The
Sociologist a postgraduate newsletter
1 December
Editorial Scribble Well, it’s that time of year again. Christmas is just around the corner and we’re approaching the close of yet another academic term. It’s hard to believe week 9 has already arrived since it seems like only yesterday when the vibe of fresher’s week was in the air. But, short though Michaelmas may have seemed, I am sure many of you are ready to put aside the books, articles and academic workloads for a short winter break. This second edition of the Sociologist is therefore a hello/goodbye of sorts, a
farewell to the year while a new term is ushered in. Inside this newsletter you will find reviews, reflections, research tips, photographs, and ads for future events which we hope will keep you entertained. And so, rather than bore you all with a long editorial memo, I want to end this by saying thanks again to all of the many contributors, editors, interviewees and extra pair of eyes who helped bring life to this second edition. Merry Christmas everyone, and best wishes for 2009! Jennifer Tomomitsu-Tomasson
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contents 2. Postgraduate Research Highlight 3. Seminar Reviews 4. Software for Managing your Research 5. Photos from the Field 7. ‘My PhD Office’ and Mystery Guest Interview 8. In Pictures: October Festivities 9. Muses and Mystery Guest Interview 12. The Sociologist Contributor Profiles 13. The Soci-Classified Ads 14. Calendar of Events 15. Call for Submissions
lancaster sociology pg research highlight: gail crowther One of the aims of this newsletter is to promote postgraduate research in the department. For this issue, we’re happy to introduce Gail Crowther, a third year PhD student in Sociology. For those of you unfamiliar with Gail and her work, her research explores the notion of ‘haunting’ and uses creative autobiography “as a method of exploring how people engage in self narration, self mythologizing and the retrieval and retelling of memories”. Entitled The Ghostly Reader & Sylvia Plath, Gail’s thesis investigates the various ways her readers manifest haunting through an analysis of “stories of place, pilgrimage, objects, time and productivity”. We recently caught up with Gail to ask her some questions in relation to her project: In a few sentences, can you describe what Where do you see yourself 10 years from now? your project is about and why you chose this particular topic? Rehab. My project is about other people and why they are how they are. It is about the rela- If you could do another PhD, what topic would you choose? tionship between the reader and writer and the role that fantasy and identification play in this relationship. I chose this Celebrity Death Sites. topic because I LOVE Sylvia Plath. What advice would you give to people who are just starting their PhD? What has been the most enjoyable part about doing research on your thesis? Milk thistle for the liver, Valium for the Having a good excuse to drink too much nerves and a keen eye for a good fancy dress costume. wine at moments of stress. Can you describe a worst and best moYou can find more information about Gail’s proment during your PhD? The best moments of my PhD (so far) have been meeting Sylvia Plath’s daughter and attending a conference full of Sylvia Plath’s friends and family. My worst moments (so far – and a bit too often) have been the after effects of the answer to question 2. Three words which describe how you feel about your project: Giddy. Ponderous. Possessive.
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file on the departmental pg pages: "http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fass/sociology/pgrprofile s/289/"
reviews Forget Democracy By Joe Rigby ΩΩTony Benn Public Lecture: “Peace or War: the Choice for Humanity” ΩΩTerry Eagleton Inaugural Lecture: “Tragedy and Terror” In the afternoon of Monday, October 20th Tony Benn delivered the 2008 Richardson Institute Annual Peace Lecture. In the same building later that day, Terry Eagleton, having recently taken up the position of Chair in the Department of English and Creative Writing, gave his inaugural lecture. Both speakers have been prominent figures on the left in Britain for some time. Benn has been one of the most outspoken Members of Parliament (Labour) for more than 50 years, and Eagleton is one of Britain’s most well known cultural critics. Unsurprisingly, neither speaker shied away from the opportunity to offer their diagnosis of the contemporary political scene, nor to proffer their thoughts on what is to be done. On the surface, the need to articulate an alternative paradigm of political thought and action to that of war (Benn) and terror (Eagleton) ran like a red thread through both addresses. Yet, whereas Benn took seriously the notion of opposition as a productive force in politics, one wondered whether Eagleton was really only promoting himself for another position of Chair, this time in the sovereign’s court. In ‘Tragedy and Terror’ Eagleton dissected our contemporary ‘age of terror’ through a dizzying array of allegories, plying literary, cultural and philosophic sources stretching from the ancient to the modern. Historically, he noted, the political and philosophical problem of Terror is a thoroughly modern one. Drawing on Hegel’s reading of the French Revolution he 3 the sociologist 5 December 2008
