Transforming Society podcast

Is it possible to provoke positive change within the historically male dominated sciences, without alienating people? The Women in Supramolecular Chemistry (WISC) network have demonstrated that, yes, it is. What began as a small group of female colleagues meeting regularly to offer one another support in their scientific careers has, in less than three years, grown into an international network. I...

In this episode, Ivan Kalmar, author of ‘White But Not Quite’, explains illiberal democracy in Central Europe, as seen in the governance of Victor Orban in Hungary. What role does ‘whiteness’ play in illiberalism, and what are the dynamics of racism by and towards Central Europeans? How do the ideas in the book help us to understand the war in Ukraine? And what possibilities does 'not quiteness' o...

Marking ten years of the 'Critical and Radical Social Work' journal, Michael Lavalette, editor since its inception, tells the story of the emergence of the radical social work movement and the Social Work Action Network, and the role the journal has played in this. He talks about the way in which the journal creates a space for debate and discussion, combining academic research with voices from th...

In this episode, Caroline Gorden and Christopher Birkbeck, authors of the new textbook 'Case Studies of Famous Trials and the Construction of Guilt and Innocence', speak with Jess Miles about the book. They discuss the social construction of guilt and innocence, people's morbid fascination with violent crime and why a single explanation of a trial verdict is always likely to be insufficient. Find...

In this episode, Nasar Meer, author of 'The Cruel Optimism of Racial Justice', part of our British Sociological Association 21st Century Standpoints Series, speaks with Rebecca Megson-Smith about his new book. They discuss issues around race and racial justice, and why we continue to see systemic injustice. Meer spotlights that many, every day, ‘unwitting’ acts of racism continue to occur despite...

Getting business on board is essential if we want to achieve the United Nations’ goal of building a better future for people and planet by 2030. In this episode Ian Thomson and Dom Bates, authors of 'Urgent Business: Five Myths Business Needs to Overcome to Save Itself and the Planet', discuss the current way businesses engage with the global goals, the myths that hold businesses back from change,...

In this episode, Stewart Lansley, author of ‘The Richer, The Poorer’, discusses why we need to talk about the links between poverty and wealth, the challenges of measuring poverty and the impact of living in an unequal society. Find out more about the book: https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-richer-the-poorer Intro music: Cold by yoitrax | @yoitrax Music promoted by www.free-stock-mus...

In this episode, Lambros Fatsis and Melayna Lamb talk about their new book ‘Policing the Pandemic: How Public Health Becomes Public Order’. They discuss how the pandemic has revealed the damaging relationship between public health and public order and explain why we need to explore our assumptions about policing and what it's for. Aiming to shift our world view, they offer suggestions for practica...

In this episode, Alison Shaw, Chief Executive of Bristol University Press, talks about 25 years of publishing with a purpose to mark the end of the Press' anniversary celebration year. Alison speaks to Jess Miles about the past, present and future of the press and its mission to address global social challenges, support positive social change and to be a top tier University Press recognised for th...

In this episode, Jess Miles speaks with Carl Rhodes, author of 'Woke Capitalism: How Corporate Morality is Sabotaging Democracy', about the dangerous consequences of businesses being ‘woke’. Carl reveals that, through woke capitalism, the people who benefit most from inequality are setting the agenda, with serious implications for democracy. Find out more about the book: https://bristoluniversityp...

In this episode, Rebecca Megson-Smith speaks with Tara Lamont, author of 'Making Research Matter: Steps to Impact for Health and Care Researchers', about why it's so hard to make research matter in today's world and how to try and overcome this difficulty. Find out more about the book: https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/making-research-matter Intro music: Cold by yoitrax | @yoitrax Music...

In this episode of the Transforming Society podcast, Jess Miles speaks with Chris Pierson, author of 'The Next Welfare State?', about current policy, the mistakes of the past, and ways in which the welfare state should be transformed in order to ensure collective wellbeing. Find out more about the book: https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-next-welfare-state Intro music: Cold by yoitrax...

In this episode, Rebecca Megson-Smith talks to Maria Gallo, author of 'The Alumni Way: Building Lifelong Value from Your University Investment'. They discuss the potential our alumni identities and networks offer and why we should move away from the student as consumer, graduate as financial donor way of thinking. Find out more about the book: https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-alumni...

