Brought to you by Bristol University Press and Policy Press, the Transforming Society podcast brings you conversations with our authors around social justice and global social challenges.We get to grips with the story their research tells, with a focus on the specific ways in which it could transform society for the better. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
…
continue reading
The life of a diplomat may seem far flung and unrelatable but, beyond the cocktails and canapes, there are ideas that can help us understand and work on social issues, such as increasing polarisation, and lessons to help us support ourselves. In this episode, Leigh Turner, author of 'Lessons in Diplomacy’ and former British ambassador who led posts…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
‘The Olympics are political through and through’
32:12
32:12
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
32:12
In the late 19th century, a French aristocrat came up with the idea of reviving the sporting contests that took place at Olympia in ancient Greece, and so the modern Olympics were born. The games have gone on to become one of the greatest spectacles on earth, but have never been free of controversy. Our guest in this episode of the podcast is Jules…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
‘Museums without visitors are just elaborate storage’
38:17
38:17
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
38:17
Time was when museums were staid, dusty institutions. Those days are long gone. Now the focus is on making visiting a museum a positive, inclusive, meaningful experience for everyone who comes through the door – or visits online. It sounds good in principle, but how to do it in practice? That question is at the heart of the latest title to join the…
…
continue reading
In this episode, Rebecca Megson-Smith speaks with Jen Shang, co-author of ‘Meaningful Philanthropy: The Person Behind the Giving’, about the high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals behind philanthropic giving. Having had unparalleled access to some of the world’s most reflective and thoughtful philanthropists, Jen explains how philanthr…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Scoring the General Election promises on poverty
31:56
31:56
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
31:56
With the UK General Election on Thursday, Academics Stand Against Poverty have audited the manifestos to establish which parties are most likely to address poverty and enable British society to flourish. In this episode, Jess Miles speaks with Lee Gregory and Cat Tully about how the audit has been produced and why it matters. They discuss how the m…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Veganism: imagining a world beyond contemporary food systems
37:50
37:50
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
37:50
If the way we eat now is bad for our health, bad for animal welfare and bad for the planet, is veganism the answer? That’s the key question that Catherine Oliver of Lancaster University pursues in the latest addition to the What is it for? series. In this episode of the podcast, Catherine tells George Miller why she hopes 'What is Veganism For?' he…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Danny Dorling on the UK election and hope for change
36:32
36:32
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
36:32
Danny Dorling and Jess Miles talk about his concept of peak injustice - that injustice and inequality are now so bad in the UK that it might just be that they can't get worse. In advance of 4 July, they talk about Keir Starmer and what the Labour party may offer, why higher taxes aren't a burden, how fear wrecks societies and the data that gives us…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
How listening to convicts can transform justice
39:17
39:17
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
39:17
Convict’s voices have traditionally been ignored and marginalised in scholarship and policy debates, but how can we improve if we don’t learn from these lived experiences? Richard Kemp speaks with Jeffrey Ian Ross, author of ‘Introduction to Convict Criminology’, about why listening to convicts is essential to positively impacting corrections, crim…
…
continue reading
Lurking, or reading the comments in an online group without writing a comment, is a common practice. But what does it mean to be a lurker? In this podcast host Jess Miles speaks with Gina Sipley, Associate Professor of English at SUNY Nassau Community College and author of Just Here for the Comments. Gina challenges our assumptions about lurking, r…
…
continue reading
History is a key battleground in our increasingly bitter contemporary culture wars. In the polarized debates over who we are, the cry of ‘You can’t rewrite history’ regularly goes up. And is regularly met with the counterclaim that history needs to be rewritten. Virtually the only thing both sides can agree on is that the past matters. But why, and…
…
continue reading
Racial justice is never far from the headlines, but, although the ideals of the legal system such as fairness and equality seem allied to the struggle, campaigners have been all too often let down by the system. In this episode Jess Miles and Bharat Malkani, author of ‘Racial Justice and the Limits of the Law’, talk through cases like those of the …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Should we be aiming to improve prisons, or abolish them?