argued that Terror constitutes the paroxysmal limit of the logic of modern politics, not an anomaly, accident or externality. To side step this destructive tendency, he suggested a healthy dose of tragedy is required. The Terror of the modern comes from an inability to recognise and accept the limits to power. Nowhere is such blindness more neatly illustrated than in the code names for the military build up following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.. First we had ‘Operation Infinite Justice’, then (supposedly more modestly) ‘Operation Enduring Freedom.’ If states are themselves to avoid responding to Terror with Terror, Eagleton argued, retaining a tragic ‘fidelity to failure’ is essential. Modernity can be salvaged, but only if it adopts a tragic idiom: “The West has yet to learn this tragic lesson. It cannot recognise in the fury at its gates its own monstrous violence come home to roost. It is unable to decipher the symptoms of weakness and despair in that annihilating rage, and is therefore capable only of terror rather than pity.”*
Yet just how is the West going to learn this tragic lesson? By reading Eagleton’s Sweet Violence: The Idea of the Tragic? Such a proclamation resonated, if only symbolically, beneath the surface of his lecture. If only the sovereign were a better reader, perhaps he would go more gently with his sword. It is unlikely that Eagleton’s lesson in tragedy would in fact be taken up the way he intended, even if he did gain the ear of those in the corridors of power. A sensibility to the problem of moving from critique to action was markedly absent from his tragic pedagogy. Benn was more attuned to this properly political problem. He did not
extol such faith in the academy and our ‘representative’ institutions. In ‘Peace or War, the Choice for Humanity,’ Benn pointed out that demanding an end to the global state of war means going beyond protest and the mere exercise of free speech (and, we might add, a thorough training in tragedy for our political leaders). Indeed a common argument used to belittle anti-war protest is precisely that without the war on terror, they would live in societies in which such protest would not be permissible. Yet is a free speech thoroughly devoid of consequences really worth defending, let alone fighting a war over? (Recall the Blair government’s response to the mass anti-war protests in February 2003). In response to a provocation from a self-described ‘disillusioned’ voter in the audience as to why he should bother voting at all, Benn responded in a way that might be considered surprising for a long-serving MP. ‘I’m not going to tell you to vote for someone,’ he replied, ‘true democrats have never been concerned with representation.’ As he argues in the foreword to one of his many political diaries: “Parliamentary democracy is, in truth, little more than a means for securing a periodical change in the management team, which is then allowed to preside over a system which remains in essence intact.”† If we are concerned with putting an end to this war and terror, then forget tragedy, and forget democracy.
* Terry Eagleton, ‘Commentary,’ New Literary History, 2004, 35: 151-159 † Tony Benn, Out of the Wilderness: Diaries 1963-67 (London: Hutchinson, 1987)
managing your research
Software Series - Part I: MindManager
As postgraduates with busy schedules, it can sometimes be difficult to stay on top of the latest news about research-related technology. Hence, in an effort to help share advice about some of the useful software out there, we now present the first in a series of articles about tools or technologies which can enable you to organise, manage or visualise your research. This first piece is by Tom Roberts who recently gave a talk in one of the PhD colloquiums about a useful mind mapping software called Mind Manager. If like me, you are put off by new software because it means forking out a fortune (and because it also means that you have to re-learn everything all over again), then read on.
and see the skeletal outline of your thesis. It is of great help in determining the logic and relatedness of a central topic with ‘main topics’ and ‘subtopics’. You can use it to write just like Word, or you can A couple of years ago, a friend cut and paste text into it. When in the Management School you’re done a chapter or layout showed me some software that you can use the export facility he said had made the differto send it to a word or PDF or ence between him finishing his any other format in a structhesis and jacking it all in. tured way that orders sections MindManager – no it doesn’t and subsections. involve putting electrodes on the brain – is a tool that allows Why is all this clever? Well, it you to plan whatever it is allows you to sequence your you’re writing or doing. Think thoughts and ideas and visualof it as a clever series of interise their relationship with one connected capsules into which another. It also allows you to you can put virtually everyeasily present your ideas to thing: text, pictures, weblinks, colleagues and supervisors. etc. The visual aspect is very The interface is similar to Ofhelpful as it is just like a virtual fice 2007 but ISS doesn’t stock pinboard – John Law even said it, and their free mind mapas much! You can move main ping tool mindgenius is not topics around the page with very clever, and is what Noteyour mouse, zoom in and out pad is to Word (i.e. it is very
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basic). But enough geekery. I bought it and like Endnote, I couldn’t do without it now – and NO, I’m not getting any commission from sales, and won’t be trying to flog software via your Junk Mail! (Oh by the way the only drawback is that it isn’t yet compatible with Endnote which can be a bit of a pain, but it’s relatively easy to sort out once exported to Word. Cost? Well that rather depends on whether the University or Sociology buy a site license which would be the cheapest and easiest option, but there is no point in them doing that unless other people would find it useful. Otherwise, as a student for academic purposes I bought it for £57.58 from ENTEC (details below) Good news is though that you can download it for a free trial.
