Thinking Allowed

Latest Episodes:

Decline of the weekend; British riots of 2011 Nov 19, 2012

Show notes

What was behind the British riots? From Blackberry and gossip to hard facts and first hand accounts. Laurie Taylor talks to Daniel Briggs about his research into last year's summer of discontent and damage. A definitive account of the nature and causes of the riots of 2011. Also, is it all over for the weekend? The sociologists, Jill Ebrey and Guy Standing, ask whether or not the weekend as a time for rest, family life and pleasure, is threatened with extinction by contemporary patterns of work.

Producer: Jayne Egerton.

Couchsurfing - Trauma Advocacy Nov 07, 2012

Show notes

Ever in need of a new way to travel? 'Couchsurfing', in the form of online social networking, allows users to travel with and stay at the homes of fellow users. It's just one example of how the internet aids face to face intimacy - sometimes amongst strangers. Paula Bialski talks to Laurie Taylor about her book 'Becoming Intimately Mobile' . Based on five years of ethnographic research amongst coach surfers and online hitchhiking website users, it documents new forms of human hospitality and connection. Also, trauma advocates in Croatia. Vanessa Pupavac and Ben Shephard reflect on the growth of compensation schemes for victims of civil war.

Producer:Jayne Egerton.

The UK strip and lap-dancing industry; blue jeans Oct 31, 2012

Show notes

Growth of the strip clubs - Why has erotic dance and stripping become a staple of the night time economy in the UK? Kate Hardy tells Laurie Taylor why her research suggests that the proliferation of these clubs has little to do with the demands of male customers. Instead, it's a by product of the economics of an industry which maintains its profits, even during a recession, by passing the financial risks on to its workers. Also, the anthropologist, Daniel Miller asks what the ubiquity of blue jeans tells us about our individual and social lives. He's joined by the sociologist, Sophie Woodward.

Producer: Jayne Egerton.

Trouble at work, travellers vs tourists Oct 24, 2012

Show notes

Trouble at work: Laurie Taylor considers the findings of the largest UK study on ill treatment in the workplace ever undertaken. He's joined by the researchers, Ralph Fevre and Amanda Robinson, who claim that organisations which are well versed in modern management practices may create a culture in which bullying, harassment and stress thrive. Also, travellers versus tourists - Lara Week's research questions whether or not those seeking 'authentic culture' provide more to foreign countries than those who stick to the 'tourist trail'

Producer: Jayne Egerton.

Sociologists and the financial crisis - Against security Oct 17, 2012

Show notes

Are the stringent checks at airports really for our benefit? 'Against Security', a new book by the acclaimed American sociologist, Harvey Molotch, explores the complex systems which are designed to make us feel safe in public places. He tells Laurie Taylor why he thinks that security measures in airports and subways, post 9.11, have damaged the pleasure and dignity of our daily lives. They're joined by the design critic, Stephen Bayley. Also, Sociology's failure to address the financial crisis. The social scientist, Alberto Toscano's paper 'Reformism and Melancholia' argues that the twin spectres of Fordism and Keynesianism have prevented sociologists from imagining a future beyond austerity.

Producer: Jayne Egerton.

The New Arab Man, Lords Club Affiliation Oct 10, 2012

Show notes

The 'New' Arab Man: Middle Eastern, Muslim men are often represented as 'zealots' and oppressors of women. But Laurie Taylor hears how 2 decades of research by the Professor of Anthropology, Marcia Inhorn, is undermining such cultural stereotypes. Her study found that ordinary Arab men who confront childlessness and infertility are re-thinking conventional masculinity. Also, research by Matthew Bond into elite club membership in the House of Lords. Is a British establishment still evident in the club community? Karel Williams, Professor of Sociology, joins the discussion.

Producer: Jayne Egerton.

Sickness Benefit Recipients - New Society 50 Years On Oct 03, 2012

Show notes

Sickness benefit claimants and their fear of the 'brown envelope'. Laurie Taylor hears about a new study into the views and experiences of the long term sick and disabled in the context of ongoing welfare reforms. The researcher, Kayleigh Garthwaite, highlights their ambivalence - whilst some have a deep seated anxiety about losing rights and income; others hope it will distinguish between the genuinely ill, such as themselves, and those that are 'faking'. Also, the former social science magazine 'New Society' broke new and radical grounds in its creation of a space for thoughtful debate about everyday culture and social issues; showcasing the ideas of academics and intellectuals as diverse as Angela Carter and Richard Hoggart. A former editor, Paul Barker, analyses the heyday and legacy of 'New Society' 50 years after its launch. He's joined by the writer, Lynsey Hanley and the Professor of Cultural Studies, Fred Inglis.

Producer: Jayne Egerton.

Race in an English village; decoding organisation Sep 26, 2012

Show notes

Bletchley Park, the decoding organisation, was at the heart of British intelligence operations in the Second World War. A mythology has grown around its secret activities, which some claim shortened the war by several years. Professor Christopher Grey talks to Laurie Taylor about his seminal research into the romance and reality of Bletchley Park. They're joined by Professor Anthony King. Also, race and 'belonging' in an English village. The social anthropologist, Katharine Tyler, explores the attitudes of white residents to their British Asian neighbours in a semi suburban village in the Midlands.

Producer: Jayne Egerton.

Ethnic pay gap, racial segregation Sep 19, 2012

Show notes

Segregation: a Global History of Divided Cities' Laurie Taylor talks to Carl Nightingale, the author of a groundbreaking new book about the ideology and practice of racial segregation in the city. Traversing continents and millennia, he analyses the urban divide from its imperial origins to postwar suburbanisation; from the racially split city of Calcutta to the American South in the age of Jim Crow. Finally, he considers the extent to which separation by race continues to deform the contemporary city. Also, the sociologist Malcolm Brynin, charts the causes and consequences of pay gaps between different ethnic groups in the UK.

Producer: Jayne Egerton.

Odd couples, student drinking Sep 12, 2012

Show notes

'Odd Couples' - friendships which cross the boundaries of gender and sexuality. A new book challenges the widespread assumption that men and women are fundamentally different and can only forge significant bonds within romantic relationships. It charts the deep friendships between gay men and straight women, and also between lesbians and straight men. Laurie Taylor talks to the sociologist, Anna Muraco, who claims that such 'intersectional' friendships serve as as a barometer for shifting social and sexual norms. The UK sociologist, Brian Heaphy joins the discussion. Also, an in depth study of the centrality of drinking to student identity. Its author, Maria Piacentini, discusses the ways in which young people neutralise feelings of guilt and stigma regarding their alcohol consumption. Producer: Jayne Egerton.

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