Professor Rachel Brooks is Professor of Higher Education in the Department of Education at Oxford and current President of the British Sociological Association.
She is also chair of the executive editors of the British Journal of Sociology of Education, a member of the editorial team of the journal Sociology, and co-editor of the ‘Research into Higher Education’ book series, published by Routledge and the Society for Research into Higher Education. She is a member of governing council of the Economic and Social Research Council, and was a member of the education sub-panel for the UK’s national research assessment exercise (REF2021).
Rachel’s research focuses primarily on the sociology of higher education. Particular areas of expertise include international student mobility (and processes of internationalisation and Europeanisation in higher education more generally); student politics and protest; and ensuring equity in access to and outcomes within higher education.
Rachel has recently moved to Oxford from the University of Surrey where she held a variety of management roles (including head of department and associate dean for research) and was principal investigator of the university’s ESRC-funded Impact Acceleration Account.
Current Projects
- Post-Brexit Educational Mobilities: Rachel is writing a book with Johanna Waters on how international student mobilities have been affected by the UK’s departure from the European Union. This builds on previous work on student mobilities funded by, amongst others, the ESRC and British Academy.
- Young People Shaping Livelihoods Across Three Generations: Rachel is an international partner on this Australian Research Council-funded longitudinal study (led by the University of Melbourne) of the lives of three cohorts of Australians.
Recently completed projects:
- Constructing the Higher Education Student (EUROSTUDENTS): This six-year project, funded by a European Research Council Consolidator Grant, examined the ways in which higher education students are understood across Europe, exploring differences by both nation state and social actor.
- Widening Participation to Sandwich Courses: This project, funded by the Centre for Transforming Access to and Student Outcomes in Higher Education (TASO) explored the barriers faced by students from non-traditional backgrounds in accessing, and succeeding on, work-focussed ‘sandwich courses’ in English higher education.
- The Supra-National Higher Education Space: This project was part of the ESRC-funded Centre for Global Higher Education (led by the University of Oxford). Rachel’s contribution focused largely on the European higher education space, examining the growth of the European Universities Initiative, and the response of European higher education actors to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
- Caring practices:Rachel has conducted research on higher education students with caring responsibilities (funded by the Nuffield Foundation), and also on fathers who are the primary carers of young children. Both areas of work have led to recently-published books.
Research
Books
Brooks, R., Gupta, A., Jayadeva, S., Lainio, A., & Lažetic, P. (2022). Constructing the higher education student: Perspectives from across Europe (pp. 1-224).
Hook, G., Moreau, M.-P., & Brooks, R. (n.d.). Student Carers in Higher Education. Routledge.
Brooks, R., & O’Shea, S. (n.d.). Reimagining the Higher Education Student. Routledge.
Waters, J., & Brooks, R. (2021). Student Migrants and Contemporary Educational Mobilities. Springer Nature.
Brooks, R., & Hodkinson, P. (2020). Sharing Care Equal and Primary Carer Fathers and Early Years Parenting. Policy Press.
BROOKS, R. (2018). Education and Society: Places, Policies, Processes. Bloomsbury.
Brooks, R., & Waters, J. (n.d.). Materialities and Mobilities in Education. Taylor & Francis.
Brooks, R., & Waters, J. (2011). Student Mobilities, Migration and the Internationalization of Higher Education. Springer Nature.
Brooks, R. (2005). Friendship and Educational Choice, Peer Influence and Planning for the Future. Springer Nature.
Book chapters
Brooks, R., & Waters, J. (2023). International student mobility: themes and issues. In Research Handbook on Migration and Education (pp. 324-337). Edward Elgar Publishing.
Brooks, R., & Waters, J. (2023). Student Mobilities: An Introduction. In Handbook of Children and Youth Studies (pp. 1-12). Springer Nature.
Brooks, R., & Waters, J. (2023). Student Mobilities: An Introduction. In Handbook of Children and Youth Studies (pp. 1-12). Springer Nature Singapore.
Waters, J., & Brooks, R. (2022). Geographies of education at macro-, meso-, and micro-scales: Young people and international student mobility. In Children, Education and Geography: Rethinking Intersections (pp. 21-35).