During your MindManager trial, we recommend sampling these great Mindjet resources: 1. Improving Project Delivery http://www.mindjet.com/uk/solutions/project_management/?tfe=UKP21_1 2. Integrating with Microsoft Office Programs http://www.mindjet.com/uk/extendms/?tfe=UKP21_1 3. Saving at Least 3 Hours Per Week http://www.mindjet.com/uk/voh/?s=1&tfe=UKP21_1 4. Sampling Mindjet Map Library http://www.mindjet.com/uk/download/map_library/?s=1&tfe=UKP21_1 Who to buy it from: Entec Novare Limited is a specialised supplier to UK Education and Charities providing ICT products and services throughout the UK.
photographs from the field
budapest by night: Together with the Chain bridge and the Buda Castle, the Hungarian Parliament is part of the World Heritage site called 'The banks of the Danube'. According to the UNESCO website, 'the [Hungarian] Parliament is an outstanding example of a great official building on a par with those of London, Vienna, and Athens.'
Have you ever wondered what your fellow researchers get up to when they’re out in the field collecting data? As part of an ongoing series, the Sociologist would like to introduce the first set of ‘photographs from the field’ taken by Endre Danyi, a third year PhD student in the department. Endre’s STS (Science and Technology Studies)-informed research is concerned with the relationship between materiality and politics, and is centred on the site of the Hungarian Parliament. Here are some snapshots from that location.
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photo of travel books with the parliament on the cover (left): When opened in 1902, the Hungarian Parliament was the largest in the world. It immediately became an iconic building—the symbol of both Hungary and Budapest.
politicians in plenary session (above): It was only after the fall of Communism when the Hungarian Parliament could begin to operate as a key institution within a democratic political regime. But how does it work? What kinds of political representations are being done here?
dark roof photo (right): The Parliament has been regarded as the symbolic centre of political power in Hungary, which is rather ironic, given that during its first 100 years of existence there were hardly any periods when it could fulfil its original function as the home of an independent legislature.
my ph.d office
Do you have a story about your office that you’d like to share? Do you love your office? Do you hate it? Send us your thoughts as we’d like to learn more about how postgrad’s create work spaces for themselves. This issues’ office belongs to Sergio Fava I spend many hours in this office I share with Michelle, at home. So, over time I've tried to have most things I need near me, resulting in piles of stuff everywhere. That is the best justification for the mess the photo only hints at. There's a nice chair that allows me to face a blank screen for hours without writing a single word, and a nice large desk for everything to be at hand. I got my stylish, leather-top, solidwood, decades-old desk for free, from Lancaster Uni library. It was upturned in a corner, ready to be thrown away. An e-mail later (well, a0.7n e-mail and a big clean and a new foot later), it looks great, when visible. But books, desk, vintage Formula 1 posters, charts and printouts notwithstanding, there
are two items solely responsible for making the space productive: a naked man keeping me awake, and the music that accompanies him. Yes, I will explain (I better explain): a large coffee mug featuring a naked man (a fittingly glamorous Blackpool souvenir), visible in front of the left laptop. This laptop is my music bank. And that is the second item that keeps me going: music. All the time, all different kinds. Ask me about it sometime; one can never discuss music too much. The picture was taken at night, so it is a bit dark, but it replicates my working atmosphere better than if taken during daylight. The inset is a little detail of my research folders.
FYI: 2008 PG Representative Committee As most of you are aware, the Sociology department held elections for the postgraduate representatives in late October. In case you’re not sure who your reps are yet, here are the list of names: MA Reps Carla Banks and Sue Starling Women’s Studies PhD Rep Clare Hollowell Sociology PhD Reps 1st year: Julien McHardy 2nd year: Allison Hui 3rd + year: Jennifer Tomomitsu-Tomasson Tutor Rep: Julian Muller
october festivities Postgraduate Conkers Competition ‘Conkers’ is a traditional British game involving horse chestnuts (the name ‘conker’ refers to the nut itself). The way it works is that each conker is threaded with string. Two players face each other and take turns trying to break the other person’s conker. This requires solid aim and a good swinging technique using the momentum from the string. As soon as one conker breaks, a winner is declared. In October, the Sociology department held its own postgraduate conkers competition (organised by Elizabeth Shove) in the County South courtyard. Below is the winner of that competition, Allison Hui, who is holding the conker trophy. Congratulations Allie!
