Dr Mags Crean

    Applied Social Studies

    Lecturer/ Assistant Professor

    Biography

    Mags Crean is Assistant Professor in Social Policy in Maynooth University. 
    Mags holds undergraduate degrees in Natural Sciences and Social Sciences, as well as a Masters degree in Equality Studies and PhD in Social Justice from University College Dublin. In addition to research and academic work on social policy issues, Mags has worked in both the community and NGO sectors across a range of policy areas including ageing, education, community, health and housing. This work informs her further academic focus on the role of civil society and community groups in making, analysing and researching social policy.

    As a former elected county councillor, Mags has a particular interest in policy change that facilitates a more participatory approach to the policy process and connects local, national and global policy issues. In 2008, she was awarded a UCD Egalitarian World Initiative/ Combat Poverty Agency, Civil Society Scholarship. Taking a social justice and critical policy analysis approach to her work, Mags draws on her personal, professional and political experiences to highlight the ways in which social policy can play a role in creating a more egalitarian society.

    Research Interests

    Educational inequalities
    Poverty
    Equality
    Social class
    Care
    Health
    Ageing

    Book Chapters

      Year Publication
    2018 'Economic Inequality and Class Privilege in Education'
    Lynch, K and Crean, M (2018) 'Economic Inequality and Class Privilege in Education' In: Harford, Judith (eds). Harford, J (ed) Education for All? The Legacy of Free Post-Primary Education. Oxford: Peter Lang. [Details]
    2010 'Equality and Social Justice: the university as a site of struggle’'
    Lynch, K. Crean, M. and Moran, M (2010) 'Equality and Social Justice: the university as a site of struggle’' In: Michael Apple, Stephen J Ball and Luis Armando Gandin (eds) International Handbook of the Sociology of Education: Critical Research for Social Justice. New York: Taylor and Francis. [Details]
    2016 'Inequality'
    Lynch, K., Cantillon, S. & Crean M. (2016) 'Inequality' In: W.K. Roche, PJ O’Connell and A. Prothero (eds) Austerity’s Poster Child: Ireland’s Experience of Austerity and Recovery. Oxford: University Press. [Details]
    2011 'Resistance, Struggle and Survival: The University as a Site for Transformative Action'
    Crean, M. and Lynch., K. (2011) 'Resistance, Struggle and Survival: The University as a Site for Transformative Action' In: A. O’Shea and M. O’Brien (Eds) Pedagogy, Oppression and Transformation in a Post-Critical Climate. London: Continuum. [Details]

    Peer Reviewed Journals

      Year Publication
    2020 '‘Personal’ troubles and public spaces: the community as a site of care and social action'
    Crean, Mags (2020) '‘Personal’ troubles and public spaces: the community as a site of care and social action'. Community Development Journal, 55 (4):607-623 [Details]
    2020 'Care and affective relations: Social justice and sociology'
    Lynch, Kathleen,Kalaitzake, Manolis,Crean, Margaret (2020) 'Care and affective relations: Social justice and sociology'. The Sociological Review, 69 (1):53-71 [Details]
    2019 'On the question of cheap care: Regarding A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things by Raj Patel and Jason W Moore'
    Lynch, Kathleen,Crean, Mags (2019) 'On the question of cheap care: Regarding A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things by Raj Patel and Jason W Moore'. Irish Journal of Sociology, 27 (2):200-207 [Details]
    2018 'Minority Scholars and Insider-Outsider Researcher Status: Challenges along a Personal, Professional and Political Continuum'
    Crean, M (2018) 'Minority Scholars and Insider-Outsider Researcher Status: Challenges along a Personal, Professional and Political Continuum'. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung, 19 (1) [Details]
    2018 'Affective formations of class consciousness: Care consciousness'
    Crean, Margaret (2018) 'Affective formations of class consciousness: Care consciousness'. The Sociological Review, 66 (6):1177-1193 [Details]
    2008 'Extended book review: DIY Community Action: Neighbourhood Problems and Community Self-help'
    Crean, M (2008) 'Extended book review: DIY Community Action: Neighbourhood Problems and Community Self-help'. Community Development Journal, 44 (4):528-530 [DOI] [Details]
    2007 'Review of Gender, Schooling and Global Social Justice, by E. Unterhalter]'
    Morrell, R., Davies, L., Lynch, K., Crean, M., & Subrahmanian, R (2007) 'Review of Gender, Schooling and Global Social Justice, by E. Unterhalter]'. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 28 (6):797-816 [DOI] [Details]