31:25
31:25
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
31:25
In this episode, George Miller talks to the author of What are Prisons for?, prison inspector and visiting professor of law at Oxford Hindpal Singh Bhui, about why we lock so many people up. Prison populations have increased hugely in the past fifty years and vast sums of money are spent to keep over 11.5 million people behind bars, so you might th…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Class inequality and denied ambition in our schools
54:26
54:26
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
54:26
Jessie Abrahams' new book reveals the extent of class inequality in schools in the UK. By telling Jessie's story and that of one of the young people in her research, this episode untangles the role aspiration plays for young people in school and the significance of the different choices that are available to different pupils in different schools. J…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Emotions and the ‘truths’ of contentious politics
40:50
40:50
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
40:50
In this episode, Richard Kemp speaks with Anna Durnova, one of the guest editors for the Emotions and Society special issue on 'Emotions and the ‘Truths’ of Contentious Politics: Advances in Research on Emotions, Knowledge, and Contemporary Contentious Politics'. They discuss the weaponisation of truth, the important difference between being told y…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Have research universities lost their way?
38:35
38:35
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
38:35
In this episode, Richard Kemp speaks with Nigel Thrift, author of The Pursuit of Possibility: Redesigning Research Universities, about research universities and what makes them different. They discuss the importance of free speech at universities, the many threats research universities face and what can be done about these threats to ensure a thriv…
…
continue reading
In this episode, we talk about postracialism and colourblind narratives with Paul Warmington, Visiting Professor at Coventry University, Visiting Research Fellow at Goldsmiths and author of ‘Permanent Racism’. Britain’s current postracial perspectives are facile so we need to reconceptualise critical race theory from a British standpoint. This mean…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Why do people take performance enhancing drugs?
43:43
43:43
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
43:43
In this episode, Jess Miles speaks with Nick Gibbs, author of ‘The Muscle Trade’, about the rise in the use of image and performance enhancing drugs, why people take them and how they get them. They talk about how the reasons for people taking these drugs goes beyond sporting skill and physical prowess, the difference between online and offline sup…
…
continue reading
There has been a growing interest in talking about menopause over the last decade, but the impact is still rarely discussed in management and organisation studies, despite having profound implications in this area. In this episode of the Transforming Society podcast, Jess Miles speaks with Vanessa Beck and Jo Brewis, co-editors of ‘Menopause Transi…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Has the university experience failed millennials?
48:54
48:54
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
48:54
In this episode, Ann-Marie Bathmaker, co-author of The Degree Generation: The Making of Unequal Graduate Lives, talks about the transition to the graduate labour market, examined through the eyes of a cohort of middle-class and working-class young people. They discuss the changing nature of the graduate labour market, the promise of upward mobility…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
The dangerous growth of governmental power
43:56
43:56
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
43:56
In this episode of the Transforming Society podcast, Jess Miles speaks with Alison Young, author of Unchecked Power, about the growth of governmental power and erosion of checks and balances over the last 4 years. They discuss the difference between constitution and law, how the ‘will of the people’ is being homogenised all over the world and how a…
…
continue reading
In this episode of the Transforming Society podcast, Jess Miles speaks with Olivier De Schutter, Hugh Frazer, Anne-Catherine Guio and Eric Marlier, authors of The Escape From Poverty, about child poverty and intergenerational poverty and things we can do as individuals to make change. They talk about the evidence in the book, how poverty impacts de…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Towards plantification by normalising less meat-intensive diets
46:19
46:19
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
46:19
In this episode of the Transforming Society podcast, Rebecca Megson-Smith speaks to Arve Hansen, Ulrikke Wethal, Sophia Efstathiou and Johannes Volden, editors of the special issue of Consumption and Society called ‘Towards Less Meat-intensive Diets? Exploring Everyday Practices of Meat Consumption, Reduction and Substitution’. They discuss the pre…
…
continue reading
Meet the hosts of the Transforming Society podcast and discover more about the podcast. Browse Transforming Society: https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/ Intro music: Cold by yoitrax | @yoitrax Music promoted by www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US Hosted on Acas…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Open access at a mission-led university press
26:15
26:15
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
26:15
In this episode of the Transforming Society podcast, Jess Miles speaks with Julia Mortimer, Journals Director and Head of Open Access at Bristol University Press. They discuss recent developments in Open Access, including funder mandates, community-led models and the direction Bristol University Press are heading in. In addition, they offer advice …
…
continue reading
In this episode of the Transforming Society podcast, Steve Cooke, author of What Are Animal Rights For?, talks with George Miller about how the field of animal rights evolved – and continues to evolve as advances in the scientific understanding of animals’ lives expand the rights claims made on their behalf. Philosophy, Steve suggests, has a critic…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
How can torture be tackled more effectively?
