The text of my inaugural lecture as professor of sociology at Nottingham Trent University has now been posted here. I have also added a note of the questions raised by the audience and of my responses – I will confess to polishing those after the event but the spirit has been retained.
At the risk of sounding opportunist, I thought I would post my own tribute to the genius of the late Andrew Sachs. This is a chapter that was originally commissioned for a conference in 1989, organized by Australian colleagues. Phil Strong had been invited but could not get out of various commitments and generously suggested… Read More »
In the UK, sociology has long had a poor public image. In contrast to the US, for example, we do not see car bumper stickers proclaiming the driver’s pride in their field of study. This lecture contrasts the mission of sociology as a science of society with its abuse to justify particular moral and political… Read More »
The IOSH research programme ‘Health and Safety in a Changing World’ is the subject of a special issue of Policy and Practice in Health and Safety. This contains six papers reflecting the work of the projects funded under the programme, together with an editorial introduction by Patrick Waterson, the journal editor, and myself. The programme… Read More »
The Sociology of Quality and Accountability is the third Virtual Special Issue of Sociology of Health and Illness, examining the Francis Reports into the failures of care at North Staffs Hospital. Robert Dingwall’s editorial introduces the challenges of developing appropriate regimes for quality and accountability in health care. The editorial also reviews 18 papers previously… Read More »
Mrs Seacole might be celebrated as a Black entrepreneur. For much of her life, until her health failed, she was a successful businesswoman and an adventurous traveller. Her kindness and generosity are well-documented. They are reflected in the support for two public appeals when she fell on hard times. In the way of her business,… Read More »
Commissioned by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), research teams conducted six studies to shed new light on modern-day worker protection at a time when health and safety has been lambasted in sections of the media and become the subject of reviews into its regulatory frameworks. The findings of IOSH’s five year programme… Read More »
From the October 2016 issue of CHOICE connect:A publication of the Association of College and Research Libraries Faculty engage in research typically as a function of their positions at universities, for professional interest, or to help advance their fields. However, managing a research project involves more than just disciplinary expertise. This unique volume is intended… Read More »
It has been described as a ‘brilliantly bold’ initiative, as ‘audacious’, and a ‘game-changer’. This is the proposal by Mark Zuckerberg, principal shareholder in Facebook and his wife, Priscilla Chan, a paediatrician, to invest $3 billion in a programme to cure all diseases by 2100… Why discourage a well-intentioned donor by asking hard questions or… Read More »
Professions and Metaphors: Understanding Professions in Society edited by Andreas Liljegren and Mike Saks has just been published. It includes a chapter in which I review the history of the ecological metaphor in the study of work, occupations and professions. The book as a whole explores the way that two traditions have contributed to our… Read More »