Hook, G., Moreau, M., & Brooks, R. (2022). Conclusion. In Student Carers in Higher Education: Navigating, Resisting, and Re-inventing Academic Cultures (pp. 170-175).
Hook, G., Moreau, M., & Brooks, R. (2022). Introduction. In Student Carers in Higher Education: Navigating, Resisting, and Re-inventing Academic Cultures (pp. 1-9).
Brooks, R., & O’Shea, S. (2021). Reimagining the higher education student: An introduction. In Reimagining the Higher Education Student: Constructing and Contesting Identities (pp. 1-9).
Lainio, A., & Brooks, R. (2021). Constructing students as family members: Contestations in media and policy representations across Europe. In Reimagining the Higher Education Student: Constructing and Contesting Identities (pp. 169-186).
Brooks, R., & O’Shea, S. (2021). Reimagining the higher education student. In Reimagining the Higher Education Student (pp. 1-9). Taylor & Francis.
Lainio, A., & Brooks, R. (2021). Constructing students as family members. In Reimagining the Higher Education Student (pp. 169-186). Taylor & Francis.
O’Shea, S., & Brooks, R. (2021). Conclusion. In Reimagining the Higher Education Student (pp. 240-248). Routledge.
Brooks, R., & Waters, J. (2020). Decision-making. In Education Abroad (pp. 15-27). Taylor & Francis.
Brooks, R., Abrahams, J., Lažetić, P., Gupta, A., & Jayadeva, S. (2020). Access to and Experiences of Higher Education Across Europe: The Impact of Social Characteristics. In European Higher Education Area: Challenges for a New Decade (pp. 197-209). Springer Nature.
Brooks, R., & Abrahams, J. (2018). Higher education students as consumers?: Evidence from England. In Educational Choices, Aspirations and Transitions in Europe: Systemic, Institutional and Subjective Challenges (pp. 185-202).
Brooks, R. (2017). The individual and the institutional: Balancing professional development needs within further education. In Professional Development and Institutional Needs (pp. 35-50).
Brooks, R., & Waters, J. (2016). The mobility imperative: English students and ’fair’ access to international higher education. In Access to Higher Education: Theoretical perspectives and contemporary challenges (pp. 232-243).
Brooks, R. (2016). Young people and higher education. In Routledge Handbook of Youth and Young Adulthood: Second Edition (pp. 107-112).
Brooks, R. (2016). Cultural Capital, Social Class, and Higher Education. In Encyclopedia of International Higher Education Systems and Institutions (pp. 1-4). Springer Nature.
Brooks, R., & Waters, J. (2015). The Boundaries of Privilege: Elite English Schools’ Geographies and Depictions of a Local Community. In World Yearbook of Education 2015: Elites, Privilege and Excellence: The National and Global Redefinition of Educational Advantage (pp. 95-107).
Brooks, R., McCormack, M., & Bhopal, K. (2013). Contemporary debates in the sociology of education: An introduction. In Contemporary Debates in the Sociology of Education (pp. 1-18).
Brooks, R., & Waters, J. (2013). “Global graduates,” Student mobility and the funding of higher education. In Student Financing of Higher Education: A Comparative Perspective (pp. 137-156).
Fuller, A., Brooks, R., & Waters, J. (2012). Afterword: From changing spaces of education to changing spaces of learning. In Changing Spaces of Education: New Perspectives on the Nature of Learning (pp. 261-264).
Brooks, R., Fuller, A., & Waters, J. (2012). Changing spaces of education: An introduction. In Changing Spaces of Education: New Perspectives on the Nature of Learning (pp. 1-17).
Brooks, R. (2012). Ethical Challenges of Youth Research: Themes and Issues. In Negotiating Ethical Challenges in Youth Research (pp. 179-190).
Waters, J., & Brooks, R. (2012). Transnational spaces, international students: Emergent perspectives on educational mobilities. In Changing Spaces of Education: New Perspectives on the Nature of Learning (pp. 21-38).
Waters, J., & Brooks, R. (2012). Transnational spaces, international students: Emergent perspectives on educational mobilities. In Changing Spaces of Education: New Perspectives on the Nature of Learning (pp. 21-38).