    Conference Contributions

      Year Publication
    2022 Educational Studies Association of Ireland (ESAI).
    Crean, M (2022) Educational Studies Association of Ireland (ESAI). [Oral Presentation], Social Class, Covid and Care: Schools on the front line in the Covid-19 pandemic, Ireland [Details]

    Report

      Year Publication
    2022 Children’s School Lives: The Preschool to Primary School Transition in Ireland, Report No. 4.
    Sloan, S., Devine, D., Martinez Sainz, G., Symonds, J. E., Crean, M., Moore, B., Davies, A., Farrell, E., Farrell, J., Blue, T., Tobin, E. & Hogan, J. (2022) Children’s School Lives: The Preschool to Primary School Transition in Ireland, Report No. 4. Report [Details]
    2021 Children's School Lives in Junior Infants. Report 3.
    Sloan, S and Martinez Sainz, G and Devine, D and Symonds, J and Crean, M and Moore, B and Davies, A and Farrell, E (2021) Children's School Lives in Junior Infants. Report 3. Ireland: Report [Details]
    2020 Children’s School Lives: An Introduction, Report No.1.
    Devine, D.; Symonds, J., Sloan, S., Cahoon, A., Crean, M., Farrell, E., Davies, A., Blue, T. & Hogan, J. (2020) Children’s School Lives: An Introduction, Report No.1. Ireland: Report [Details]
    2020 Experiences of Remote Teaching and Learning in Ireland During the Covid-19 Pandemic (March – May 2020).
    Symonds, J. E., Devine, D., Sloan, S., Crean, M., Moore, B., Martinez Sainz, G., Farrell, E., Davies, A., Farrell, J., & Blue, T. (2020) Experiences of Remote Teaching and Learning in Ireland During the Covid-19 Pandemic (March – May 2020). Ireland: Report [Details]
    2017 Evaluation of the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme in County Wicklow.
    Crean, M and Lynch, K (2017) Evaluation of the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme in County Wicklow. Report [Details]
    2016 Education and Recovery: Achieving Positive Outcomes in Education for Adults with Mental Health Difficulties.
    Crean, M (2016) Education and Recovery: Achieving Positive Outcomes in Education for Adults with Mental Health Difficulties. Report [Details]
    2016 Quantitative survey of dementia specific services in the Republic of Ireland.
    Crean, M (2016) Quantitative survey of dementia specific services in the Republic of Ireland. Report [Details]
    2015 Transport: A practical and psycho-social support for people with cancer.
    Crean, M and Carroll, C. (2015) Transport: A practical and psycho-social support for people with cancer. Wicklow: Report [Details]
    2015 Executive Summary: An Economic Analysis of Home Care Services for People with Dementia.
    Trepel, D., Crean, M. and Begley, E. (2015) Executive Summary: An Economic Analysis of Home Care Services for People with Dementia. Dublin: Report [Details]
    2013 Information in Transition: The information, advice and advocacy needs of older people.
    Crean, M (2013) Information in Transition: The information, advice and advocacy needs of older people. Report [Details]
    2008 The Needs of Young People Living in Blakestown.
    Crean, M (2008) The Needs of Young People Living in Blakestown. Report [Details]

    Honours and Awards

      Year Title Awarding Body
    2008 UCD Egalitarian World Initiative: Combat Poverty Agency, Civil Society Scholarship University College Dublin

    Committees

      Committee Function From / To
    Purple House Cancer Support Trustee/ Board member 2014 / 2020
    Joint Policing Committee Committee member 2019 / 2022
    Wicklow Inclusion and Disability Committee Committee member 2019 / 2022
    East Coast Regional Drugs & Alcohol Task Force Board member 2019 / 2022
    Wicklow Mermaid Arts Theatre Board member 2019 / 2022
    Greystones Family Resource Centre Board member 2017 /

    Teaching Interests

    Advanced Social Policy - BSocSc
    Comparative Social Policy - BSocSc
    Ageing and Social Policy - BSocSc
    Social Gerontology - MSocSc
    Education Inequalities - MSocSc
    Critical Skills for Social Science - BSocSc




    External Collaborators

      Name Role / Description Country
    Professor Donna Marshall and Dr Penelope Muzanenhamo Co-founder of research theme, 'People, Work, Society', which focuses on re-imagining and championing the role of people, work, and society in the transition to a more sustainable planet. IRELAND
    Prof. Dympna Devine Co-author IRELAND
    Prof. Kathleen Lynch co-author IRELAND