'This Separated Isle', edited by Paul Sng, is a new portrait photography book that shows how different people navigate the tensions of an increasingly divided British society. In this episode of the Transforming Society podcast, Jess Miles explores the issues raised in the book, including racism, resilience and identity, with Paul, Kristie De Garis, whose portrait and story appears in the book, an...

In this episode, Jess Miles speaks with Carol Rivas and Ikuko Tomomatsu, two of the guest editors of a special issue of 'Evidence & Policy': ‘The many faces of disability in evidence for policy and practice: embracing complexity’. They discuss the problems with current representations of disability, recent examples of policy that has failed disabled people and the changes that could be made so...

In this episode, Rebecca Megson-Smith talks to Eben Kirksey, American anthropologist and Associate Professor at Alfred Deakin Institute in Melbourne, Australia. Rebecca and Eben discuss his latest book 'The Mutant Project: Inside the Global Race to Genetically Modify Humans', the work of Dr. Jiankui He, who created the first genetically modified babies, and the moral dilemmas this work has since r...

With 11 million people in prisons across the world, a vitally important question is how do we move the prison experience from survival to growth? In this episode of the Transforming Society podcast, Jess Miles speaks with Kirstine Szifris, author of ‘Philosophy Behind Bars’, about whether philosophical thinking can be a way to encourage and enable growth and development in prison. They discuss the...

In this episode of the Transforming Society podcast, Rebecca Megson-Smith talks to Ann Oakley, Professor and founder-director of the Social Science Research Unit at the UCL Institute of Education and best known for her work on sex and gender, housework, childbirth and feminist social science. Rebecca and Ann talk about Ann's latest book 'Forgotten Wives: How Women Get Written Out of History' and h...

The moment people fail to access justice is so often the moment that their lives take a turn for the worse, and cuts to legal aid over the decades have dramatically increased the instances of this happening. In this episode, Jess Miles speaks with Jon Robins and Daniel Newman, authors of 'Justice in a Time of Austerity: Stories From a System in Crisis', about the decimation of legal aid, the faili...

With the ever-increasing exploitation of workers through precarious, low-paid and temporary jobs, many people now hold jobs in both the sex industries and non-sex work employment. In this episode of the Transforming Society podcast, Jess Miles speaks with Raven Bowen, author of 'Work, Money and Duality' and CEO of National Ugly Mugs, about sex work, duality and why we need to listen to sex workers...

In the current political landscape it appears that, after decades of progress, democracy is decaying and we’re seeing an authoritarian resurgence across the world. In this episode, Jess Miles speaks with Natasha Lindstaedt, author of 'Democratic Decay and Authoritarian Resurgence', about what has caused this breakdown of democracy, the impact COVID-19 is likely to have on a global scale and ways w...

Acclaimed activist and scholar Gill Hague talks with Jess Miles about the inspiring and powerful story of the women’s liberation movement and the domestic violence movement in particular, as told in her book, 'History and Memories of the Domestic Violence Movement: We’ve Come Further Than You Think'. As an insider, a participant in the social movements and campaigning struggles Gill shows how much...

Fear has played a significant role in our experience of the pandemic. So often ignored and downplayed, how should we be engaging with this emotion and thinking about it in the context of policy and politics? In this episode of the Transforming Society podcast, Jess Miles speaks with Matt Flinders, co-editor of the latest themed issue of 'Global Discourse', about the role of fear in politics and pu...

Conversation around charities has become increasingly negative over recent decades. Stephen Cook and Tania Mason, authors of 'What Have Charities Ever Done for Us?', rebalance the debate by showing the breadth and depth of the contribution charities make. Find out more about the book on the Policy Press website: https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/what-have-charities-ever-done-for-us Intro...

In this episode of the Transforming Society podcast, brought to you by Bristol University Press and Policy Press, Jess Miles speaks to Janice Morphet about how we see the devolved governments differently because of the pandemic and how central government is using both COVID and Brexit to attempt to recentralise power. Find out more about the book: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-impact-of...