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Ms Jessica Evans

Profile summary

Research interests

For many years I have taught and researched in the interdisciplinary area of combinations of psychosocial theory, cultural and media studies and sociology. My interests are in the psychoanalytic aspects of the public sphere and its governance, particularly policy development based on the idea of civic renewal and the centrality of communities, and therapeutic culture and the place of emotions in public life. My early writings were on visual culture and representations of disability from within a psychosocial framework.

Selected publications

Evans, J. and Hesmondhalgh, D. (eds) (2005) Understanding Media: Inside Celebrity, Buckingham, Open University Press.

Evans, J. ‘Celebrity, Media and History’ in Evans and Hesmondhalgh (eds)

Evans, J. (2005) ‘Against Decorum! Jo Spence, a voice on the margins’, in Jo Spence, Barcelona, Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA). In English, Spanish and Catalan (major international catalogue)

Evans, J. (2004) Review essay on Love and Hate in the Welfare State by Lynn Froggett, International Journal of Critical Psychology, no.10, pp.182-188.

Evans, J. (2003) ‘Vigilance and Vigilantes: A Psychoanalytic View on Anti-Paedophile Protesters’, Theoretical Criminology, Vol. 7 (2) Spring. pp. 163-189

Evans, J. (2000) 'Feminism and photography: languages of exposure' in Pajackowsksa, C. and Carson, F. (eds) Feminism and Visual Culture, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press.

Du Gay, P., Evans, J. and Redman, P. (eds) (2000) Identity: A Reader, London, Sage in association with The Open University.

Evans, J. (1999) 'Feeble monsters: making up disabled people' in Evans and Hall (eds)

Evans, J. and Hall, S. (eds) (1999) Visual Culture: The Reader, London, Sage in association with The Open University.

Boswell, D. and Evans, J. (eds) (1999) Representing the Nation: A Reader; Histories, Heritage and Museums, London, Routledge in association with The Open University.

Evans, J. (1998) 'In de geest van liefdadigheid? Fotografie en verstandleijk gehandicapten', chapter (on the representation of mental disability) in ter Haar, J.A.A. and Flikweert, D.A. (eds) Beelden en Beeldvorming (trans. A. ter Haar), Houten/Diegem, Bohn Stafleu Van Loghum, Netherlands.

Evans, J. (1997) 'An affront to taste? The disturbances of Jo Spence' in Evans (ed.)

Evans, J. (1997) 'Camerawork in context' in Evans (ed.) (1997).

Evans, J. (1997) 'Feeble monsters: making up disabled people' in Cobley, P. and Briggs, A. (eds) Introduction to Media Studies, London, Longman. [Also anthologized in Evans and Hall (eds) (1999) above.]

Evans, J. (ed.) (1997) The Camerawork Essays: Context and Meaning in Photography, London, Rivers Oram Press. (Received Arts Council Publishing Grant)

Evans, J. (1994) 'Victor Burgin and his polysemic dreamcoat' in Roberts, J. (ed.) Art Has No History: The Making and Unmaking of Modern Art, London, Verso.

Evans, J. (1992) 'Little Stephen: infantilism, projection and naturalism in the charity image' in Hevey, D. (ed.) The Creatures That Time Forgot: Charities and Disability Photography, London, Routledge.

Evans, J. (1988) ‘The Iron Cage of Visibility: a critique of dominant representations of mental handicap’, in Ten.8 International Photography Journal, no.29, pp. 38-51. ISSN 01429663

Evans, J. (1986/7) ‘The Imagined Referent – an analysis of photography within the institutions of medicine and charity’, Block, no.12, Winter, pp. 71-82.

A repository of research publications and other research outputs can be viewed at The Open University's Open Research Online.

Teaching interests

I have an interest in pedagogy particularly in assessment-for-learning and leadership in HE. I contributed to the Palgrave Teaching and Learning Website with articles on developing a coherent assessment strategy in a modular curriculum, accessed at http://vm3.ehaus2.co.uk/macmillan/companion/Palgrave-Teaching-And-Learning/

I am an HEA-Senior Fellow.

Impact and engagement

Selected blogs and interactives

2014 Stuart Hall: An OU Perspective: accessed at http://www.open.edu/openlearn/society/politics-policy-people/stuart-hall-ou-perspective

2014 ‘Are you a secret hoarder?’ accessed at http://www.open.edu/openlearn/health-sports-psychology/psychology/are-you-secret-hoarder

2009 ‘Can we ever learn to love social workers?’ accessed at http://www.open.edu/openlearn/body-mind/social-care/social-work/can-we-ever-learn-love-social-workers

2008 ‘Tears or an ice-maiden: is there a double standard for women in public?’ accessed at http://www.open.edu/openlearn/society/politics-policy-people/politics/tears-or-ice-maiden-there-double-standard-women-public

2008 ‘Sarah Palin: when politics is personal, ignorance is a woman’ accessed at http://www.open.edu/openlearn/society/politics-policy-people/sociology/sarah-palin-when-politics-personal-ignorance-woman

I was OU academic advisor on:

Research groups

NameTypeParent Unit
Centre for Citizenship, Identifies and Governance (CCIG)CentreFaculty of Social Sciences

