Dr Vladimir Rizov

Biography

Dr Vladimir Rizov is Senior Lecturer in Criminology. He joined the University in 2022.

Vladimir submitted his PhD in Sociology in August 2018 at the University of York (awarded Nov 2018). In his doctoral research, he explored the relations between urban space, archival institutions, and documentary photography. A central argument in his doctoral project was that both the modern Western European city and the origins of documentary photography can be traced to the Enlightenment ideals of transparency, visibility, and legibility; he focused on the work of Thomas Annan in late 19th century Glasgow and the work of Eugène Atget in early 20th century Paris. Key findings of his research have been the classed nature of documentary photography, its grounding in urban space, and the various strategies and practices archival institutions undertake in order to construct a photograph as authentic or legitimate. Additionally, Vladimir has a BA in Sociology with Social Psychology and an MA in Social Research from the University of York. Vladimir has worked at the University of Suffolk, the University of Southampton, and Coventry University.

Vladimir has taught on a number of criminological and sociological topics, including but not limited to: history of crime, culture and crime, urban space, social theory, and research methods. His current teaching responsibilities comprise the following modules: Riots, Protest and the Law; Comparative Criminal Justice; Crime Through Time; and Organised Crime, Security and Human Rights in a Global World (MSc); he also teaches visual methodologies on Applied Criminological Research (MSc) and criminology of popular culture on Applied Criminology (MSc), as well as supervises undergraduate and MSc dissertations.

Higher Education Teaching Qualification: Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Publications

Monographs

Rizov, V. (forthcoming 2023). Urban Crime Control in Cinema: Fallen Guardians and the Ideology of Repression. Palgrave Macmillan.

Book chapters

Rizov, V. (2021). PlayStation Photography: Towards a Critical Understanding of Video Game Photography. In Game | World | Architectonics – Transdisciplinary Approaches on Structures and Mechanics, Levels and Spaces, Aesthetics and Perception, ed. by Marc Bonner. Heidelberg University Publishers.

Journal articles

Rizov, V. (2020). Narrative Redemption: A Commentary on McGregor’s Narrative Justice. Journal of Aesthetic Education 54 (4).

Rizov, V. (2020). The Photographic City: Modernity and the Origin of Urban Photography. City 23 (6).

Millington, G. and Rizov, V. (2020). ‘What makes city life meaningful is the things we hide’: A dialogue on existential urban space between Marshall Berman and Orhan Pamuk. City 23 (6).

Rizov, V. (2021). Eugène Atget and Documentary Photography of the City. Theory, Culture & Society, 38(3), May 2021.

Rizov, V. (2022). A Walk in Thomas Annan’s Glasgow: Documentary Photography, Class and Urban Space. Journal of Urban History, Online First.

Conferences

2021

British Association of Film, TV and Screen Studies 2021 Annual Conference— ‘The Body of the Worker, the Body of the Cop: RoboCop, the Blade Runner duology, and Repo Men,’ University of Southampton, April 7th-9th.

Dislocating Urban Studies—A Non-Occidentalist West: Learning from Theories Outside the Canon— ‘Towards a Critique of the Production of Space: Challenging Lefebvre’s Eurocentrism and Idealism,’ Institute for Urban Research, Malmö University, Feb 18th-19th.

2019

Philosophy of Games Annual Conference— ‘The Politics of the Digitalization of Everyday Life in Watch Dogs,’ St Petersburg, October 21st-25th.

Exploring Urban Temporalities – Nordic Geographers Meeting 2019— ‘“What makes city life meaningful is the things we hide”: a dialogue on existential urban space,’ (with Dr Gareth Millington, University of York) NTNU, Trondheim, Norway June 16th-19th.

Learning and Teaching Day – Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching—Research-led Teaching and Pedagogy, University of Suffolk, UK 22nd May.

Benjamin’s Baudelaire – Constellations of Modernity (ECR Workshop)— ‘The “Anonymous Multiple” of the Modern City: Benjamin, Atget, and Documentary’s Regime of Truth,’ Goldsmiths, University of London, UK 11th May.

Philosophy Politics Anthropology & Allied Disciplines— ‘The Unwilling Subject: Documentary Photography, Ontological Difference, and the Politics of Gaze,’ University of Amsterdam, Netherlands 15th-17th May.

Architectonics of Game Worlds— ‘Virtual Space and Video Games: A Socio-Political Reading of In-Game Photography and Architectonics,’ University of Cologne, Germany March 18th-20th.

British Society of Aesthetics – Narrative Justice: Aesthetic Education from Theory to Practice— ‘The Unwilling Subject: Narrative, Politics, Images,’ Edgehill University, UK March 3rd-5th.

2018

Sofia University – Culture Centre – New Utopias—‘A World Without Crime: Towards a Utopian View of Criminality,’ Sofia, Bulgaria December 6th-9th;

European Association for Urban History Conference - Urban Renewal and Resilience—‘From Public Space to Existential Space: A Dialogue between Marshall Berman and Orhan Pamuk,’ (with Dr Gareth Millington, University of York) Roma Tre University, Italy August 29th – September 1st;

2017

Political Culture and Political Movements in the Neoliberal City Workshop—‘The Documented City: Towards a Phenomenological Hermeneutic of the Street,’ University of Paris Nanterre (Centre de Recherches Anglophones), France December 15th.