Josh Waters (PhD student)
Thesis title: Conflicting Cosmopolitanisms: Education Between Commodified Aspiration and Global Ideals
PhD Education
- Moray House School of Education and Sport
Contact details
- Email: j.e.t.watters@sms.ed.ac.uk
PhD supervisors:
Address
- Street
-
Moray House School of Education and Sport, IECS
- City
- University of Edinburgh (Holyrood Campus)
- Post code
- EH8 8AQ
Background
I am a part-time PhD student in Education at Moray House School of Education and Sport. My research approaches educational questions from a sociological perspective, and also draws on themes from educational theory — particularly those surrounding educational purpose and critical consciousness.
My doctoral research examines the proliferation of British international schools in Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on Thailand. The thesis explores how these schools engage with both imagined and lived global connections. It examines how educational purpose is articulated by schools, how it is interpreted by different actors, and how these understandings operate within a global context shaped by historical legacies.
Alongside my research, I have been working in secondary education for over 16 years — both in the UK and overseas. I find that my professional background informs my academic interests through ongoing reflection on why we educate and how young people come to make sense of their place in the world. I also hope that my academic engagement helps me think more meaningfully about what I do in the classroom and how I do it.
Qualifications
MA, UCL Institute of Education
PGCE, University of Cambridge
GRNCM, Royal Northern College of Music
MusB (Hons), University of Manchester
Research summary
- Cosmopolitanism and related theories
- Legacies of colonialism
- Critical consciousness
- Social theory
- International schooling
Conference details
Waters, J. (2025, December 3–5). What is the World Asking of Me? Education as Encounter with the Other [Paper presentation]. Gaudium et Spes at 60: Social justice and Catholic Education, London, UK.
Waters, J. (2025, April 23–25). Developing consciousness: teacher agency in Thailand’s British international schools [Paper presentation]. British Sociological Association 2025: Social Transformations, Manchester, UK.
Waters, J. (2025, April 22–25). Nostalgia and hegemony: Englishness in the Model Music Curriculum [Paper presentation]. RiME 2025: The 14th International Conference for Research in Music Education, UK.
Waters, J. (2024, September 3–5). Becoming ‘siwilai’: British international schooling in post-colonial Thailand [Paper presentation]. BAICE Conference 2024: Transgression and transformation: (re)bordering education in times of conflict & crises, Brighton, UK.