Global social challenges
There are multiple interlocking crises currently gripping the planet. Significant threats and dangers lie ahead of us, but so do opportunities, as new ways of being, thinking, and doing emerge.
This stream of Transforming Society is a space for exploring the complexities of the global social challenges across disciplines and fields. It seeks to build and share the knowledge needed to shape a fairer world, across and for the global south and north, hoping to foster dialogue between academics, practitioners, policy makers and the wider public.
Over the past 10-15 years, digital businesses have transformed daily life but raised issues like housing shortages and job insecurity. Luke Yates, author of 'Platform Politics', explores platform regulation and suggests policy changes.…Read more
In this episode, George Miller talks to Heather Browning and Walter Veit about the ethics of captivity, the challenges of balancing animal welfare with the need for public engagement, and the potential for zoos to drive meaningful conservation efforts. We also get to hear about Walter’s recent memorable encounter with Frank the feisty king penguin.…Read more
Molly Dingel and Gemma Punti, authors of 'Increasing diversity and racial emotions on campus' in Emotions and Society, explore the backlash to antiracist efforts in higher education settings.…Read more
Life expectancy is about more than just health – it’s about the kind of society we live in. In this episode, Richard Kemp speaks with David Walsh and Gerry McCartney about the monumental impact austerity has had, and continues to have, on life expectancy.…Read more
Peter Squires and Roxana Pessoa Cavalcanti, editors of 'Southern and Postcolonial Perspectives on Policing, Security and Social Order', examine the emerging ‘southern’ and postcolonial challenges to conventional criminology, specifically the role of police and military power.…Read more
In this podcast, Nat Dyer, author of 'Ricardo's Dream', explores Ricardo’s theories, their link to the welfare state, and why flawed economic models still shape policy.…Read more
Thea Cook, Senior Journals Marketing Executive, reflects on our first year with the Africa Charter, which Bristol University Press joined in 2023 to advance fairer global research.…Read more
The budget and resources that have been dedicated to combatting terrorism this century are staggering. But has it worked? In this episode, George Miller talks to Leonie B. Jackson about the exceptional measures that states have taken in recent decades in reaction to terrorist threats which they often portray as existential.…Read more
Elizabeth A. Faulkner suggests that the falsified narrative that the UK is leading the world in the fight against modern slavery is problematic, glossing over the interactions between immigration and exploitation.…Read more
Anitra Nelson and Ralph Horne warn that endless growth is unsustainable, advocating for degrowth through reduced overconsumption, reformed food systems, and post-growth economics to advance social justice.…Read more