In this episode, Matthew talks to Catherine Owen about the crossover between the disciplines of Geography and Sociology. As a teacher of both subjects, Catherine explains how a strong understanding of social inequalities and the behaviour of people provides a solid base to learning geography. Catherine also explains how Sociology connects to not only human g ... Show More
May 21
Dr Catherine Hakim on 'Erotic Capital'
In this episode, Dr Catherine Hakim explains all about erotic capital. Erotic capital is a combination of "beauty, social skills, good dress sense, physical fitness, liveliness, sex appeal and sexual competence" and Hakim explains why our erotic capital is so important in terms o ... Show More
8m 47s
Feb 2025
Gary D. Jaworski, "Erving Goffman and the Cold War" (Lexington Books, 2023)
Erving Goffman has always seen as somewhat of an enigma by sociologists and historians of the discipline. In his provocative new book Erving Goffman and the Cold War (2023, Lexington) Gary Jaworski suggests a ‘marginal man’ trope has grown up around him, whereby Goffman is seen a ... Show More
1h 5m
Sep 2023
Shai M. Dromi and Samuel D. Stabler, "Moral Minefields: How Sociologists Debate Good Science" (U Chicago Press, 2023)
Where does morality fit into contemporary social science? In Moral Minefields: How Sociologists Debate Good Science (U Chicago Press, 2023), Shai Dromi, an Associate Senior Lecturer at the Department of Sociology at Harvard University and Samuel Stabler Associate Teaching Profes ... Show More
50m 32s
May 2024
Anthony Heath and Yaojun Li, "Social Mobility" (Polity Press, 2024)
What is social mobility? In Social Mobility (Polity Press, 2023), Anthony Heath, an Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Oxford and Yaojun Li, a Professor of Sociology at the University of Manchester, explore and explain this concept, setting out why the idea matt ... Show More
40m 1s
Oct 2024
When We Prioritize Data and Metrics, What Happens to Human Connections?
Today’s book is: The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected World (Princeton University Press, 2024), by Dr. Allison Pugh, which explores the human connections that underlie our work, arguing that what people do for each other is valuable and worth preserving. D ... Show More
55m 5s
Jun 2023
John L. Rudolph, "Why We Teach Science (and Why We Should)" (Oxford UP, 2023)
Today I talked to John L. Rudolph about his book Why We Teach Science (and Why We Should) (Oxford UP, 2023).Few people question the importance of science education in American schooling. The public readily accepts that it is the key to economic growth through innovation, develops ... Show More
36m 54s
Jul 2023
Shaul Shenhav, "Analyzing Social Narratives" (Routledge, 2015)
Analyzing Social Narratives (Routledge, 2015) is one of the concise and informative volumes in the Routledge Series on Interpretive Methods, whose titles we have been featuring on New Books in Interpretive Political and Social Science. Its author, Shaul Shenhav, organizes the boo ... Show More
52m 54s
Jun 2023
Daniel R. Smith, "The Fall and Rise of the English Upper Class: Houses, Kinship and Capital Since 1945" (Manchester UP, 2023)
Who are the English upper class? In The Fall and Rise of the English Upper Class: Houses, Kinship and Capital Since 1945 (Manchester UP, 2023) Daniel Smith, a lecturer in sociology at Cardiff University, offers an analysis of the role and power of the upper class in English socie ... Show More
48m 52s
Sep 2023
Daniel R. Reichman, "Progress in the Balance: Mythologies of Development in Santos, Brazil" (Cornell UP, 2023)
Progress and development have long been important issues in anthropology and social sciences. Based on extensive archives and ethnographic fieldwork, Progress in the Balance: Mythologies of Development in Santos, Brazil (Cornell UP, 2023) addresses and assesses an anthropological ... Show More
45m 1s