Professor Paul O’Connor
Associate Professor of Teaching
Contact
Tel: (852) 2616 7648
Fax: (852) 2456 0737
Email: [email protected]
Office
LBY102/4, B Y Lam Building
Department of Sociology and Social Policy
Lingnan University, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong
Paul O’Connor obtained his PhD in Sociology from the University of Queensland. Originally from the UK, he has taught at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Charles University Prague, and the University of Exeter. Paul has published widely in a variety of academic journals. He is author of the books ‘Islam in Hong Kong: Muslims and Everyday Life in China’s World City’ (2012), with Hong Kong University Press, ‘Skateboarding and Religion’ (2020) with Palgrave, and ‘The Leisure of Grey Spaces’ (2026) with Routledge. Paul’s research has focussed on urban ethnography, minority religion and ethnicity in Hong Kong, the sociology of skateboarding, and the concept of grey spaces and chromatic leisure. He is a member of the SSHRED research network and holds editorial positions with the ‘International Journal of Sport and Religion’, ‘Board Cultures’, and 'SAUCE journal'. His current research is engaged in applying Jungian philosophy to sociological application. He also has pending book projects on older skateboarders, and chromatic leisure.
- Ethnicity in Hong Kong
- Sociology of Sport
- Qualitative Methods
- Social Theory
BAc (Liverpool), MA (Exeter), PhD (University of Queensland), PGCAP (Exeter)
Click here to see a full list of publications.
O’Connor, P. (2026). Finding Digital Distance: Digital Detox and Conspicuous Disengagement. In A. R. E. Taylor (Ed.), The Analogue Idyll: Disconnection, Detox, and Departure from the Digital World (1st, First Edition ed., pp. 108–124). Bristol University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.9692701.12
O’Connor, P., Willing, I., Duester, B., & Hölsgens, S. (2025). The leisure of grey spaces, urban play and the chromatic turn. Leisure Studies, 44(5), 753–763. https://doi.org/10.1080/02614367.2025.2512747
O’Connor, P., Glenney, B., & Boutin, M. (2025). The skater’s ear: a sensuous complexity of skateboarding sound. Sport in Society, 28(2), 332–350. https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2024.2446115
O’Connor, P. (2024). The Application of Carl Jung’s Thinking to Action Sports: A Skateboarding Case Study. Sport, Ethics and Philosophy, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/17511321.2024.2432954
O’Connor, P. (2024). Conceptualising grey spaces in skateboarding: Generating theory and method for use beyond the board. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 59(7), 957-974.
O’Connor, P., Evers, C., Glenney, B., & Willing, I. (2023). Skateboarding in the Anthropocene: Grey spaces of polluted leisure. Leisure Studies, 42(6), 897–907. https://doi.org/10.1080/02614367.2022.2153906
Fok, C. Y. L., & O’Connor, P. (2021). Chinese women skateboarders in Hong Kong: A skatefeminism approach. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 56(3), 399-415.
O'Connor P (2020) Skateboarding and Religion. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave.
Groves, J. M., & O'Connor, P. (2018). Negotiating global citizenship, protecting privilege: western expatriates choosing local schools in Hong Kong. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 39(3), 381-395.
O’Connor, P. (2018). Beyond the youth culture: Understanding middle-aged skateboarders through temporal capital. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 53(8), 924-943.
O’Connor, P. (2018). Ethnic minorities and ethnicity in Hong Kong. In Routledge handbook of contemporary Hong Kong (pp. 259-274). Routledge.
O'Connor, P. (2012). Islam in Hong Kong: Muslims and everyday life in China's world city. Hong Kong University Press.
1st Term
- CCC8012: The Making of Hong Kong
- CLE9017: The Value of Sport
2nd Term
- CCC8012: The Making of Hong Kong