Children's Leisurescapes and Parenting Strategies in Middle-Class British Indian Families: Building Knowledge, Impact and Skills

This career development fellowship will enable me to consolidate my PhD work, bring the impact of my research to a wider set of beneficiaries beyond the academia, enhance my skill set and facilitate my transition into a research-focused academic career. For my doctorate in sociology, I studied everyday leisure practices of 8-to-12-year-old British Indian children in the UK from the perspective of both the children and their professional middle-class parents. The findings of my qualitative study provide insights into parenting strategies of middle-class ethnic minority parents, children's experiences of racism in leisure spaces and the significant role leisure plays in shaping contemporary childhoods and parenthoods. Building on this research base, I want to optimise the resources made available by this fellowship to undertake a programme of structured activities that will boost my employability in the academia.

Firstly, I want to utilise the time of the fellowship to consolidate my publication record. I will submit a methodological article to the journal Childhood (impact factor: 1.957) and work on my monograph which will be a substantial development of my PhD thesis. Palgrave Macmillan has already expressed interest in the monograph project under their Critical Cultural Studies of Childhood book series. Alongside these planned academic publications, I will deliver oral presentations at four major conferences and participate in academic dialogues by attending academic talks and workshops. These academic initiatives will enable me to influence future scholarship as well as help me to establish my reputation within my field of research.

Secondly, I am keen to bring the impact of my research to stakeholders outside the academia. I want to engage leisure industry bodies and British Indian community organisations through a programme of impact activities spread across the fellowship period. I will publish research-informed write-ups for the blogs and newsletters of Chief Cultural & Leisure Officers Association (CLOA), WiHTL, Indian Ladies in the UK, South Asia @ LSE and Sampad South Asian Arts Organisation. Additionally, I will give a talk about British Indian childhoods at Nehru Centre London (the cultural wing of the Indian High Commission) and another talk at a WiHTL workshop on racial and ethnic diversity in leisure industries. I will also engage in networking events through Southampton India Centre for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development. I will contribute to an initiative the Centre is currently developing about the contribution of British Indians to the UK economy. These activities will hone my understanding of how to achieve research impact - which will be crucial in my future academic career.

Thirdly, I want to enhance my methodological skills by undertaking further training in two main areas: ethnographic methods and the use of NVivo software for qualitative data analysis (see Case for Support, attached). These skills will enable me to teach research methods courses and they will also put me in good stead in securing competitive research funding for major projects, thus boosting my employability within the academia.

Fourthly, I will undertake teaching and supervision in my host department over Semester 2. The 2nd year sociology module on race and ethnicity is currently suspended at Southampton. Drawing upon my expertise in the field, I will teach this module. I will also support the supervision of undergraduate and taught postgraduate dissertations. These teaching and supervision experiences will add greatly to my CV and boost my chances of securing a teaching-cum-research position in the academia.

Lastly, I will seek the advice of my mentor Prof Rosalind Edwards to lay the next steps in my academic career. This will involve reviewing job opportunities as they arise and seeking her advice on preparing application materials for research fellowships and lectureships.