Social Science Space

Why do we punish and to what ends?

While parts of Aditya Chakrabortty’s recent piece in the Guardian were sensible and informed, its central claim was unfair – that social science disciplines have been unable or unwilling to explore, explain, and confront the ‘Great Financial Crash’ of 2007-9

On 16 April, Aditya Chakrabortty wrote an article for the Guardian’s Comment is Free, arguing that social scientists have failed to step up and offer alternatives in the wake of the economic crisis. Here, Andrew Gamble FBA responds.

Between the early 1970s and late 2000s, the percentage of obese children in the United States tripled. This trend is often attributed to the types and amounts of foods and drinks available to children, including those offered for sale in schools.

In a recent article in the American Sociological Review, sociologists have uncovered a sprawling mental health cost to the massive and rapid increase in incarceration in the United States.

“Everybody lives in a society…They want to know what it is they’re living in” An exploration of the nature of the social sciences. How do they differ from the physical sciences? What challenges do they face? What is their value?

For there to be some sort of global sociology there would need to a recognition of socio-culturally disparate forms of knowledge and institutional settings.

As part of a series of occasional interviews with leading social scientists, Denis McQuail talks to socialsciencespace about his career in social science and some of the changes that he has witnessed.

How to approach the years beyond the PhD. Some thoughts on alignment, coherence, breadth, and depth.

As part of a series of occasional interviews with leading social scientists George Ritzer, Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland, spoke to socialsciencespace about his influences in the field.

I’m a sociologist and my primary role at this stage of my career is championing theory-driven research, but also research that you put into action: I’m not just a theorist, or just a researcher, or just an action-person – rather I’m trying to link all of those together.

Recorded at the British Sociological Association annual conference 2011, sponsored by SAGE. In this interview with Professor John Urry, Professor […]