Brooks, R. (2012). Ethical challenges of youth research: Themes and issues. In Negotiating Ethical Challanges in Youth Research (pp. 179-190).
Brooks, R., Fuller, A., & Waters, J. (2012). Changing spaces of education: An introduction. In Changing Spaces of Education: New Perspectives on the Nature of Learning (pp. 1-18).
Brooks, R., & Waters, J. (2010). Young Europeans and educational mobility. In Youth in Contemporary Europe (pp. 85-102).
Brooks, R. (2010). Young Graduates and Understandings of Adulthood. In Contemporary Adulthood (pp. 56-70). Springer Nature.
Brooks, R. (2009). Conclusion. In Transitions from Education to Work: New Perspectives from Europe and Beyond (pp. 217-224).
Brooks, R. (2009). Youth and lifelong learning. In The Routledge International Handbook of Lifelong Learning (pp. 33-44).
Brooks, R. (2006). Young People and Learning. In The Routledge International Handbook of Learning. Taylor & Francis.
Journal articles
Brooks, R., Courtois, A., Faas, D., Jayadeva, S., & Beech, S. (2024). International student mobility within Europe: responding to contemporary challenges. Higher Education, 1-10.
Brooks, R., & Rensimer, L. (2024). Higher education actors’ responses to the Ukraine-Russia conflict: an analysis of geopolitical spatial imaginaries. Journal of Education Policy, 1-19.
Rensimer, L., & Brooks, R. (n.d.). The European Universities Initiative: further stratification in the pursuit of European cooperation?. Compare A Journal of Comparative and International Education, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), 1-19.
Waters, J., & Brooks, R. (2024). The art of internationalisation: ‘unstrategic’ dialogical cosmopolitanism within secondary schools in England. Social & Cultural Geography, 25(2), 316-337.
Lee, J., Brooks, R., & Abrahams, J. (2024). Students, community and belonging: an investigation of student experience across six European countries. Higher Education Research and Development, 43(4), 906-921.
Brooks, R., & Timms, J. (n.d.). Widening participation to sandwich courses: temporal challenges. Studies in Higher Education, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), 1-13.
Brooks, R. (2023). Higher Education Studies Today and for the Future: A UK Perspective. British Journal of Educational Studies, 71(5), 517-535.
Sahin, B., & Brooks, R. (2023). Nation-bounded internationalization of higher education: a comparative analysis of two periphery countries. Higher Education Research & Development, 42(5), 1071-1085.
Brooks, R., Gupta, A., Jayadeva, S., & Lainio, A. (2023). Constructing ‘ideal’ students within contemporary higher education: editorial introduction. International Studies in Sociology of Education, 32(1), 1-10.
Brooks, R., Gupta, A., & Jayadeva, S. (2023). Higher education students’ aspirations for their post-university lives: evidence from six European nations. Children’s Geographies, 21(2), 177-190.
Hodkinson, P., & Brooks, R. (2023). Caregiving fathers and the negotiation of crossroads: Journeys of continuity and change. The British Journal of Sociology, 74(1), 35-49.
Brooks, R., & Hodkinson, P. (2022). The distribution of ‘educational labour’ in families with equal or primary carer fathers. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 43(7), 995-1011.
Jayadeva, S., Brooks, R., & Lažetić, P. (2022). Paradise lost or created? How higher-education staff perceive the impact of policy on students. Journal of Education Policy, 37(5), 819-837.
Brooks, R., & Waters, J. (2022). Partial, hierarchical and stratified space? Understanding ‘the international’ in studies of international student mobility. Oxford Review of Education, 48(4), 518-535.
Brooks, R. (2022). Students as consumers? The perspectives of students’ union leaders across Europe. Higher Education Quarterly, 76(3), 626-637.
Brooks, R., Gupta, A., Jayadeva, S., Laino, A., & Lažetić, P. (2022). Constructing the Higher Education Student.
Jayadeva, S., Brooks, R., & Abrahams, J. (2022). The (stereo)typical student: how European higher education students feel they are viewed by relevant others. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 43(1), 1-21.
