Tom Boland

Tom Boland is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the Department of Sociology and Criminology, University College Cork. His research bridges sociology, philosophy, anthropology, and cultural studies, focusing on:

• Critique of capitalist systems
• Governance of unemployment and welfare
• Historical genealogies of the present
• Cultural sociology and literary theory

He co-directs the Economy + Society Summer School with Dr. Ray Griffin and leads the WUERC group, examining intersections between labor markets and cultural narratives. Recent publications include the book The Reformation of Welfare: The New Faith of the Labour Market, which traces religious motifs in unemployment discourse.

His scholarly work analyzes dystopian media (e.g., The Hunger Games, Squid Game) as critiques of winner-takes-all capitalism, while his earlier research frames job-seeking as a secular pilgrimage narrative. Articles emphasize how individuals internalize market failures as personal trials requiring self-transformation.

Current research explores:

• Capitalist competition in cultural production
• Impression management in social media
• Neoliberal welfare reforms
• Religious metaphors in employment policy