News

The Department of Sociology's Gurminder Bhambra, Alice Mah, and Mark Carrigan have been involved in the launch of 'Discover Society' - a new online magazine for social research, policy analysis and commentary; alongside Emma Upritchard from the Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies

Reflections on authority, democracy and the struggle for common life

Honorary Professor Robin Cohen is the general editor of a series of readers, published in hard copy, that comprises 15 volumes and 10,641 pages. He has edited or co-edited 5 of the volumes himself. The fifteenth volume on Migration and Climate Change, edited by the eminent Australian scholar Graeme Hugo, weighed in at 973 pages. Started by Robin at the Department of Sociology in 1996, the International Library of Studies on Migration is published by Edward Elgar. Three more volumes are already in preparation -- on Migration and Social Policy, Migration and Diversity and Migration and Religion. The last volume will be edited by Sociology's Emeritus Professor James (Jim) Beckford. As Robin admits, 'the cost of one of these books can feed a family for a week or two, but bear in mind the publishers are paying large fees for reprints. For some libraries getting digital access is even more expensive, while some of the original introductions have served to delineate the key sub-fields in migration studies'.

Dr Eric Jensen was invited as an expert panelist contributing to the recent Guardian live chat: ‘Public engagement: what does it mean in higher education today?’: http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-network/2013/may/24/public-engagement-higher-education-debate

Ruth Pearce, postgraduate researcher in sociology at the University of Warwick, discusses the underlying ideas which cause so much tension between radical feminists and transgender campaigners.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01rbrtd

Discover why recent changes in the law and advances in science are fuelling debate, on Radio 4

Listen to the full episode here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01rgj1g

Industrial Ruination - the landscapes and legacies of post Industrial decline. Laurie Taylor talks to Alice Mah about her comparative study into urban dereliction in 3 contrasting contexts - Newcastle, Uk; Niagara Falls, Canada; and Ivanova, Russia.

Professor Simon Williams appeared on Radio 4's 'Bringing Up Britain' on the politics of children's bedrooms. To listen to the full episode click on link below:

BBC 4 Radio - Bringing Up Britain

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01ckgfv#synopsis

'Following the introduction of civil partnerships and statistics which indiacte half of all children in the UK are being born outside marriage, it appears that attitudes towards sexuality have greatly relaxed. However, there is one demographic who feel increasingly marginalised in our more openly sexual society; it is estimated that one per cent of people in this country describe themselves as asexual'.

Woman's Hour Wednesday 29th February 2012

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/feb/26/among-the-asexuals

Among the asexuals

'In a society obsessed with sex. It's hard if you have no sexual desire at all. Some are searching for a new form of intimacy'.

The Observer Sunday 26th February 2012