Geography

Profile

I graduated from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS, University of London) in 2000 and completed a PhD in the University of Bristol in 2005, followed by a one year ESRC postdoctoral fellowship. After two years of lecturing at the University of Bristol and at the Birkbeck College (University of London), I started a new position as senior lecturer in the Department of Geography of the University of Portsmouth in July 2008.  Since 1997 I have collaborated closely with the Central American Women’s Network (CAWN) based in London and with women’s organisations in Central America.

Research Interests

My PhD and postdoctoral research explored ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ (CSR) with regards to transnational companies and labour and women’s rights in global supply chains. Part of my analytical work has focused on the international political economy of the textile and banana industries and global inequalities such as those between the Global North and the Global South and between men and women.  This research has investigated how change takes place in the lives of women workers in Nicaragua who are the supposed beneficiaries of corporate codes of conduct of global corporations. In my previous research I found little had changed for them.

My research is expressly interdisciplinary, encompassing human geography, development studies, gender/feminist studies and international politics and also brings together structural and post-structural feminist theory to explore the relationships between power, gender and economic globalisation.

Methodologically I engage with feminist research, ethnography, participatory and collaborative research, action research, 'bottom-up' approaches and the politics of fieldwork. I have developed a feminist ‘Activist Action Research’ approach in which the researcher is also a committed activist to social justice.

My future research plans are two-fold.  First I plan to pursue one main research project with two case studies around global supply chains, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and women workers.  Second, I wish to explore in more depth the thematic area of the collective organisation of women workers and migrants.

Current Projects

Corporate Social Responsibility, Global Supply chains and Women Workers

• Case Study 1: Central America, textile and banana sectors:  This is a continuation of my PhD and ESRC postdoctoral work and is complemented by my current work with Professor Wendy Larner (School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol) on Global Production Networks/Corporate Social Responsibility and governmentality from a feminist economic geography perspective Two case studies have been selected, one centres on the Chiquita banana company and the other on the textile company, GAP. The research intends to follow the global supply chain from the workers in Central America to the consumers in USA and Europe.
• Case Study 2: EU, Migration, agriculture:  This case study on agricultural immigrants in Spain and the UK explores issues of labour, gender, global supply chains and Ethical Trade/Corporate Social Responsibility of UK supermarkets. In the last year, I have conducted preliminary field research in Murcia (Spain) and Boston, Lincolnshire (UK) and started collaborations with academics in Spain and in the UK.

Women organisations, Migrants organisations and Labour Rights

This is part of my ongoing ethnographic work around women’s organisations engaged with labour rights in Central America. Data has been collected over the last 10 years. I am embarking on a new research collaboration with Dr Elena Gadea Montesinos (University of Murcia): on a study of migrant workers’ organisations in the agriculture in Spain and in the UK.

Teaching

I lead two units: Geographies of Development (Level 2) and Gender and Development (Level 3). I also contribute to the following courses:  Foundations in Human Geography; Population, Resources and the Environment; Research Methods and Design in Geography; and Theory and Methods.

I use examples drawn from my own research and activism to illustrate the importance and relevance of geographical research to our everyday lives and to the social changes in the world we live in.

Research Supervision

I welcome students interested on any of the above topics and/or broader methodological and theoretical research interests.

Recent Publications

More recent publications

Publications before 2008

Prieto-Carrón, M, M Thomson and M Macdonald (2007) “No More Killings! Women Respond to Femicides in Central America, Gender and Development, 15 (1):25-40.

Prieto-Carrón, M, P Lund-Thomsen, A Chan, A Muro (2006) “Critical Perspectives on CSR and Development:  What we know, what we don’t and what we need to know” International Affairs, 82 (5): 977-987

Prieto-Carrón, M (2006) “Central American Banana Production – Women Workers and Chiquita Ethical Sourcing from Plantations” in S. Barrientos and C. Dolan (eds.) Ethical Sourcing in The Global Food System, (Earthscan, London), pp97-114.

Prieto-Carrón, M (2006) “Corporate Social Responsibility in Latin America: Chiquita, women banana workers and structural inequalities” Journal of Corporate Citizenship, 21: 85-94.

Prieto-Carrón, M (2004) “Is there Anyone Listening? Women Workers in factories in Central America, and corporate codes of conduct” Development, (47): 101-105.

Prieto M, and C Quinteros (2004) “Never the twain shall meet? Women’s organisations and trade unions in the maquila industry in Central America” Development in Practice, 14, (1&2):149-157.

Prieto M, C Seeley, and D F Murphy (2004) “Supply Chain Codes of Conduct and Fair Trade Initiatives: Winning new markets while promoting gender equality” in A. Tran-Nguyen and A.B Zampetti, (eds.) Trade and Gender: Opportunities and Challenges for Developing Countries, UNCTAD (United Nations, New York and Geneva), pp 385-425.

Prieto-Carrón M (2003) “In Search of Transparency: Corporate codes of conduct and women workers in Central America”, in R. Shah, et al (eds.) Something to Believe In: Creating Trust in Organisations: Stories of Transparency, Accountability and Governance (Greenleaf Publishing, Sheffield), pp133-141.

Prieto M, A Hadjipateras, and J Turner (2002) “The potential of codes as part of women's organisations' strategies for promoting the rights of women workers: a Central America perspective” in R. Jenkins et al (eds.) Corporate Responsibility and Labour Rights: Codes of Conduct in the Global Economy (Earthscan, London), pp146-159.

Prieto M. and J. Bendel, (2002) ‘If you want to help us then start listening to us! From factories and plantations women speak out about corporate responsibility’, December 2002. Prieto M. (2002) ‘Thoughts on feminist action research’, December 2002.

Selected NGOs Publications:

Prieto-Carrón M (2010) ‘Social Reproduction and Labour Rights: a case study of women workers in Nicaragua' CAWN Research Report, available at http://www.cawn.org/html/publications.htm

Prieto-Carrón M (2008) 'Gender, labour rights and the ethical trading initiative (ETI)' CAWN Research Report, available at http://www.cawn.org/html/publications.htm

Prieto-Carrón M. (2005) ‘In Women’s Words: Sexual Harassment on Banana Plantations’, Central American Women’s Network (CAWN) Newsletter (19), Spring 2005.

Prieto M. (2003) ‘Codes, Auditing and Reporting for Whom? The Transparency Deficit’, Central American Women’s Network (CAWN) Newsletter, June 2003.

Research Funding and Consultancies

Research Consultant. Central American Women’s’ Network (CAWN). ‘Gender and the Ethical Trade Initiative’, London, Nov 2006-Sept 08.

Research Consultant. Central American Women’s’ Network (CAWN). Field Research in Nicaragua. Various research projects related to women workers and economic rights, London and Managua, Apr to July 2006.

Research Consultant (with Chris Seely and David Murphy). New Academy of Business (NAB). ‘Winning New Markets while Promoting Gender Equality: an Overview of the Options in the Area of Labelling’, for UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development), Dec 2003-March 2004.

Co-Investigator (with Jem Bendel and Gill Coleman). NAB. ‘Codes of Conduct as Tools to Improve the Situation of Women in Southern Workplaces: Learning from Case Studies of Agriculture and Textiles in Central America’, for DFID (UK Department for International Development), Feb-Nov 2001.

Principal Investigator. NAB. Dissemination of DFID research project in Nicaragua, for DFID Nicaragua, Jan-June 2002