The University Between the Cracks

In this podcast I talk to Nick Crossley about his recent book Towards Relational Sociology. The interview covers relational sociology, interdisciplinary approaches to social theory, the future of social theory and the contested status of quantitative methods. https://markcarrigan.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/nickcroslesy.mp3

In this podcast Simon Williams talks about his new book the Politics of Sleep. While sleep is often taken to be a entirely private and natural part of human life, in recent years it has been the subject of a rich vein of interdisciplinary research. As well as exploring the political dimensions to contemporary discourses and practices of sleep, the interview addresses some of the broader questions which sleep raises, situating these issues in terms of theories of modernity and human nature. The Sociology of Sleep

In this podcast Stephen Turner, plenary speaker for the theory stream at this year’s BSA conference, talks about his new book Explaining the Normative. The discussion explores changing theories of normativity and the different meanings they hold for philosophy and social science. Explaining Normativity Apologies for the poor sound quality of the recording. We had trouble finding a venue for the interview so it was conducted in a bar.

In this podcast Dave Elder-Vass talks about his new book The Causal Power of Social Structures. The interview covers a wide range of topics within social theory: emergence, causality, agency, social structure and normativity. Along with Stephen Turner’s recent book on normativity, this will be the topic for Theory stream plenary session at the British Sociological Association’s annual conference in April. The Causal Power of Social Structures

In this podcast Catherine Coveney uses the case study of Modafinil (a revolutionary ‘wakefulness’ drug reportedly subject to increasingly widespread use amongst students, academics, professionals and shiftworkers) to explore the status and practice of cognitive enhancement within contemporary society. Cognitive Enhancement and Modafinil