Right to Work has called a national demonstration outside the Tory Party annual conference on 3 October. David Cameron’s party are meeting in Birmingham. We will assemble at 12 noon and, after a rally, the march will set off at… Read More ›
Archive for September 2010
Online debate
With the government’s controversial spending review coming this autumn it’s a good time to look at an interesting initiative conducted this summer on the excellent New Left Project. A range of commentators undertook an extended debate about the upcoming cuts: Richard Seymour,… Read More ›
Work-for-free graduate employment culture
The continuing rise in graduate unemployment has seen a sharp increase in public sector organisations using unpaid interns. The economic and employment crisis of recent years has seen this type of working practice expanded to different sectors, including higher education… Read More ›
Why do people love sport? Article by Simon Kuper (FT)
In his last contribution to the Sports column of the Financial Times, Simon Kuper considers the underlying emotional pull of watching sport. For him, being a sports fan gives us a rare chance to return to a long lost, careless… Read More ›
SI needs a Book Reviews editor
As the Sociological Imagination is starting to grow, we’re trying to find more people to assist with the running of the site. Do you want to be our book reviews editor? The role would involve: Keeping track of new publications that… Read More ›
Become an SI columnist
As you may have noticed we have added two columns to the website in the last few months: rethinking the world and the idle ethnographer. Would you like to be our third regular columnist? If so then please send a… Read More ›
Demonstrate at Tory Party Conference (3rd October)
Right to Work has called a national demonstration outside the Tory Party annual conference on 3 October. David Cameron’s party are meeting in Birmingham. We will assemble at 12 noon and, after a rally, the march will set off at… Read More ›
Liberal Democrats push to move graduate tax forward
While the debate continues regarding how to accommodate more students into the UK’s university system, another one gains steam beside it: how to fund those university spots. On Tuesday, 21st of September, grassroots Liberal Democrats at the party’s conference in… Read More ›
10th November National demonstration: new joint website launched
A reminder to members to make a date for their diaries of 10 November. With massive cuts already announced, 25% more cuts expected in the Comprehensive Spending Review and indications that science and research funding may also be slashed, this… Read More ›
Event: New Activism or Old Politics?
New Activism or Old Politics? Sounding student reaction to HE’s crisis This free, one-day event will discuss likely student reactions to the impending cuts and rising fees in higher education. 30th September 2010, 11am – 4:00pm Room 404D, Main Building,… Read More ›
Ben: Diary of a Heroin Addict
As a bright schoolboy from a loving, middle-class family Ben Rogers was expected to make a success of his life. Raised in a quiet, picturesque village Ben was a Boy Scout, loved cricket, played in the school orchestra and looked… Read More ›
Can private universities solve the issue of limited university spots?
The issue of limited places in England’s higher education system has sparked a recent debate about the value of expanding the system through private universities. Universities Minister David Willetts is promoting a Higher Education bill which would enable private universities… Read More ›
The politics of spirit: sainthood as performing politics
In his bleak and tragic vision of human nature as corrupt and power-driven, William Golding, the author of Lord of the Flies, a book for all times, does not fail to disclose a ray of light in the character of… Read More ›
Add the Sociological Imagination on Facebook
This is a reminder that the Sociological Imagination has a presence on facebook. Please do add us as a friend and feel free to get in contact. We’re always open to ideas and suggestions so please don’t hesitate if there’s… Read More ›
Screw the First Amendment
Has the United States a monopoly over lunatics like the pastor Terry Jones who intends to burn the Quran on September 11 and the erstwhile President George Bush Jr.? In other countries these people are thrown into prisons or more… Read More ›
The average Briton spends almost half their waking life using media and communications?
A fascinating report by regulator Ofcom sheds light on contemporary patterns of media and communication usage. See the executive summary here and full report here. It’s suggestive of a degree of ongoing growth in usage which perhaps still hasn’t been… Read More ›
Pathology and Asexual Politics
The asexual community has only existed for about ten years, and its existence is due in large part to the growth of the internet. The center of the community is the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN, asexuality.org), which defines an… Read More ›
Do you want to be a news editor?
The Sociological Imagination is currently trying to recruit one or two more news editors. This would involve identifying news stories relevant to the site, collecting pertinent links, writing a short commentary and e-mailing it in to be posted online. There would… Read More ›
When in Rome You’re Nobody
When Rome was attacked by Visigoths, Saint Augustine responded by writing “City of God” where he contrasted the earthly city with the heavenly city. In some sense, Rome was the City of Man, decadent and craving for earthly pleasures as… Read More ›
How to lose an election in 5 minutes and 52 seconds…
Republican candidate Phil Davidson making an ‘impassioned’ speech which has now been viewed almost 700,000 times. In the pre social media age the enjoyment of such unhinged brilliance would have been confined to those physically present in the room:
Call for interviews
Plans are currently in motion to bring a number of interviews to the Sociological Imagination over the next few months. However we’d like you to help us bring an ever wider selection of interviews to the website. If there’s anyone you’d… Read More ›