Professor Philip McDermott

Overview

Philip McDermott is Professor of Sociology with teaching interests in Irish society, cultural and media studies, and social research methods.

He is Course Director for Sociology subject combinations on the Derry-Londonderry Campus. Professor McDermott previously taught on the undergraduate Sociology programme on the Belfast Campus and contributed to the ‘Patients, Populations and Society’ strand of the Graduate Entry Medical School.

His research explores the relationship between the state and the heritage of minority groups, with a particular focus on migrant and linguistic minorities. He is especially interested in how social and cultural heritage policies intersect to create spaces for empowerment. A further strand of his work examines language and identity in public settings, including the visibility and perception of migrant languages in civic life.

Professor McDermott has published over 55 academic outputs, including a monograph, edited collections, and articles in high-impact international journals. He has delivered keynote presentations at institutions such as UCL, Cambridge, and Humak University (Helsinki).

He served as editor of the Irish Journal of Sociology (2020–2023) and is currently an editor of the Anthropological Journal of European Cultures. His research has been supported by the British Academy, the National Trust, and the AHRC, and he was awarded a Charlemont Scholarship by the Royal Irish Academy (2015–16).

Philip’s international standing is reflected in his roles as an independent expert for the European Commission (Horizon), the National Research Council of Poland, and the Velux Foundation in Denmark. In 2022, he received Ulster University’s Distinguished Research Fellowship for the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and he holds a Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA).

His work is strongly impact-oriented. In 2024, he co-organised an AHRC-funded symposium on Heritage Activism and Difficult Pasts with Professor Patricia Lundy. He also works closely with NGOs supporting migrant communities in Northern Ireland and was recognised with a Breaking Barriers award at the 2021 NI Advancing Racial Equality Awards.