There are dangers with trying to develop too focused a title for this research theme as this is likely to lead to exclusion of potentially interesting and important areas of research and research collaboration. For instance, adding ‘change’ or ‘cohesion’ introduces a particular idea that socially transformative research would be privileged above, say, methodological endeavour. Whilst there are problems with the use of the singular forms in ‘culture and society’, it perhaps allows for the emergence of greater productive diversity in developing what is likely to be a wide and changing brief.
The ways in which societies and cultures are understood, analysed and approached, and the meanings created by these for individuals and groups within them, again offers fertile ground for exploration and cross-school collaborative work, and this too is an area which would be useful to include within the theme’s overarching brief.
Inclusivity and broad coverage is important. It is within this context that exciting pockets of research can develop across the university. Let’s not be too prescriptive at this stage of the game.
Professor Jonathan Parker
‘Society and Social Welfare’, HSC
FHSS academics teaching in Nepal
New weight change BU paper
One week to go! | The 16th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference
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Congratulations to three former BU staff
MSCA Staff Exchanges 2024 Call – internal deadline
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Horizon Europe – ERC CoG and MSCA SE webinars
MaGMap: Mass Grave Mapping
ERC grants – series of webinars
On Monday staff from four schools (AS, HSC, M, T) met to discuss how to take this theme forward. Without wanting to preempt Barry Richard’s summary of the meeting, which will be posted on the blog soon, the discussion was frank, open and productive. The major outcome was that there seem to be two emerging strands of collaborative research emphasising the historical and welfare aspects of society undergoing change. More focused now than before, but still broad enough to accommodate a wide range of ideas.