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Transforming research

Research practices are fast evolving. The rise of interdisciplinarity, the popularity of co-produced research, the ever-increasing importance of impact and the decolonial turn present challenges to traditional approaches to research and provide innovative and pioneering new methods and theories with which to address the challenges of the 21st century.

Do we need a right to repair or do we need to protect repair cultures?

On the eve of the deadline for EU Member States to incorporate the Right to Repair Directive into national law, Declan Murray, author of The Repair Mindset, asks whether legislation is necessary for repairing electrical and electronic devices to flourish. …Read more

Five myths of meritocracy in the modern workplace
by Lee Elliot Major and Anne-Marie Sim  |  9th June 2026

Drawing on research for 'Cracking the Class Code', Lee Elliot Major and Anne-Marie Sim argue that success in elite workplaces is shaped not only by talent and hard work but also by hidden class-based cultural norms that influence who is seen as credible, authentic and deserving of advancement.…Read more

Cuts to prison education: Why the UK cannot afford to take this step
by Scott Thomas and Jonathan Glazzard  |  13th March 2026

Scott Thomas and Jonathan Glazzard, authors of 'The Queer World of Prison', argue that despite government claims of modest reductions, prison education across England and Wales faces deep cuts—up to 65% in some prisons—threatening rehabilitation, prison safety and efforts to reduce reoffending.…Read more

PODCAST: Why Disappearance Research Matters
by Bahar Baser and Élise Féron  |  6th March 2026

In this podcast, Richard Kemp speaks with Bahar Baser and Élise Féron about how the 'Journal of Disappearance Studies' serves as a space to break these boundaries and give this important field a unified platform.…Read more

Remembering empire, rethinking modernity
by Gurminder K Bhambra  |  3rd March 2026

Gurminder K. Bhambra, editor of 'The Modern World After Colonialism', draws on Chinua Achebe’s insight to argue that dominant social-science narratives overlook colonial histories, and that re-centering empire is essential to rethinking modernity.…Read more

What music can teach us about artificial intelligence as an instrument

Sine Zambach, author of 'AI in Higher Education', argues that good practice lies in the reflective fusion of human creativity with tools like AI, blurring the line between user and instrument in ways that echo Donna Haraway’s ideas on human–technology hybridity.…Read more

Challenging the boundaries of science: Inclusion, decolonisation and change
by Bahar Muller and Elizabeth Rasekoala  |  22nd October 2025

Elizabeth Rasekoala’s award-winning book 'Race and Sociocultural Inclusion in Science Communication', calls for a global decolonisation of science communication, challenging systemic inequities and fostering inclusive, transformative practices that bridge Global North–South divides.…Read more

POLICY BRIEFING: How can we turn the UK’s asylum accommodation ‘crisis’ into an opportunity?

This policy briefing by Charlie Winstanley, author of 'Bricking It', argues that short-term politics and fiscal constraints hinder effective responses to the asylum hotels crisis, and that strategic investment in housing could address both asylum accommodation challenges and the wider housing crisis.…Read more

Explore urgent issues through open access reading
by Bristol University Press and Policy Press  |  19th August 2025

A curated collection of open access works explores urgent global challenges, from climate grief and AI ethics to inequality, migration, and political representation,offering critical insights for study and teaching.…Read more

In the age of AI realism, where do we stand – willing enablers, passive observers or active resisters?
by David Bailey and Masoumeh Iran Mansouri  |  14th August 2025

David Bailey and Masoumeh Iran Mansouri argue that while AI’s rapid rise offers immense promise, its grave risks may outpace weak safeguards like the EU’s AI Act unless met with far stronger resistance.…Read more