t’s Academic Book Week 2020! The theme this year is the environment, and makers, providers and readers of academic books will be celebrating them as vehicles for ground-breaking ideas. To kick off the week, David Beer, author of ‘The Data Gaze,’ discusses the notion of ‘digital atrophy’ and consumer capitalism within the technological and social environment we inhabit.
The ability to work with digital research methods and data analysis is opening up a whole new world of research potential for social scientists. No one knows this better than Digital Sociologist Dr. James Allen-Robertson from the University of Essex. For him, these new techniques have enabled multiple interdisciplinary research collaborations and a whole new world of funding and professional opportunities.
Here, James tells us how computational social science has given him and his research output a new lease of life.
Gina Neff doesn’t approach smart devices as a Luddite or even that much of an alarmist; she bought first-generation Fitbit when they were brand new and virtually unknown (all of five years ago!). She approaches them as a sociologist, “looking at the practices of people who use digital devices to monitor, map and measure different aspects of their life.”
Gavin Moodie has looked at how printing first challenged then changed–for the better–higher education. Here he suggests more modern forms of technological advancement likely will result in the same.
These aren’t the best of times for reference librarians, but the challenges leave only one option — to get with the times.
rather than damning Wikipedia and Google for their imperfections, Amy Antonio argues we both embrace them and teach students how to validate the information they find there.
E-readers are now commonplace. But how useful are e-readers as a replacement for printed academic books and journal articles?
Congolese thinker, philosopher and linguist Valentin-Yves Mudimbe died on April 21, 2025 at the age of 83. He was in the US, […] Christopher Jencks, known for his novel and inventive opinions on hot topic issues like income inequality, homelessness, and racial gaps in standardized […] In recent years there has been an increased focus on how research papers and supplemental data can be preserved openly. Andy Tattersall, Liz Such, Joe Langley and Fiona Marshall argue equal attention should also be paid to curating communication outputs aimed at engaging non-academic audiences. Are you a researcher with an idea that could help solve one of today’s most pressing problems? A conference in Dubai this […] In recent years there has been an increased focus on how research papers and supplemental data can be preserved openly. Andy Tattersall, Liz Such, Joe Langley and Fiona Marshall argue equal attention should also be paid to curating communication outputs aimed at engaging non-academic audiences. A new people has emerged in the digital age, that of ‘internet famous’ celebrities. And that new people has a class of […]
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Impact
Valentin-Yves Mudimbe, 1941-2025: The Philosopher on the ‘Invention’ of Africa
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Christopher Jencks, 1936-2025: An Innovative Voice on Inequality
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Long-Term Impact Requires Archiving Research Communication
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Innovation
Ready to Tackle Global Challenges? Apply to Attend Dubai Showcase
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Long-Term Impact Requires Archiving Research Communication
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Crystal Abidin on Influencers
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