I have published several research articles, book chapters, and commissioned research reports from my research and campaigning work, and presented at conferences and other academic, community, policy, and third-sector fora.
Edited collection
McMahon, G., Rowley, H. and Batsleer, J. (2022). Reshaping Youth Participation. Manchester in a European Gaze. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing.
Reshaping Youth Participation reframes discussions around youth political, social, civic, and cultural participation. Drawing upon insights on democracy and citizenship, self-organising and protest movements, and arts activism as engaged social activism, the chapters consider the youth participation spaces in which young people find voice and action–spaces that are part of existing forms of participation, and newly emergent spaces that challenge existing systems.
Set in Manchester, Reshaping Youth Participation contextualises youth participation in a major UK city known for its activism and regional devolution, alongside studies from partner European cities.
Exploring the participation of young people in ‘adult spaces’, of young people who are pursuing a new politics and ideological change, of marginalised young people, and of young people utilising the creative arts as a ‘lived politics’, the authors argue that youth participation provides a vital addition to sustaining and developing political, social, and democratic life in cities.
Celebrating youth participation and its myriad forms, triumphs, and challenges, this edited collection provides much needed innovative thinking to the study of youth participation. It is an important contribution for young people themselves, academics, policymakers, local policy experts and makers, local activists, and community advocates.
Research articles
Moran, R.A. and McMahon, G. (2023). Where does the buck stop? UK Home Office and other statutory body responses to allegations of human rights violations in two Serco-run hotels housing people seeking asylum. The Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, [online] 31(2), pp.306–314. doi: https://doi.org/10.1332/175982721×16806944627654.
Smith, K., McMahon, G. and Davidson, A. (2020). Creating feminist spaces: occupying hostile environments. Feminist Media Studies, 20(8), pp.1–9. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2020.1786935.
Percy-Smith, B., McMahon, G. and Thomas, N. (2019). Recognition, inclusion and democracy: learning from action research with young people. Educational Action Research, 27(3), pp.347–361. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/09650792.2019.1577149.
von Schwanenflügel, L., Lütgens, J., McMahon, G. and Liljeholm Hansson, S. (2019). Participation Biographies: Routes and relevancies of young people’s participation. Discourse. Journal of Childhood and Adolescence Research, 14(4), pp.431–445.
McMahon, G. and Jump, D. (2017). Starting to Stop: Young Offenders’ Desistance from Crime. Youth Justice, 18(1), pp.3–17. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1473225417741223.
Book chapters
McMahon, G. (2022). Be(com)ing Feminist and Creating a ‘Politics of a Difference’. In: G. McMahon, H. Rowley and J. Batsleer, eds., Reshaping Youth Participation. Manchester in a European Gaze. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing, pp.67–81.
McMahon, G. and Moran, R.A. (2022). ‘Faceless’: Young People Seeking Asylum and Safety (A Manchester Case). In: G. McMahon, H. Rowley and J. Batsleer, eds., Reshaping Youth Participation: Manchester in a European Gaze. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing, pp.113–126.
Rowley, H., McMahon, G. and Batsleer, J. (2022). Introduction to ‘Manchester in a European Gaze’. In: G. McMahon, H. Rowley and J. Batsleer, eds., Reshaping Youth Participation: Manchester in a European Gaze. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing, pp.1–14.
McMahon, G., Rowley, H., Batsleer, J. and Morrison, E. (2022). (not a) Conclusions. In: G. McMahon, H. Rowley and J. Batsleer, eds., Reshaping Youth Participation: Manchester in a European Gaze. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing, pp.215–243.
McMahon, G. and Moran, R.A. (2021). Young people seeking asylum: voice and activism in a ‘hostile environment’. In: M. Bruselius-Jensen, I. Pitti and Kay, eds., Young People’s Participation. Revisiting Youth and Inequalities in Europe. Bristol: Policy Press, pp.195–213.
Jubas, K., Jarvis, C. and McMahon, G. (2020). Hopefulness, solidarity and determination for me too: Impacts of a globalized social movement on female post-secondary students’ emerging professional identities and aspirationsv. In: Adult education as a resource for resistance and transformation. ESREA Access, Learning Careers and Identities Network Conference – University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal. Coimbra: Universidade de Coimbra, pp.25–33.
McMahon, G., Liljeholm Hansson, S., von Schwanenflügel, L., Lütgens, J. and Ilardo, M. (2019). Participation biographies: meaning-making, identity-work and the self. In: A. Walther, J. Batsleer, P. Loncle and A. Pohl, eds., Young People and the Struggle for Participation: Contested Practices, Power and Pedagogies in Public Spaces. Abingdon: Routledge, pp.161–175.
Conferences and activities
McMahon, G. (2019). Young women’s feminist activism and the politics of difference: ‘I was instinctively aware that all of those girls were being called names’. In: British Sociological Association Annual Conference: Challenging Social Hierarchies and Inequalities. Glasgow: British Sociological Association.
