Sociology

Does the practice of hiring nannies and au pairs challenge inequalities in and between families, or does it reproduce them? Sara Eldén and Terese Anving, the authors of the first book in the Sociology of Children and Families series, Nanny Families: Practices of Care by Nannies, Au Pairs, Parents and Children in Sweden, answer this Read More

We are in the midst of a pervasive sense of crisis, which for many of us feels overwhelming. The growth of precarious work and automation, accompanied by deep and systemic poverty, along with crises around migration and the environment present an uncertain future. Here, Tom Vickers, author of Borders, Migration and Class in an Age Read More

Thinking critically is a demanding challenge, especially in these hard times. This blog celebrates the practice of thinking collaboratively and dialogically, drawing on Mikhail Bakhtin’s persistent concern with ‘dialogism’ and ‘heteroglossia’ as vital and productive features of social life. Critical thinking should never be a lonely experience. Even if I am not engaged directly in Read More

What does money mean? Where does it come from and and is it really in short supply? Most importantly, should the creation and circulation of money be a matter of democratic choice? Listen to Mary Mellor, author of Money: Myths, Truths and Alternatives, part of our British Sociological Association 21st Century Standpoints series, examine money’s Read More

Informal refugee camps in and around Calais may no longer be in the news but the problem is far from solved. In this impact case study, Sarah Mallet shows how her book, Lande: The Calais Jungle and Beyond, co-written with Dan Hicks, and the corresponding exhibition at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, create a Read More

Sarah Breaux, Senior Executive Assistant at Bristol University Press, shares her thoughts on The Right Amount of Panic by Fiona Vera-Gray. Reading this book enabled me to think back on my experiences as a woman and evaluate the evolution of my behaviour over time. I had never thought about it as a continuous aspect of Read More

This week Bristol University Press proudly launches the first issue of Emotions and Society. Editors in Chief Mary Holmes and Åsa Wettergren, and Co-Editor Nathan Manning introduce the inaugural issue out now. With a sense of amused irony, the editorial team have reflected on the highly emotional, as well as long intellectual and administrative journey Read More

The new ban on abortion in Alabama takes millions of women across the US a step closer to losing fundamental rights to control their fertility. But we also have an Alabama situation on our own doorstep,: it’s called Northern Ireland. …Read more

Urban Food Sharing : Rules, tools and networks by Anna Davies is available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence on OAPEN. In May 2019, The Guardian reported that a third of adults in the UK regularly eat alone; a figure which rises to almost half of all adults within London. This pattern of eating marks a Read More

Discover 7 ways employers can help tackle the class ceiling in this short video, taken from The Class Ceiling by Sam Friedman and Daniel Laurison: