Dr Jess Wild

Jessica joined Westminster as a co-investigator on Dr Adrija Dey's project entitled, Decolonising Sexual and Gender Based Violence in Higher Education: Innovations in Theory, Policy and Practice. Prior to this role Jessica held an ESRC postdoctoral fellowship at Newcastle University. She completed her PhD at the Centre for Interdisciplinary research at the University of Leeds, where she conducted a survivor-led study on gender politics as they intersect with domestic abuse prevention and intervention. 

Jessica is a feminist, activist researcher whose interdisciplinary work is based in the sociology of gender. It seeks to radically reconceptualise the dominant practice and policy paradigms governing the prevention of, and responses to gender-based violence (GBV) using a feminist, intersectional, trans-inclusive lens. Her research contributes to current debates regarding GBV as it seeks to trouble normative understandings and responses to GBV which typically place disproportionate responsibility on victim-survivors (usually women and minoritised genders). Her work has examined the incorporation of men in efforts to prevent and intervene in men's violence, including in the context of families who come to the attention of children's social care. Jessica's work has also explored the deleterious impact of welfare reform for survivors of DVA and the problematics of ‘resilience’ as a distinct subject-making discourse within contexts of neoliberal austerity. In this context, Jessica has examined geographies of trauma and notions of small scale activism including within the context of the home. 

Prior to returning to academia in 2015, Jessica worked in London managing 'frontline' large community, accommodation based and refuge services for adults and young people experiencing homelessness and rough-sleeping, domestic abuse, substance use, and mental health challenges. Jessica has also worked for a non-profit organisation developing evidence-informed resources for adults' and children's social services, and led on a pioneering national domestic abuse and child protection Change Project. 

Peer-reviewed publications

Wild, J. In Press. Men's efforts to tackle men's violence: negotiating gendered privileges and norms in movement and practice spaces. Journal of Gender-Based violence.

Wild, J., 2022. Gendered discourses of responsibility and domestic abuse victim-blame in the English children’s social care system. Journal of Family Violence. 

Wild, J. 2018. “This is where it breaks your heart”: A discourse analysis of the emotional labour undertaken by frontline staff in UK domestic abuse services. The Sheffield University Journal for Sociology. Sheffield: University of Sheffield.

Publications for policy and practice

Lambell, C., Slinn, E., Shand S., Wild, J., Sutton, J., 2022. Digital Inclusion: using digital technology positively and safely – practice tool. Totnes: Dartington Trust.

Wild, J., 2021. Drive Partnership Strategic Briefing: working with people who perpetrate domestic violence and abuse in families. Totnes: Dartington Trust.

Wild, J., 2021. Literature review: work with, and responding to, perpetrators of domestic abuse. Totnes: Dartington Trust.

Wild, J., 2020. Domestic abuse in the coronavirus epidemic. Research in Practice. Totnes: Dartington Trust.

Wild, J., 2020. ‘Us too’ online domestic abuse peer-led programme for women with learning disabilities and/or autism. Totnes: Dartington Trust.

Other publications

Wild, J., January 2022. Rethinking children’s social care responses to domestic abuse and violence [podcast series]. Research in Practice. Totnes: Dartington Trust.

Wild, J., (host). January 2022. Practice leaders reflect on working with domestic violence and abuse [podcast series]. Research in Practice. Totnes: Dartington Trust.

Wild, J. and Scott, H. 2020. Domestic abuse in the justice system [blog]. Research in Practice. Totnes: Dartington Trust.

Wild, J. 2019. A report from the 13^th Annual Feminist Theory Conference at Duke University, North Carolina [blog]. Northern Notes.

Wild, J. 2017. #Metoo and coalition building to combat violence against women [blog]. Centre for Interdisciplinary Gender Studies, Uni of Leeds.

Conference proceedings: 

Wild, J., 2022. Gender critical feminism and men in the movement to end violence against (some) women. European Feminist Research Conference, June 2022. Milan: University of Milano-Bicocca, p. 421.

Wild, J. 2019. El panorama cambiante de la prevención del abuso doméstico en tiempos de austeridad del Reino Unido [The changing landscape of domestic abuse prevention during times of UK austerity]. Sociology & Social Policy across borders, June 2019. Buenos Aires: Uni. of Buenos Aires.

Wild, J. 2019. Historical Perspectives on Sexual Violence: then & now in the age of #metoo. University of Leeds & Leeds .Beckett Historical Criminology Conference, April 2019. Leeds: Leeds Beckett University.

Wild, J. 2019. Coalitional approaches for the prevention of domestic violence and abuse: Women victim- survivors’ perspectives on men’s participation in anti-violence work. 3^rd European Conference on Domestic Violence, September 2019. [Online]. Oslo, Norway: Norwegian Social Research (NOVA) at Oslo Metropolitan University, p. 475.

Wild, J. 2018. Examining men’s participation in work to reduce men’s violence towards women.British Sociology Association (BSA) Annual Conference, April 2018. [Online]. Newcastle: Northumbria University, p. 147.

Wild J. 2017. “This is where it breaks your heart”: The emotional labour undertaken by frontline DVA practitioners when working under austerity. In: BSA emotions study group. 2017, Manchester Metropolitan University: British Sociological Association.

Conference organisation: 

2022: Trans and non-binary peoples’ inclusion in gender-based violence services, Feminist Gender Equality Network (FGEN) & Newcastle University, Newcastle

2022: Gender-based violence in diverse contexts, Geography, Politics, & Sociology network, Newcastle University, Newcastle

2018: After #metoo: Where next? Centre for Interdisciplinary Gender Studies, University of Leeds, Leeds

2017: Violence, Harassment & Abuse: Enduring Inequalities, New Directions, Centre for Interdisciplinary Gender Studies, University of Leeds, Leeds

For details of all my research outputs, visit my WestminsterResearch profile.