Academy Fellow

Professor Helen Keane is an international leader in the sociology of alcohol and other drugs. In a field dominated by medical and public health models, she has developed innovative theoretical approaches to the study of substance use, introduced new understandings of health, consumption and pleasure, and shaped the sociological contributions to drug studies globally. Professor Keane’s work on the concept of addiction and its social and political effects has been highly influential in seeding what at the time was a new area - critical drug studies. This can be seen in two key contributions: the sole-authored book What’s Wrong with Addiction (2002, cited across multiple disciplines) which has become a foundational text in this field; and Habits: Remaking Addiction (2014, with Fraser and Moore) which pioneered the engagement of drug and alcohol studies with science and technology studies. Her work continues to shape critical drug studies as it develops as a field, with a forthcoming book on the regulation of al

Professor Keane also has an international research profile is feminist theory and gender. She has published extensively on these topics, especially as they relate to substance use, health and embodiment. With colleagues in philosophy, political science and political economy, she has studied the relationship between norms of ‘excellence’ in the social sciences and gender equity. This research revealed the hierarchies of knowledge which underpin the persistent gendered imbalance of disciplines such as economics and political science. More recently she completed an international comparative project examining alcohol policy, violence and gender. Her latest project is on the changing discourses and practices surrounding the hormone estrogen. It will bring social scientific expertise on 21st century experiences of sex and gender, estrogen-related science, medicine, and ‘lay’ knowledges and practices into close contact.

Professor Keane has helped build capacity in her field as an associate editor of The International Journal of Drug Policy, contributing to its significant rise in standing and impact over the past decade. In particular she has built the journal’s reputation for innovative qualitative research. She is on the editorial board of Contemporary Drug Problems and is a foundation editorial board member of Critical Gambling Studies.