Bella Dicks

Professor Bella Dicks is a Sociology Professor at Cardiff University's School of Social Sciences, specializing in heritage studies, qualitative methodologies, and community regeneration. She serves as Head of Research at the National Museum of Wales (starting a three-year secondment). Her research focuses on heritage's social roles, class dynamics, and participatory methodologies. Current projects include studying depopulation in Calabria, Italy, collaborating with the University of Calabria's DISPES department.

Research Interests:

• Heritage as social practice and class expression
• Multimodal ethnography and sensory research
• Post-industrial community regeneration
• Critical approaches to museum legitimacy and visitor studies

Key Contributions:

• Pioneered hypermedia methods for qualitative research dissemination
• Authored influential works on industrial heritage and Bourdieusian analysis
• Advisor on heritage policies linking local communities and institutions

Professional Roles:

• Editor of Digital Qualitative Research Methods (Sage, 2011)
• Visiting Professorships at Universities of Calabria and Saint Etienne-Lyon
• Co-founder of the QUADS hypermedia research project