Key details
Dr Aura Lehtonen
Associate Professor in Sociology
Dr Aura Lehtonen is Associate Professor in Sociology and Academic Portfolio Lead for Sociology in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Her background is in interdisciplinary social sciences, with a PhD and MSc in Gender Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and a BA in Politics and Chinese from SOAS University of London.
Aura is also currently Programme Lead for BA Sociology, BSc Sociology and Criminology, and BSc Sociology and Psychology. She is a Senior Fellow of Advance HE (SFHEA).
Aura’s research spans cultural studies, gender and sexuality studies, and political sociology. It explores how difference, diversity and inequalities are understood and represented in contemporary culture and politics, with a key current strand investigating contemporary cultures of sex and sexuality - both on and off screen. Additionally, she is interested in critical pedagogies, and how they might be used to challenge inequalities in the context of Higher Education.
Aura is co-author of 'Bad Sex: Sexuality, Gender and Affect in Contemporary TV' (Bloomsbury, 2025), and author of ‘The Sexual Logics of Neoliberalism in Britain: Sexual Politics in Exceptional Times’ (Routledge, 2023). Her work has also been published in Sociology, Feminist Media Studies, Feminist Review, Sociological Research Online, Studies in Higher Education, and MAI: Feminism & Visual Culture, among others.
Before academia Aura worked in charities, and she has experience in organisations that support campaigners and activists, as well as refugees and people in immigration detention.
Responsibilities within the university
Academic Portfolio Lead for Sociology; Programme Lead for BA Sociology, BSc Sociology & Criminology, BSc Sociology & Psychology
Recognition
Recognised Practitioner in Advising, UK Advising and Tutoring Association (UKAT); External Examiner, Social Sciences, Centre for Open Learning, University of Edinburgh; External Examiner, BA Sociology and BA Criminology & Sociology, Leeds Trinity University; Member, British Sociological Association (BSA)
Research / Scholarly interests
1. One strand explores contemporary cultures of sex and sexuality, both on and off screen, combining insights from cultural studies and queer theory. This work has appeared in the co-written book ‘Bad Sex: Sexuality, Gender and Affect in Contemporary TV’ (Bloomsbury, 2025), as well as in journals such as Feminist Media Studies and Feminist Review.
2. Another strand focuses on how inequalities are understood, represented and justified in contemporary UK politics, and particularly how sexuality, intimacy and families feature in these understandings. This work has been published in the book ‘The Sexual Logics of Neoliberalism in Britain: Sexual Politics in Exceptional Times’ (Routledge, 2023) and in Sociological Research Online.
3. The final strand explores how critical pedagogies might be used to challenge inequalities in the context of Higher Education, including work on practice-based pedagogies, GEM awarding differences and inclusive small group pedagogies. This work has appeared in Teaching in Higher Education, MAI: Feminism & Visual Culture, Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, and Research in Post-Compulsory Education, among others.
Key funded projects
Practice-Based Learning in Sociology’, Institute for Inclusive Communities and Environments (ICE) Pedagogic Research Development Fund (2023-24, with Dr Peter Jones); Beyond the “Usual Suspects”: Exploring the Adoption of Good Practice Recommendations for Closing the BAME/GEM Attainment and Continuation Gaps’, University of Northampton Learning Enhancement and Innovation Fund (2021-23, with Dr Siobhan Dytham)