Biography
I am a senior lecturer on SETU's Carlow campus, teaching primarily on its social care programme. My disciplinary background is in Equality Studies and much of my research to-date has focused on the relationship between equality, philanthropy and community development/social movements. I have also written on equality as an ethical value in youth work, and on community development and financialisation.
Currently, I am working with Dr Daire Ó Broin (Department of Computing) to develop a digital tool to help students become better academic writers. With Dr Morgan O’Brien, I am also researching trade unions and Irish social care.
Together with Rosie Meade (UCC), I host Múscailt, a podcast that aims to bring academic research in Ireland to a wider audience.
I served on the editorial board of the Community Development Journal for 10 years and was its book reviews editor for much of that time. Prior to joining academia, I mainly worked in the field of development education and youth work.
I have taught on several programmes at SETU including the BA in Social Care, MA Child, Family and Youth, BA Youth and Community Work as well as PhD modules in academic writing.
Research Interests
Philanthropy and equality; working conditions and trade union representation in social care.
Engagement and Collaboration
I am involved in a number of community and activist groups.
I have supervised a range of PG research projects on such topics as children's rights, education for sustainable development and early childhood education (IRC funded); gaming in youth work (IRC funded); women and homelessness, and local government reform and community development.
McCrea, N. and Moran, M. (2024). Clarifying and Enhancing the Role of Equality in Youth Work Ethics: The Case for an Equality Studies Approach, Ethics and Social Welfare, https://doi.org/10.1080/17496535.2024.2315111
Moran, M., McCrea, N. and Baker, J. (2024) ‘Equality Studies’, in T. Takala and M. Häyry (eds), Concise Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics in the Social Sciences, Camberley: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Moran, M. and McCrea, N. (2024) Untangling ‘Identity’ and ‘Identity Politics’: An Interview with Marie Moran, Community Development Journal, https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsae003.
McCrea, N. (2023) All Things Considered, Should Egalitarian Movements Accept Philanthropic Funding?, Res Publica, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11158-023-09620-4
Finnegan, F. McCrea, N. and Ní Chasaide, N. (2021) Community development and financialization: making the connections, Community Development Journal, 56(1), https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsaa057
McCrea, N. and Finnegan, F. (eds) (2019) Funding, Power and Community Development, Bristol: Policy Press.
Finnegan, F. and McCrea, N. (2019) 'Funding, Power and Community Development: An Introduction' in N. McCrea and F. Finnegan (eds) Funding, Power and Community Development, Bristol: Policy Press.
McCrea, N., Meade, R.R. and Shaw, M. (2017) Solidarity, organizing and tactics of resistance in the 21st century: social movements and community development praxis in dialogue, Community Development Journal, 52(3), 385–404, https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsx029
McCrea, N., Meade, R.R, and Shaw, M. (2017) Practising solidarity: challenges for community development and social movements in the 21st century, Community Development Journal, 52(3), 379–384 (introduction to the special issue).
McCrea, N. (2016) 'Community Development, Venture Philanthropy and Neoliberal Governmentality: A Case from Ireland' in R.R. Meade, M. Shaw and S. Banks (eds) Power, Politics and Community Development, Bristol: Policy Press.
Conference Papers
Ó Broin, D. and McCrea, N. ‘Exploring Positive Use of AI within a Digital Tool to Support Deliberate Practice in Academic Writing’, EdTech, Irish Learning Technology Association Conference, The Law Society, June 2, 2023.
McCrea, N., Ó Broin, D. and McDonnell, K. ‘Exploring a digital system to develop deliberate practice in academic writing’, at Irish Learning Technology Association Conference, ‘Shaping Education Post Pandemic: Pockets of Innovation for “Building Back Better" , 27-28 May, 2021.
McCrea, N. and Visser, A. The Implications for Participatory Democracy of State and Philanthropic Funding of Community Development, Why Community Development? Continuity and Innovation, University of Edinburgh, 1-3 July, 2015.
McCrea, N. ‘Foundations, Performativity and Relations of Love, Care and Solidarity’, Social Justice Philanthropy: Implications for Policy and Practice, University of Kent, 1 March 2013.
McCrea, N. ‘Foundations in the Migrants’ Rights Sector in Ireland: Enablers of Political Equality?’, 9th International Conference of the International Society for Third-Sector Research (ISTR), Istanbul, 7-10 July 2010.
Reports
McCrea, N. and McDonnell, K. (2022) ‘It Put a Spark Back in Me’: An Evaluation of St Catherine’s Community Services Adult Education Programmes, unpublished.
Mahon, M. and McCrea, N. (2016) How do I get the Balance in my Head? : Exploring the Role of Youth Work in the Lives of Young People from Ethnic Minority Communities, Dublin: Canal Communities Regional Youth Services/National Youth Council of Ireland.
McCrea, N. (2005) Going Global! Good Practice Guidelines for Development Education in Youth Work, Dublin: NYCI.
Book Reviews
Lester M. Salamon (2014) ‘New Frontiers of Philanthropy: A Guide to the Tools and Actors Reshaping Global Philanthropy and Social Investing’ in Community Development Journal, (2016) 4 (4), 585-588.
Jeremy Brent (2009) ‘Searching for Community: Representation, Power and Action on an Urban Estate’ in Community Development Journal, (2010) 45 (4) 523-527.