe we aren’t half as bad anymore...

• What made you choose HSPS? I chose HSPS because it allows me to explore my interests more broadly in the first year, whilst also giving me the opportunity to specialise later on. By having a solid foundation in a variety of disciplines I will be better placed to understand the context of the subjects that I choose to take further. I didn't feel ready to commit myself to just one subject, any many of the social issues I am interested in learning about don't fit neatly into a single subject either. HSPS allows me to look at these topics from multiple perspectives.
• And why HSPS at Cambridge? The supervision system at Cambridge is really what makes the difference for me. Having the opportunity to talk through the subjects that I care so deeply about with academics is such an incredible opportunity that I have never come close to experiencing before. I have received such specialised feedback on my essays, and I really enjoy hearing from my peers in supervisions too. 
• How did you find applying for your course at Cambridge? I found applying really nerve-wracking, and I felt very unprepared. I am the first person in my family to go to university, and as a disabled student I didn't know if I would be able to showcase my potential in the way that was expected of me. I worried that a lack of understanding of autism would impact my success at interview in particular as social skills are something I really struggle with. But I've actually found that supervisions are where I thrive the most as it's an opportunity to really engage with the subjects I love. I was relieved to find that the interview didn't test my social skills, but my engagement with the subject.
• What has been great about your course so far? I have loved the breadth of my course so far. I have particularly enjoyed the opportunity to study social anthropology and international relations as these subjects were entirely new to me. 
• How have you found the college system? I think the college system is great. It makes the prestige of the university feel much less overwhelming. It makes me feel like I have a home and a community. 

I originally dropped out of school before completing GCSEs; later, I worked in radio and completed an Access to HE Diploma at the Manchester College. Before coming to Cambridge I was a little uneasy about how I would relate to other students, but Lucy is a special college because many women have come from a non-traditional route like myself. The pastoral and academic support has been fantastic. You know that staff genuinely care about their students and their individual development. I have enjoyed the challenge of Sociology, in particular, and also the interactions with other students and supervisors. The supervision system is good because of how personalised it is. This makes sure areas that I need to cover in depth are discussed thoroughly. The course in first year was a huge change to anything I'd experienced academically before so it took time to adjust, but I learned to thrive.

I studied film-making at Ngee Ann Polytechnic and had made two documentaries in China when I decided I wanted to consider the social issues I had encountered there in more depth. Lucy Cavendish has a vibrant and non-pretentious atmosphere; the diverse mix and friendliness of international students and staff and the cohesiveness of college members are just the tip of the iceberg! I feel most at home here, the facilities are great, and I know that support will be given to me wherever and whenever I need it. The course has widened my perspective on life and made me more objective in assessing problems, situations and people. HSPS is really broad in scope and extremely relevant. My advice to anyone interested in studying it is: be inquisitive - question everything, even your questions.

Dr Dana Brablec is a Postdoctoral Research Officer at the Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research and Data - Bangor University, where she studies the factors shaping civil society organisations’ engagement with different forms of migration, boundary mechanisms, and forms of bordering in the area of migrant and Roma rights in the Czech Republic, Greece, Sweden, and the UK.

Dana holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Cambridge (2020), where explored Indigenous urbanisation in Santiago de Chile and the state’s role in this process. The results of her research have been published in the Bulletin of Latin American Research, Sociology, and the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies.

She is also a Research Affiliate in Sociology and a Teaching Associate at the Centre of Latin American Studies also at the University of Cambridge.