Halloween The annual departmental Halloween party was another entertaining success. In case some of you missed it, here are some photographic highlights. The winner of this year’s costume competition was none other than ‘Sarah Palin’ (aka Paula Bialski) who, judging by the pictures, looks amazingly like the real thing! Other prizes went to Jen Southern for her witch costume, a ‘small person’ prize for Cath Gorton’s kids, and a special award for spontaneous creativity went to Lars who constructed a last minute costume using resources in and around the party table.
muses
What is that? A Veg Box Story… Jennifer TomomitsuTomasson
A recent topic of discussion with some of my friends has been the weekly vegetable box which is delivered to our door every Wednesday evening. One Saturday afternoon we discovered the Green Organics* stand in the town market and decided to sign up. Tired of buying what we considered to be over-packaged and poorer-quality produce in the supermarkets, we liked the idea of eating fresh organic food while also supporting local farmers. Since then, the excitement every Wednesday has been the anticipation of not knowing what kinds of interesting vegetables will appear at our front doorstep.
However, being from Canada and never having had a veg box before also means we are exposed to unfamiliar vegetables which rarely make an appearance on a regular store shelf. This has led to some funny stories. One in particular involved mistaking Swiss chard for rhubarb which subsequently went into a (supposed) apple/rhubarb crumble. The only solace I had in recounting this embarrassing moment was to discover that some friends of ours also misrecognized the chard for rhubarb, only they didn’t go so far as to make dessert out of it. As a precaution against this sort of thing happening
guest who? Each issue we will question a mystery postgraduate student in the Sociology department. See if you can guess this issue’s mystery interviewee! Who knows, it might be your office-mate, your best friend or someone you’ve never met before. The answer is on the bottom of the last page. 1. Use three words to describe yourself. Passionate, convivial, overzealous 2. Worst habit? Saying ‘like’ and ‘do you know what I mean’ all the time
I am going off the idea of ‘vacation.’ I don’t like this idea that our lives are shitty most the time, except for two weeks in the sunshine. Besides, if our lives are shitty, vacations aren’t going to help.
3. What’s the most valued thing you own? A wind-up torch.
7. The world needs a lot less…? Of everything, or so the argument goes. Too many people, too many cars, too much waste. I think we need less of this kind of thinking
4. Favorite food? It changes quite a lot. For a long time it was definitely potatoes. Anything made of potatoes. I’m still quite fond of potatoes, but I don’t know if they’re my favourite anymore. Not sure what is though. It used to be potatoes in any case. 5. Something you’re good at? Upside-down handstands. 6. An ideal vacation for you is…?
8. Recount a memorable childhood moment: Being urinated on by a dog. 9. Describe a moment in history you’d like to have been there for That’s a terrible choice. Imagine, all that brought us here.
for a second time, a friend of mine who has more experience with veg boxes than I do, jokingly suggested we photograph and email them any unidentifiable items so that we can learn how to prepare, cook and eat the vegetable as it was intended to be. I just might take her up on that offer!
*Green Organics is a local supplier of organic fruits and vegetables and can be found in the town market every Saturday. Alternatively, call 01524 823788 to get a box delivered to your door.
Theorists in short Taken from the website: “Alternative ways to understanding sociological ideas… but go and read your theory anyway!” http://www.princeton.edu/~soccomp/ fun/
Louis Althusser It's not in your mind. Jean Baudrillard Real=fake; life=Disneyland British Cultural Studies It’s not so bad to spend time in front of the telly.
muses Reflections on Copenhagen By Basak Tanulku which outnumbered people. The hotel was located close to the University of Copenhagen and the city centre. It was a building from the 19th century and very busy. At the hotel room, I did not see a Bible in the drawer, like the hotels in Britain.