Publications

[Book Review] Psycho-social Explorations of Trauma, Exclusion and Violence: Un-housed Minds and Inhospitable Environments by Scanlon Christopher and Adlam John (2023)
Evans, Jessica
Journal of Psychosocial Studies ((Early access))


Developing academics' assessment practices in open, distance and e-learning: an institutional change agenda (2016-07-31)
Evans, Jessica; Jordan, Sally and Wolfenden, Freda
Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-learning, 31(2) (pp. 91-107)


Vigilance and vigilantes: thinking psychoanalytically about anti-paedophile action (2003-05-01)
Evans, Jessica
Theoretical Criminology, 7(2) (pp. 163-189)


Stuart Hall (2017-11-30)
Evans, Jessica
In: Turner, Bryan S.; Kyung-Sup, Chang; Epstein, Cynthia P.; Kivisto, Peter; Ryan, J. Michael and Outhwaite, William eds. The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social Theory
ISBN : 978-1-118-43086-6 | Publisher : Wiley-Blackwell | Published : Oxford, UK


Celebrity Society (2017-11-30)
Evans, Jessica
In: Turner, Bryan, S.; Kyung-Sup, Chang; Epstein, Cynthia P.; Kivisto, Peter; Ryan, J. Michael and Outhwaite, William eds. The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social Theory
ISBN : 978-1-118-43086-6 | Publisher : Wiley-Blackwell | Published : Oxford, UK


'As if' intimacy? Mediated persona, politics and gender (2009-08)
Evans, Jessica
In: Day-Schlater, Shelley; Jones W., David; Price, Heather and Yates, Candida eds. Emotion: New Psychosocial Perspectives (pp. 72-84)
ISBN : 9780230216853 | Publisher : Palgrave | Published : Basingstoke


Cathected Identities: Governance and Community activism (2009)
Evans, Jessica
In: Elliott, Anthony and du Gay, Paul eds. Identity in Question (pp. 170-197)
ISBN : 9781412922432 | Publisher : Sage | Published : London


Celebrity, Media and History (2005-08-16)
Evans, Jessica
In: Evans, Jessica and Hesmondhalgh, David eds. Understanding Media. Understanding media (pp. 12-55)
ISBN : 978-0335218806 | Publisher : Open University Press | Published : Maidenhead


Against decorum! Jo Spence, a voice on the margins (2005)
Evans, Jessica
In: Jo Spence: beyond the perfect image. Photography, subjectivity, antagonism
ISBN : 8489771170 | Publisher : Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona | Published : Barcelona, Spain


Making up disabled people: charity, visibility and the body (2002-02-01)
Evans, Jessica
In: Briggs, Adam and Cobley, Paul eds. The Media: An Introduction (2nd ed) (pp. 383-400)
ISBN : 0-582-42346-5 | Publisher : Pearson | Published : Harlow


Feminism and photography: languages of exposure (2000-12-01)
Evans, Jessica
In: Carson, Fiona and Pajaczkowska, Claire eds. Feminist Visual Culture (pp. 105-120)
ISBN : 9780748610464 | Publisher : Edinburgh University Press | Published : Edinburgh


In de geest van liefdadigheid? Fotografie en verstandelijk gehandicapten (1998-01-31)
Evans, Jessica
In: ter Haar, Jan Albert Art and Flikweert, Daan A eds. Beelden en beeldvorming:mensen met een verstandelijke handicap in fotografie, film en reclame (pp. 32-40)
ISBN : 90-313-2549-X | Publisher : Bohn Stafleu Van Loghum | Published : Houten


Introduction (1997)
Evans, Jessica
In: Evans, Jessica ed. The Camerawork Essays: Context and Meaning in Photography (pp. 11-35)
ISBN : 1-85489-080-8 | Publisher : Rivers Oram Press | Published : London


Victor Burgin's Polysemic Dreamcoat (1994-06-28)
Evans, Jessica
In: Roberts, John ed. Art Has No History! The Making and Unmaking of Modern Art (pp. 200-229)
ISBN : 0-86091-627-8 | Publisher : Verso | Published : London


Little Stephen: infantilism, projection and naturalism in the construction of mental disablement (1992)
Evans, Jessica
In: Hevey, David ed. The Creatures Time Forgot: Photography and Disability Imagery (pp. 134-141)
ISBN : 0-415-07019-8 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : London


A feminist interest in the mind/body problem (1990)
Evans, Jessica
In: Camerawork, ed. Silent Health: Women, Health and Representation (pp. 11-16)
ISBN : 1-871103-03-7 | Publisher : Camerawork | Published : London


Understanding Media: Inside Celebrity (2005-09)
Hesmondhalgh, David and Evans, Jessica eds.
Understanding media
ISBN : 335218806 | Publisher : Open University Press | Published : Maidenhead


The Camerawork Essays: Context and Meaning in Photography (1997)
Evans, Jessica ed.
ISBN : 1-85489-080-8 | Publisher : Rivers Oram Press | Published : London


'I only know what I believe'. The Psycho-politics of Spin: From Blair to Batmanghelidjh (2016-04-08)
Evans, J.
In : Global Societies: Fragmenting and Connecting (BSA Annual Conference 2016) (6-8 Apr 2016, Aston University, Birmingham)