Centre for Social Ontology PhD/ECR Conference June 23rd, University of Warwick, 10am – 4pm Social ontology is integral to the study of society. It is impossible to inquire into the social world without some understanding, at least tacitly, concerning the… Read More ›
Archive for May 2015
Towards a Digital Social Ontology: Free Day Symposium in London on July 8th
The Social Ontology of Digital Data & Digital Technology Wednesday, July 8, 2015 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM This innovative symposium brings together leading figures from a variety of fields which address issues of digital technology and digital data…. Read More ›
The busy academic’s guide to writing concisely
Thanks to Shit Academics Say for an image which is both funny and useful:
Don’t like unions? Fine
(HT anniecxxx)
Were universities ever quiet?
For the last few months I’ve been regularly coming into my department to work on Sundays. It’s quite a conducive environment for working on my soon to be completed book, as well as for catching up on ad hoc tasks. My desktop… Read More ›
Introducing Feminist Dissent: a new journal from Warwick University
Feminist Dissent is a new academic journal. It brings together activists, academics and writers to interrogate the multiple connections between religious fundamentalism and gender. It will open up new ways of thinking about secularism, religious freedom, civil liberties and human rights,… Read More ›
The Iron Cage in Binary Code
This superb post by Tressie McMillan Cottom considers the algorithmic shaping of life chances under digital capitalism: Whether or not i know these ads are scams is entirely up to my individual cultural capital. Basically, do I know better? And… Read More ›
E-mail apnoea
Even though the postural mechanism invoked here makes sense, it’s hard not to wonder about the psychosocial costs of our communications systems when reading about things like this: While we have a greater tendency toward email apnea or screen apnea,… Read More ›
Atmospheres Conference, 1-2 July 2015, University of Manchester – Early Bird Registration Closing 31 May 2015
Atmospheres play a significant role in, and add an important quality to, our intimate, domestic and public lives, yet are often overlooked in social research, not least because of the methodological challenges involved in ‘capturing’ them. In this major conference… Read More ›
How else to know people?
This is an extract from The Happiness Industry by William Davies. If you find it interesting then you’ll like this podcast. Psychology and social science are perfectly possible, under the sorts of conditions described by Wittgenstein, indeed they are much… Read More ›
For those who think Islamophobia is not an issue…
Please read this report by the anti-racism educational organisation Show Racism the Red Card. “To what extent do young people share potentially damaging attitudes with far right groups and where do these ideas come from? What are the opportunities and… Read More ›
Call for Papers: Remembering Operation Spanner: Culture, Law, History, Crime
Remembering Operation Spanner: Culture, Law, History and Crime 10th & 11th September 2015 Two interdisciplinary workshops at the University of Essex & Royal Holloway, University of London Keynote Speakers: Professor Ken Plummer (University of Essex) Professor Carl Stychin (City University)… Read More ›
A conversation with Lisa Mckenzie about sociology, activism and sociological activism
I recorded this interview with Lisa Mckenzie last month, a few weeks before the general election in which she was standing as a challenger to Iain Duncan Smith in Chingford. We cover a lot of ground in the discussion but… Read More ›
The Research Companion
by Petra Boynton 10 years ago I published a book called ‘The Research Companion’. It was based on talks and teaching I’d been doing with social scientists and healthcare staff that were supposed to be about the ‘how to’s’ of… Read More ›
Challenging ‘Lad Culture’ in Higher Education and Through Education
Challenging ‘Lad Culture’ in Higher Education and Through Education Thursday, 4th June, , in the Social Sciences Building, level 12, room 12.25 We warmly invite you to this half-day event hosted by Sharon Elley, FLaG and Sally Hines, CIGS… Read More ›
The comfort of a smartphone
By David Beer Last month I made the mistake of putting my mobile phone in the washing machine. Despite being quickly retrieved, the phone died. I left it to dry out for a few days, but nothing. There was an… Read More ›
Social Media and Ambient Intimacy
There’s an extremely important idea expressed in this video if you can get past the irritating presenter: I’ve written more about this idea here. It needs to be treated carefully but this formulation shouldn’t be dismissed.
Are you a dandelion or a mammal?
This is a question Cory Doctorow introduces in his book Information Doesn’t Want To Be Free: When my daughter was born, I became keenly aware of how much stock we mammals put into the copies we make of ourselves (yes,… Read More ›
Columbusing: White People Claiming “Discoveries”
The Offending Article on www.bustle.com: Kendall Jenner is known for showing off her toned model bod and long legs, but she kept the paparazzi on their toes with her latest bold style trend. According to Refinery29, Kendall Jenner wore a… Read More ›
Book Review: Youth, Multiculturalism and Community Cohesion
Youth, Multiculturalism and Community Cohesion by Paul Thomas (Palgrave Macmillan, 2011) (Palgrave Politics of Identity & Citizenship Series) Thomas’ book is an engaging and well-written account of the dilemmas of contemporary society in dealing with youth identity and multiculturalism, particularly… Read More ›
Online Misogyny and Sexual Harassment Event
Online Misogyny and Sexual Harassment Gender & Sexualities Research Forum (GSRF) at City University London Wednesday 17 June 5-7pm Rooms A107 and A108, College Building St John Street London EC1V 4PB Online spaces such as blogs, forums and Twitter are invaluable… Read More ›
Hello Kitty and International Relations Workshop
12th June 2015 Wolfson Research Exchange (Room 1 & 2) University of Warwick Poster Shocking news was revealed about Hello Kitty on her 40th birthday in summer 2014: ‘Hello kitty is not a cat – she’s a British girl’ named… Read More ›
PhD Studentship: Gender, Bodies and Technology, Engendered bodily practices and self-monitoring in the digital age
http://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/research/research-degrees/research-studentships-and-fees-only-bursaries/ Title: Gender, Bodies and Technology, Engendered bodily practices and self-monitoring in the digital age There has been a significant uptake in the use of ‘body tracking’, m-health and e-health devices in recent years. There are many body tracking apps… Read More ›
How Much Data Is Created Every Minute?
I’m usually somewhat sceptical of content marketing infographics but I rather like this:
We spend ever more hours of our day discussing, analysing and assessing what we do, and ever fewer hours actually doing it
An excellent account of the stultifying experience of the acceleration of higher education: There’s a simple explanation for the drive to quantify everything: the replacement of the horizontal self-government of university departments with the vertical hierarchy of departmental heads and… Read More ›
Our most popular posts this month
The new Apple Watch and the problem of our creeping connectivity How to write a good sociology essay (and not panic) The ten habits of failed grant proposal writers The Fallacy of Misplaced Modesty: Why Academics Don’t Become Intellectuals The… Read More ›