McMahon, G. (2018a). Authority and Places of Democracy. In: Manchester Partispace Project Colloquium: Formal and Informal Possibilities of Young People’s Participation in European Cities. Manchester: Manchester Metropolitan University.
McMahon, G. (2018b). Be(com)ing Feminist: Young Women’s Feminist Journeys and Political Activism. In: British Sociological Association Annual Conference: Identity, Community and Social Solidarity. Newcastle: British Sociological Association.
McMahon, G. (2018c). Young People’s Participation Biographies. In: Youth Participation in Europe: Diversity, Misrecognition, Invisibility: Final Conference of PARTISPACE. Paris: PARTISPACE.
McMahon, G. and Pais, A. (2018). Formal, Non-Formal and Informal Possibilities of Young People’s Participation in European Cities. In: Manchester Partispace Project Colloquium: Formal and Informal Possibilities of Young People’s Participation in European Cities. Manchester: Manchester Metropolitan University.
Batsleer, J. and McMahon, G. (2017). Girls,‘ leaning in’ and faux-empowerment. In: Who Runs the World? Girls, Leadership and Celebrity Conference (invited speaker). London: MeCCSA Women’s Media Studies Network.
McMahon, G. (2016). Social Media: Informal Participation and Feminist Activism. In: A New Democratic Settlement? How Are Young People’s Votes, Voices and Activism Present in DevoManc? Conference (invited speaker). Manchester: DevoManc, Manchester.
McMahon, G. and Batsleer, J. (2016). Young Women Online: Political and Social Participation and Activism. In: Youth Matters 2016: Moving from the Margins. Newcastle: University of Newcastle.
McMahon, G. and McGlynn, C. (2015). No Space for a Debate? A Critical Assessment of Contemporary Fora for Discussing Abortion in Northern Ireland and The Republic of Ireland. In: Unheard Voices: Telling Stories of Empowerment Conference. Paris: French Society for Irish Studies.
McMahon, G. (2014). True Story! The New World of Order and Young Offenders’ Narratives of Change. In: Troubling Narratives: Identity Matters Conference. Huddersfield: University of Huddersfield.
McMahon, G. (2013). Young Offenders and ‘Risk’: The New World Order. In: 15th Annual Children’s Identity & Citizenship in Europe Conference: Identities and Citizenship Education: Controversy, Crisis and Challenges. Lisbon: CiCe (Children’s Identity and Citizenship in Europe) Network.
Ali, I., Locke, A. and McMahon, G. (2013). ‘I try my best at… two different lives!’ Young British Muslim women negotiating their identities: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of experiences of life in Britain. In: Qualitative Methods in Psychology Section Conference 2013. Huddersfield: BPS Qualitative Methods in Psychology Section.
McMahon, G. (2012). Losing our Feminist Voices: Feminism in the Age of Austerity. In: Feminism in Academia: An Age of Austerity? Current Issues and Future Challenges Conference. Nottingham: Feminist and Women’s Studies Association (FWSA) and the Contemporary Women’s Writing Association (CWWA).
Commissioned research reports
McMahon, G. (2023). Evaluation of RAPAR campaigning groups. [online] Tides Foundation . Available at: https://jmp.sh/MgMK0E13.
McMahon, G. (2022). Feeding our Resilience: Evaluation Report. [online] Lankelly Chase Foundation. Available at: https://jmp.sh/8dmo62gq.
McMahon, G. (2020). Empowering girls and young women through Project 1325. [online] WomenCentre. The National Lottery Community Fund and WomenCentre. Available at: https://womencentre.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Full-report-Empowering-girls-and-young-women-through-Project-1325.-Final-evaluation-report-May-2020.pdf.
McMahon, G., Moran, R. and Dwarakanath, S. (2021). Releasing resilience and building networks of resilience: learning from the survey, interviews, and evaluation. [online] The National Lottery Community Fund. London: The National Lottery Community Fund. Available at: https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/media/insights/documents/Report-on-the-Building-Resilience-project.pdf.
Cuconato, M., McMahon, G., Becquet, V., Ilardo, M., Liljeholm Hansson, S., Lutgens, J., von Schwanenflügel, L., Demozzi, S. and Maunaye, E. (2018). Biographies of young people’s participation in eight European Cities. [online] Zenodo. PARTISPACE (Horizon 2020). Available at: https://zenodo.org/records/1240170.
McMahon, G., Percy-Smith, B., Thomas, N., Becevic, Z., Liljeholm Hansson, S. and Forkby, T. (2018). Young people’s participation: learning from action research in eight European cities. [online] Zenodo. PARTISPACE (Horizon 2020). Available at: https://zenodo.org/records/1240227.
Dr Gráinne McMahon: Research Consultant, Academic Activist 