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Staff Profile

Dr Matthew Richmond

Lecturer in Political Geography

Background

I am a political and urban geographer, with an interest in how cities are governed and transformed by diverse actors. This might include anyone from local governments and private developers to social movements or criminal groups. My research mainly focuses on the Latin American region, in particular Brazil.

I completed my PhD in Geography at King's College London in 2015, followed by postdoctoral fellowships at the Centro de Estudos da Metrópole (CEM) and at the Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) (both in Sao Paulo), and a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship at the London School of Economics. I have been Lecturer in Political Geography at Â鶹´«Ã½ since September 2023.


Research

My research addresses diverse themes, including urban development, urban governance, security, political ecology, subjectivity and electoral geography, with a focus on Latin American American cities. I am particularly interested in how a range of state and nonstate actors act together to govern urban spaces. This has included projects looking at topics such as gentrification and displacement; informal urbanisation; subjectivity and everyday life; police/criminal relations; social movements and participation; illiberalism, populism and electoral geography. My current research is exploring the relationship between informal land development, environmental conservation and organised crime in Brazilian cities.

Teaching

I currently teach on the following modules:


GEO2140: Research Design and Planning for Human Geographers

GEO2047: Political Geography

GEO2148: Urban Geography

GEO3099: Geography Dissertation

GEO3166: Geographies of Global South Cities

GEO3167: Geographies of Housing

GEO8017: Human Geography: Concepts in Action

SEC8026: Global Security: Politics, Space and Society


I am interested in receiving expressions of interest from potential PhD candidates. Please get in touch if you're interested in developing a project linked to any of my own research interests.

Publications

  • Articles

    • Richmond MA, Jesús PM, Legroux J. . Revista Brasileira de Estudos Urbanos e Regionais 2025, 27(1), E202535en.
    • Richmond M, Magri G. . Political Geography 2025, 116, 103225.
    • Richmond MA, Garmany J. . Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie 2024, 115(1), 187-200.
    • Richmond MA, McKenna L. . Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space 2024, 42(4), 509-526.
    • Beraldo A, Richmond MA, Feltran G. . Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie 2024, 115(2), 248-261.
    • Müller F, Richmond MA. . Security Dialogue 2023, 54(1), 3-20.
    • Richmond MA. . Contemporary Social Science 2022, 17(3), 248-261.
    • Richmond, MA. . Subjectivity 2021, 14, 16.
    • Kopper, M, Richmond, MA. . Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology 2021, 26(2), 21.
    • Richmond MA. . Journal of Latin American Studies 2020, 52(2), 241-267.
    • Garmany J, Richmond MA. . Antipode 2020, 52(1), 124-144.
    • Kopper, M, Richmond, MA. . Novos Estudos CEBRAP 2023, 39(1), 9.
    • Richmond M. . Geoforum 2019, 104, 71-80.
    • Richmond MA. . Environment and Planning D 2018, 36(6), 1045-1062.
    • Richmond MA, Garmany J. . International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 2016, 40(3), 621-639.

  • Edited Book

    • Kopper M, Richmond MA, ed. Subjectivity at Latin America's Urban Margins. New York: Berghahn Books, 2025. In Preparation.