40:08
40:08
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
40:08
In this episode of the Transforming Society podcast, Jess Miles speaks with Malcolm Evans, former Chair of the UN Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture and author of Tackling Torture: Prevention in Practice. They discuss the traps we fall into when talking about torture, including the disturbing normalisation of torture in television and film, …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Why high earners should care about inequality
44:17
44:17
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
44:17
Jess Miles speaks with Gerry Mitchell and Marcos González Hernando, authors of ‘Uncomfortably off: Why the top 10% of earners should care about inequality’. Wealth no longer guarantees security. Gerry and Marcos explain why it's time for higher earners to reset their attitudes towards the lives of others and reexamine their relationship with the pr…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Who gets left behind in the race for renewables?
43:59
43:59
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
43:59
In this episode of the Transforming Society podcast, Richard Kemp speaks with Ed Atkins, author of 'A Just Energy Transition: Getting Decarbonisation Right in a Time of Crisis', about what is needed for an energy transition to be just. They discuss the need to ensure decarbonisation doesn't come at the expense of already marginalised communities, t…
…
continue reading
In this episode, Richard Kemp speaks to people from both sides of the Universal Basic Income (UBI) debate from a recent issue of the Journal of Poverty and Social Justice. Howard Robert Reed and Matthew Thomas Johnson argue that UBI is affordable and feasible, whereas Donald Hirsch believes the necessary funds for UBI could be used to cut poverty i…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
The constantly evolving role of technology in war
18:11
18:11
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
18:11
In this final short conversation with Jack McDonald, author of 'What is War for?', we turn to the part played by technology in war. There’s long been a technological aspect to war, not just in the development of ever more deadly weapons, but also in the way civilian technology, such as railway networks and the telegraph, have shaped the conduct of …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Challenging the MacAlister Review of children’s social care
49:18
49:18
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
49:18
Robin Sen and Christian Kerr, authors of 'The Future of Children’s Care', speak to Jess Miles about the recent 'once in a generation' MacAlister Review of Childrens Social Care in England. They discuss the problem of how reviews are commissioned and carried out, omissions in the report and the need for co-production and the need for dissent to stan…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
State harms: solidarity, denunciation and resistance
27:16
27:16
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
27:16
What are state harms? What are the formal and informal ways they are enacted? How can solidarity, denunciation and resistance challenge state harm and what opportunities and openings for change exist? Federica Rossi and Chris Magill are guest editors of a themed section on state harms in the latest issue of 'Justice, Power and Resistance'. In this …
…
continue reading
Cybersecurity is about identifying something you want to protect and exercising power in order to preserve it, Tim Stevens says in this, the last of three short conversations about his new book, 'What is Cybersecurity for?'. In this episode, we focus on cybersecurity’s political dimensions, including interstate competition that could manifest as cy…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
What should we do about tainted donations?
14:31
14:31
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
14:31
So-called tainted donations have become a very real problem for many charities and organizations: when is it wrong to accept a donation because of how the money was made? What if the money was made in the distant past, when different ethical values prevailed? And if a donor uses their money to whitewash a dubious reputation, is that just something …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
What counts as war and why does it matter?
15:34
15:34
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
15:34
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Vladimir Putin very deliberately referred to it as a ‘special military operation’, not an act of war. He’s far from unique in refusing to call a war by its name; calling a conflict a war has consequences. And over the course of history, very different types of conflict have had the label applied to, or …
…
continue reading
In this episode, Richard Kemp speaks with Lucy Easthope and Kandida Purnell, two of the co-editors of 'When This Is Over', about the pandemic and its long lasting impact. They discuss why it was important to have different perspectives and content beyond academic essays, the effect increasingly strict immigration laws had on asylum seekers during t…
…
continue reading
While it’s easy to become fixated on cybersecurity’s technological aspects, one of the central ideas in Tim Stevens’ 'What is Cybersecurity for?' is the importance of remembering it’s primarily about and for people. In this, the second of three short conversations, Tim expands on this idea and responds to the question of whether, given the power of…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
It's not where you live, it's how you live
44:20
44:20
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
44:20
John Bissett is a community worker, activist and author of 'It’s Not Where You Live, It’s How You Live', a ground-breaking and compelling book that takes us deep into the world of a public housing estate in Dublin. Aiming to change perspectives on public housing, John talks about what life is like for the people who live on the estate and how it is…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Is philanthropy charity’s more rational cousin?