Brooks, R., & Abrahams, J. (2021). European Higher Education Students: Contested Constructions. Sociological Research Online, 26(4), 810-832.
Brooks, R., Gupta, A., Jayadeva, S., & Abrahams, J. (2021). Students’ views about the purpose of higher education: a comparative analysis of six European countries. Higher Education Research & Development, 40(7), 1375-1388.
Brooks, R., Abrahams, J., Gupta, A., Jayadeva, S., & Lažetić, P. (2021). Higher Education Timescapes: Temporal Understandings of Students and Learning. Sociology, 55(5), 995-1014.
Brooks, R., & Waters, J. (2021). INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AND ALTERNATIVE VISIONS OF DIASPORA. British Journal of Educational Studies, 69(5), 557-577.
Brooks, R. (2021). Europe as spatial imaginary? Narratives from higher education ‘policy influencers’ across the continent. Journal of Education Policy, 36(2), 159-178.
Jayadeva, S., Brooks, R., Gupta, A., Abrahams, J., Lažetič, P., & Lainio, A. (2021). Are Spanish Students Customers? Paradoxical Perceptions of the Impact of Marketisation on Higher Education in Spain. Sociological Research Online, 26(1), 185-204.
Brooks, R., Gupta, A., Jayadeva, S., & Lainio, A. (2021). Students in Marketised Higher Education Landscapes: An Introduction. Sociological Research Online, 26(1), 125-129.
Brooks, R. (2021). The construction of higher education students within national policy: a cross-European comparison. Compare A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 51(2), 161-180.
Brooks, R., Gupta, A., Jayadeva, S., Abrahams, J., & Lažetić, P. (2020). Students as political actors? Similarities and differences across six European nations. British Educational Research Journal, 46(6), 1193-1209.
Hodkinson, P., & Brooks, R. (2020). Interchangeable parents? The roles and identities of primary and equal carer fathers of young children. Current Sociology, 68(6), 780-797.
Brooks, R. (2020). Diversity and the European higher education student: policy influencers’ narratives of difference. Studies in Higher Education, 45(7), 1507-1518.
Brooks, R., & Hodkinson, P. (2020). Out-of-place: the lack of engagement with parent networks of caregiving fathers of young children. Families Relationships and Societies, 9(2), 201-216.
Brooks, R. (2020). Asserting the Nation: The Dominance of National Narratives in Policy Influencers’ Constructions of Higher Education Students. Sociological Research Online, 25(2), 273-288.
Waters, J., & Brooks, R. (2020). Mobilities and materialities in education: Geographical perspectives. Population Space and Place, 26(3).
Brooks, R., Lainio, A., & Lažetić, P. (2020). Using creative methods to research across difference. An introduction to the special issue. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 23(1), 1-6.
Brooks, R. (2019). Higher education, social class and social mobility. The degree generation. British Journal of Educational Studies, 67(2), 280-282.
Abrahams, J., & Brooks, R. (2019). Higher education students as political actors: evidence from England and Ireland. Journal of Youth Studies, 22(1), 108-123.
Brooks, R., & Waters, J. (n.d.). Signalling the ‘Multi-Local’ University? The Place of the City in the Growth of London-Based Satellite Campuses, and the Implications for Social Stratification. Social Sciences, 7(10), 195-195.
Brooks, R. (2018). The construction of higher education students in English policy documents. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 39(6), 745-761.
Brooks, R. (2018). Understanding the higher education student in Europe: a comparative analysis. Compare A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 48(4), 500-517.
Brooks, R. (2018). Higher education mobilities: a cross-national European comparison. Geoforum, 93, 87-96.
Brooks, R. (2017). Representations of East Asian students in the UK media. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 43(14), 2363-2377.
Brooks, R. (2017). Education in Nordic countries. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 38(5), 753-760.
Brooks, R., Byford, K., & Sela, K. (2016). Students’ unions, consumerism and the neo-liberal university. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 37(8), 1211-1228.
Brooks, R., Byford, K., & Sela, K. (2016). The spaces of UK students’ unions: extending the critical geographies of the university campus. Social & Cultural Geography, 17(4), 471-490.
