South London born and raised. Since 1987 I’ve been bashing my head against various walls. The walls are not winning, not yet.
I’m an author and academic. I’ve taught at four universities, most recently the Open University. I went to non-selective schools, local universities, have lived in social housing, and before teaching worked for around six years in community charities, disability and homelessness services. I’m English, technically Irish too, but the language mostly spoken in my home nowadays is Russian. Class is complex; people are complex. Only walls are not complex.
I’m currently working on three long-term projects with book manuscripts attached.
Fen Power: Place, Community and Connection in the Fens
Locations: Peterborough, Boston and Wisbech
Exploring questions of place, identity and belonging in one of England’s most distinctive landscapes, marked by bad politics, poor infrastructure, high immigration, Brexit and Reform support, precarious agriculture and long-term inequalities. Working with local communities to understand how people build connections and power in areas often overlooked by national politics. See webpage for our reports and film, trailer below.
Homes for all
Location: Barking and Dagenham, and across the A13 between Whitechapel and Basildon
Examining how communities within the M25 make sense of “growth”, a highly ideological keyword, and its various mobilisations (“inclusive growth”, “regeneration” and “change”). What does development mean for people already living there? How can communities have more say in their own futures? At its root: an investigation of the conditions of working class power and social security, in relation to homes and community infrastructure. Community research network launching late 2025.
BBC Radio 3 documentary about the A13
Landscapes of care
Research partnership: Gateshead Carers Association (where I serve as Trustee)
Working directly with unpaid carers to understand the challenges they face and reimagine landscapes of care and social security. Combining community research with policy impact – I’ve been an advisory witness to the DWP’s review of Carers Allowance overpayments and worked with various national and academic steering groups. Film below:
Contact
For research collaborations, speaking engagements or media inquiries:
dan.taylor@open.ac.uk
PhD supervision: I welcome inquiries from students working on contemporary political theory, the history of political thought, or projects related to participatory community research and applied political theory.
Dan Taylor 