Alice Butler

Dr. Alice Butler is a Research Fellow at the University of St Andrews’ School of Geography and Sustainable Development, specializing in community resilience and social coherence through the Connecting Generations project. She joined the institution in September 2024 after completing her PhD at the University of Leeds, which focused on place-based stigma using Toxteth, Liverpool as a case study. Her research integrates critical human geography and discourse analysis to explore perceptions of place, online/offline communities, and territorial stigma. She has expertise in qualitative methods, including critical discourse analysis and archival research.

Dr. Butler’s academic journey includes a PhD from the University of Leeds (2020) and prior work examining perceptions of place, critical heritage, and spatial denigration. Her current projects investigate how communities navigate resilience amid societal changes, with a focus on intergenerational dynamics and social cohesion.

Her research interests span place-based stigma, media representation of marginalized spaces, and the intersection of cultural heritage with identity. Key themes in her work include the linguistic construction of stigma, temporal dimensions of place perception, and the role of material culture in commemoration.

Her recent publications analyze topics such as lockdown effects on online communities, the ideological framing of 'wokeness,' and the historical stigmatization of urban areas. Her work often bridges theoretical frameworks with empirical studies of marginalized communities.

Dr. Butler collaborates on interdisciplinary projects, including the Connecting Generations initiative, which seeks to foster resilience through intergenerational dialogue and community research. She has contributed to policy discussions on social exclusion and urban development, emphasizing participatory approaches to understanding spatial injustice.