Brooks, R., Byford, K., & Sela, K. (2015). Inequalities in students’ union leadership: the role of social networks. Journal of Youth Studies, 18(9), 1204-1218.
Brooks, R. (2015). Social and spatial disparities in emotional responses to education: feelings of ‘guilt’ among student‐parents. British Educational Research Journal, 41(3), 505-519.
Brooks, R., & Waters, J. (2015). The Hidden Internationalism of Elite English Schools. Sociology, 49(2), 212-228.
Brooks, R., Byford, K., & Sela, K. (2015). The changing role of students’ unions within contemporary higher education. Journal of Education Policy, 30(2), 165-181.
Brooks, R. (2015). International students with dependent children: the reproduction of gender norms. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 36(2), 195-214.
Waters, J., & Brooks, R. (2015). ‘The magical operations of separation’: English elite schools’ on-line geographies, internationalisation and functional isolation. Geoforum, 58, 86-94.
Brooks, R., Riele, K., & Maguire, M. (2014). Ethics and Education Research.
Brooks, R., & te Riele, K. (2013). Exploring Ethical Issues in Youth Research: An Introduction. Young, 21(3), 211-216.
Brooks, R. (2013). Negotiating Time and Space for Study: Student-parents and Familial Relationships. Sociology, 47(3), 443-459.
Brooks, R. (2013). The social construction of young people within education policy: evidence from the UK’s Coalition government. Journal of Youth Studies, 16(3), 318-333.
Te Riele, K., & Brooks, R. (2012). Editorial/Ethical challenges in research. Youth Studies Australia, 31(3), 2.
Te Riele, K., & Brooks, R. (2012). Making ethical deliberations public: Some provisional resources for youth research ethics. Youth Studies Australia, 31(3), 11-16.
Brooks, R. (2012). Young People, Education and Inequalities: An Introduction. Sociological Research Online, 17(3), 175-182.
Brooks, R. (2012). Student-parents and higher education: a cross-national comparison. Journal of Education Policy, 27(3), 423-439.
Brooks, R., Waters, J., & Pimlott‐Wilson, H. (2012). International education and the employability of UK students. British Educational Research Journal, 38(2), 281-298.
Waters, J., & Brooks, R. (2011). ‘Vive la différence?’: The ‘international’ experiences of UK students overseas. Population Space and Place, 17(5), 567-578.
Waters, J., Brooks, R., & Pimlott-Wilson, H. (2011). Youthful escapes? British students, overseas education and the pursuit of happiness. Social & Cultural Geography, 12(5), 455-469.
Brooks, R., & Waters, J. (2011). Fees, Funding and Overseas Study: Mobile UK Students and Educational Inequalities. Sociological Research Online, 16(2), 19-28.
Waters, J., & Brooks, R. (2011). International/transnational spaces of education. Globalisation Societies and Education, 9(2), 155-160.
Waters, J., & Brooks, R. (2010). Accidental achievers? International higher education, class reproduction and privilege in the experiences of UK students overseas. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 31(2), 217-228.
Brooks, R., & Waters, J. (2010). Social networks and educational mobility: the experiences of UK students. Globalisation Societies and Education, 8(1), 143-157.
Brooks, R., & Waters, J. (2009). A Second Chance at ‘Success’. Sociology, 43(6), 1085-1102.
Brooks, R. (2009). Young people and UK citizenship education. Young, 17(3), 307-326.
Brooks, R., & Waters, J. (2009). International higher education and the mobility of UK students. Journal of Research in International Education, 8(2), 191-209.
Brooks, R., & Everett, G. (2009). Post‐graduation reflections on the value of a degree. British Educational Research Journal, 35(3), 333-349.
Brooks, R., & Holford, J. (2009). Citizenship, learning and education: themes and issues. Citizenship Studies, 13(2), 85-103.
Brooks, R., & Everett, G. (2009). Post-graduation reflections on the value of a degree. Educational Research, 51(3), 333-349.
Brooks, R. (2009). Young People and Political Participation: An Analysis of European Union Policies. Sociological Research Online, 14(1), 63-74.
Heath, S., Brooks, R., Cleaver, E., & Ireland, E. (2009). Researching Young People’s Lives.
