Dr. Penny Tinkler

Biography

Penny Tinkler's academic career straddles the disciplines of sociology and history. She holds a degree in History from the School of Social Sciences at Sussex University and completed her PhD at Lancaster University’s Educational Research Department. Tinkler held a British Academy Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the Centre for Women’s Studies and joined the Sociology Department at the University of Manchester in 1993. Her research centers on two inter-related fields: Gender History, with particular reference to Girlhood, Visual Culture, and Consumption; and Biographical Visual Methods, particularly Photographic methods. Tinkler's research interests focus on the lives of women born between 1939 and 1952 in Britain, emphasizing how their experiences during significant decades influenced their later-life identities. One of her major projects, 'Transitions Mobilities: Girls Growing Up in Britain 1954-76', explores the lives of young women during this transformative period. Tinkler has published extensively on topics including girls' leisure, women's history, and visual methodologies in research. She is also a member of several professional associations, including the British Sociological Association and the Women’s History Network, and has supervised numerous PhD students in her areas of expertise.

Research Interests