Search  

by Bristol University Press
20th December 2023

Brought to you by Bristol University Press and its imprint Policy Press, Transforming Society tells the stories at the heart of the research we publish, to try to help bring about positive social change.

Here are our most-read articles from 2023:

 

1. Graffiti of Kim Jong-un with the word 'Obey' underneathAbuse of political power is the abuse of people. When are we going to stop re-electing dictators?
Elena Cherepanov, author of Do dictators have borderline personality? And does it matter? for the Journal of Psychosocial Studies, examines the rise of authoritarian tendencies.

 

ChatGPT

2. ChatGPT: The world’s largest bullshit machine
Dan McQuillan, author of Resisting AI, says that we must resist these ‘bullshit generators’ and question our breathless responses to them.

 

 

3. What is cybersecurity anyway?
Tim Stevens, author of What Is Cybersecurity For? examines how cybersecurity has developed from its technical origins into a mainstay of national and international public policy, and asks what and where is it going.

 

4. Andrew Tate’s manosphere is no laughing matter
Karen Lee Ashcraft, author of Wronged and Dangerous, looks at the prevalence of aggrieved manhood as an infectious strain of viral — not just toxic — masculinity, which is a major challenge of our time.

 

 

5. Who has a voice, and who does not, in local discussion about climate change?
George Boss, Alix Dietzel, Dan Godshaw and Alice Venn, authors of Politics, voice and just transition for the Global Social Challenges Journal, look at the lack of diversity in the environmental sector.

 

OceanGate

6. OceanGate: Luxury tourism, the Titanic and the ticking clock
Max Hart, Craig Kelly, Adam Lynes and James Treadwell, authors of 50 Dark Destinations, consider the troubling rise of luxury tourism in light of the Oceangate tragedy.

 

Nicola Bulley police

7. What Nicola Bulley’s disappearance tells us about the status quo
Amy Beddows, author of ‘Forget TV, it will never show you the experience of the victim’: representations of rape in Mindhunter for the Journal of Gender-Based Violence analyses the public attention that surrounded Nicola Bulley.

 

8. No exit? Life in the permacrisis
John Clarke, author of The Battle for Britain, offers his thoughts on the value and dangers of the idea of ‘permacrisis’.

 

 

9. Ending child poverty is vital for a sustainable future
Olivier De Schutter, Hugh Frazer, Anne-Catherine Guio, Eric Marlier, authors of the open access book, The Escape from Poverty, discuss the vicious cycles perpetuating poverty and disadvantage across generations.

 

10. The extensive and unconventional reach of Dan McQuillan’s Resisting AI
Dan McQuillan, author of Resisting AI, and Rebecca Megson-Smith, discuss how Dan’s book has captured the attention of a diverse and unconventional audience.

 

 

Bristol University Press/Policy Press newsletter subscribers receive a 25% discount on all books – sign up here.

Follow Transforming Society so we can let you know when new articles publish.

If you are interested in writing for us, please email jessica.miles@bristol.ac.uk.

The views and opinions expressed on this blog site are solely those of the original blog post authors and other contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the Bristol University Press and/or any/all contributors to this site.

Image credit: via Freepik