Brooks, R. (2008). Young people and political participation: An analysis of European Union policies. Sociological Research Online, 14(1).
Brooks, R., & Hodkinson, P. (2008). Introduction. Journal of Youth Studies, 11(5), 473-479.
Brooks, R., & Everett, G. (2008). New European Learners? An analysis of the ‘trendsetter’ thesis. Journal of Youth Studies, 11(4), 377-391.
Brooks, R. (2008). Accessing Higher Education: The Influence of Cultural and Social Capital on University Choice. Sociology Compass, 2(4), 1355-1371.
Fader, M., Cottenden, A., Getliffe, K., Gage, H., Clarke-O’Neill, S., Jamieson, K., Green, N., Williams, P., Brooks, R., & Malone-Lee, J. (2008). Absorbent products for urinary/faecal incontinence: a comparative evaluation of key product designs. Health Technology Assessment (Winchester, England), 12(29), iii - 185.
Brooks, R., & Everett, G. (2008). The impact of higher education on lifelong learning. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 27(3), 239-254.
Brooks, R., & Everett, G. (2008). The prevalence of ‘life planning’: evidence from UK graduates. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 29(3), 325-337.
Brooks, R., & Everett, G. (2008). The predominance of work‐based training in young graduates’ learning. Journal of Education and Work, 21(1), 61-73.
Brooks, R. (2007). Friends, peers and higher education. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 28(6), 693-707.
Brooks, R. (2007). Transitions from education to work in the twenty‐first century. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 26(5), 491-493.
BROOKS, R. (2007). Young People’s Extra-Curricular Activities: Critical Social Engagement – Or ‘Something for the CV’?. Journal of Social Policy, 36(3), 417-434.
Brooks, R. (2006). Young Graduates and Lifelong Learning: The Impact of Institutional Stratification. Sociology, 40(6), 1019-1037.
Brooks, R. (2006). Learning and work in the lives of young adults. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 25(3), 271-289.
Brooks, R. (2004). ‘My mum would be as pleased as punch if I actually went, but my dad seems a bit more particular about it’: paternal involvement in young people’s higher education choices. British Educational Research Journal, 30(4), 495-514.
Brooks, R. (2003). Discussing higher education choices: differences and difficulties. Research Papers in Education, 18(3), 237-258.
Brooks, R. (2003). Young People’s Higher Education Choices: The role of family and friends. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 24(3), 283-297.
Brooks, R. (2002). Transitional Friends? Young People’s Strategies to Manage and Maintain their Friendships During a Period of Repositioning. Journal of Youth Studies, 5(4), 449-467.
Brooks, R. (2002). ’Edinburgh, Exeter, East London - or employment?’ A review of research on young people’s higher education choices. Educational Research, 44(2), 217-227.
Brooks, R. (1997). Political Literacy or a ‘Sentimental Education’?—Programmes for coexistence in Israeli Schools. European Journal of Intercultural Studies, 8(1), 61-73.
Gupta, A., Brooks, R., & Abrahams, J. (n.d.). Higher education students as consumers: a cross-country comparative analysis of students’ views. Compare A Journal of Comparative and International Education, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), 1-18.
Brooks, R., & Waters, J. (n.d.). An analysis of the UK’s Turing Scheme as a response to socio-economic and geo-political challenges. Higher Education, 1-19.
Brooks, R., & Rensimer, L. (n.d.). The European Universities Initiative and European spatial imaginaries. Globalisation Societies and Education, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), 1-14.
Brooks, R., Jun, F., & Quentin, M. (n.d.). Life satisfaction and work-life balance: the complexities of gender patterning. Sociological Research Online.
Brooks, R. (n.d.). Advancing sociology of education: a personal perspective on the contribution of Sociological Research Online. Sociological Research Online.
Other
Payne, H., Pelz, F., Brooks, R., Horrocks, L., Kemp, A., Webb, E., Street, E., & Sibert, J. (2005). Benefits of interprofessional learning: an interprofessional MSc in child health. In Hospital medicine (London, England : 1998) (Vols. 66, Issues 4, pp. 239-241).