15:01
15:01
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
15:01
In the second of three short conversations with Rhodri Davies, author of 'What is Philanthropy For?', George Miller asks Rhodri about the difference between philanthropy and charity. The tension between them is sometimes characterised as a head versus heart conflict, with philanthropy the more rational and systemic of the two, while charity is more…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Defunding the police is the best route forward
26:21
26:21
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
26:21
In this episode, Chris Cunneen, author of 'Defund the Police: An International Insurrection', speaks to Rebecca Megson-Smith about the broad need to defund the police. They discuss why defunding is the best route forward instead of further investment and reform, what viable alternatives there might be and what we would need in order to make this vi…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
On writing about war in an era of conflict
11:43
11:43
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
11:43
In this episode, George Miller speaks to Jack McDonald, author of 'What is War for?', one of the first titles to be published in Bristol University Press’s new What Is It For? series. In the first of three short conversations, Jack explains why he chose to focus on war’s twenty-first century character rather than its ancient origins, and talks abou…
…
continue reading
In this episode, George Miller speaks to Tim Stevens, author of 'What is Cybersecurity for?', one of the first titles to be published in Bristol University Press’s new What Is It For? series. In the first of three short conversations, Tim explains what got him interested in cybersecurity in the first place and why it’s too important to treat it as …
…
continue reading
We take the existence of the all-powerful stock market for granted, but we should engage with it because it affects us as individuals and wider society in very deep ways. Philip Roscoe's new book 'How to Build a Stock Exchange' enables us to do this. In the episode, he speaks to Jess Miles about this darkly comedic secret world, prompting us to dem…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
What is philanthropy and why does it matter?
13:02
13:02
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
13:02
In this episode, George Miller speaks to Rhodri Davies, author of 'What is Philanthropy for?', one of the first titles to be published in Bristol University Press’s new What Is It For? series. In the first of three short conversations, Rhodri explains why he thinks this is a good time to ask questions about the purpose of philanthropy, and its rela…
…
continue reading
From the Alcatraz East Crime Museum and Jack the Ripper guided tours to the Phnom Penh killing fields, ‘dark tourism’ is now a multi-million-pound global industry. What is the attraction and where is the line between acceptable and problematic dark tourism drawn? In this episode, Becky Taylor speaks with Adam Lynes, Craig Kelly and James Treadwell,…
…
continue reading
In this episode, Richard Kemp speaks with Nicholas Gilmour and Tristram Hicks, authors of 'The War on Dirty Money', about why financial investigation needs to be done in parallel with the criminal justice system. They discuss the danger of the 'sophisticated’ money launderer myth, how so many criminals keep the proceeds of their crimes and why asse…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
How should we respond to ‘youth violence’?
28:48
28:48
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
28:48
In this episode, Jess Miles speaks with Luke Billingham and Keir Irwin-Rogers, authors of 'Against Youth Violence', about a new way of making sense of ‘youth violence’ by putting it in the context of social harm. They discuss the extent of the violence affecting children and young people, how harmful the way it is reported and talked about can be, …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
"I refuse to live with the stigma now": Life on a low income
49:02
49:02
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
49:02
The Changing Realities project shines a light on what life is really like for households on low incomes, and pushes for urgent and permanent change. 'A Year Like No Other', published by Policy Press, features the stories of those involved in the project. In this episode, Jess Miles speaks to them about their experiences of life on a low-income. The…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Why we need to apply psychology to politics
48:49
48:49
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
48:49
Mick Cooper, author of ‘Psychology at the Heart of Social Change: Developing a Progressive Vision for Society’, speaks to Richard Kemp about why we need to apply psychology to politics. How do rogue goals hinder our growth? How can we make necessary changes without using blame? What strategies could we implement for a psychology-informed progressiv…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
University–Industry Partnerships for Positive Change
36:15
36:15
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
36:15
In this episode, Tim Bodley-Scott and Ersel Oymak, authors of ‘University–Industry Partnerships for Positive Change’, speak to Rebecca Megson-Smith about why robust university–industry partnerships are vital to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and create a better world for everyone. They discuss the key concepts at the heart of t…
…
continue reading