I was quite excited when I found out that I would participate in a conference in Copenhagen at the end of October, because of the chance to see a city that I have never been to. When I got on the train from the airport to Copenhagen city centre, the first image I had of Copenhagen was dark concrete and abandoned stations. Being a person used to the deep green of England, I was surprised to see this. The second image of Denmark consisted of several images of women, published in a tourist guide that I took at the airport. Considered as commodities and sights marketed for tourists, photographs of naked women and enticing texts were advertised in this guide, which were obviously meant for male consumption. Ironically, Denmark is considered to be one of the best countries in terms of equality between sexes. As was told by one of the participants in the conference, in the Parliament, single women, gay men and old single men have made up the majority of the members. But, ‘for whom’, I asked myself. However, when I went outside the Norreport station, this dark image of Copenhagen changed. The station was so lively that it easily made me forget about abandoned stations. Another interesting thing was the bicycles
After a short time at the hotel, I took a map and threw myself into the streets, which were incredibly clean and full of nice looking people. Copenhagen city centre is really nice, in terms of the buildings, cafes, restaurants, art galleries, boutiques and bars. Some of the streets were pedestrianised, but this does not mean that you could easily get rid of traffic! I had difficulty adapting to the bicycles coming from all directions. I think there is a bicycle-led terrorism in Copenhagen where people drive very fast as if everyone knows that Copenhagen is a city for bicyclers! The city centre seemed very “white” for me, in that there were not so many people from other cultures. However, I have become used to the cosmopolitan atmosphere of Lancaster, which is a small university town with a mixture of people, cultures and cuisines. The streets were also clean in the sense that they were sterilised from animals, and even birds. On the second day of my trip, I had the opportunity to start my tour in the morning. I preferred walking, because it allowed me to see more than if I took a bus. By doing this, I could also enter into old buildings or courtyards. I started to walk towards “Kastellet” (the Castle) which was surrounded by a nice park and an artificial lake, which consisted of old military buildings. On top of a hill, there was a fairy-tale like windmill. I also had the chance to see
various birds, including ducks, swans, seagulls and magpies. Like everyone who comes to Copenhagen, I wanted to see the “Little Mermaid” who was a small, beautiful but sad looking statue, who appears to be waiting for someone or something. She should be glad that at least in the day time, she is not alone. Then I passed through Nyhavn, “New Harbour”, which was totally renovated and transformed into bars and restaurants looking at a small and narrow harbour with old ships for tourists.
When I arrived at the city centre, I decided to sit somewhere to have lunch. I saw “Royal Copenhagen” an old building where Danish porcelain was sold. Next to it, there was a café-restaurant where I decided to eat. This café reminded me of similar places in Istanbul where “White Turks” socialise by sitting around big tables. These places which familiarise people with each other have become a trend in Istanbul life. And now another version of these places was right in front of my eyes. It was very crowded and I sat outside. I had my sandwich with a view of an old backyard with clothes hanging to dry and a worker who was fixing a machine. Again like the city centre, there were no foreigners in this café. Everyone was so close and white but distant. ΩΩ
After my adventures around Copenhagen, I returned to the hotel to prepare for the conference.
…Copenhagen Continued
I then walked towards the Vesterbro area by passing the National Gallery, Danish Design Centre and Tivoli Gardens. Tivoli Gardens was closed until December but this did not prevent me from imagining this green and kitsch place which combined park and entertainment for “families”. Next to it, there was Glyptotek in which arts of different cultures such as Near Eastern, Egyptian, Greek as well as European were being exhibited. However, when I turned the corner onto Vesterbrogade Street, my positive view of Copenhagen changed into a darker one. I had thought that the Vesterbro area was a totally gentrified neighbourhood with art galleries, cafés and shops. However, instead it was the area in which minoritieswere living and running small businesses. Poverty, although not as excessive and conspicuous as in Istanbul, was present among these people. This area is also well-known for being one of the first Red light Districts in Europe where only a few shops re main with the the female body marketed for male consumers. Vesterbro
is also an area in which red meat is processed and distributed to the greater Copenhagen area. In this re spect, there is no difference between a female and an animal body. Both have become guarantees of our physical and sexual satisfaction. I stood in front of a slaughterhouse. That building where animals like us have been killed by being tortured, dismembered and processed, would later be transformed into a café or an art gallery or even a hotel in which we could celebrate our “good lives in a slaughterhouse”. “Cows with guns”, I thought myself.* Being besieged by sadness, I walked toward Christiania, the Free Town. However, while I was expecting tranquillity in Christiania, I saw police cars and armies similar to what took place in Turkey during the demonstrations of Workers Days in 1 May when workers were tortured by the State’s Police. I was shocked to see a similar scene in the midst of the EU and asked a person if there was another entrance, which there was. After I en-
tered Christiania, I saw only a few people. One of them was reading a book, but the rest, being mostly young, were hanging around in streets and taking drugs. There was a square in which people were selling crafts. There was also a group of tourists like me. I felt very sad, as if I were an intruder into a movie scene and was watching strange bohemian peopleagainst their will. Christiania also reminded me of the various aspirations we’d like to experience but only have the chance to see. When I talked to several students from Denmark during the conference dinner, they stated that there has been dispute over Christiania, such that the government would like to vacate the area for tourists by removing the locals. The same in Istanbul, I thought. When Sulukule would be cleaned from Romani people, it would be transformed into a place for consumption. Just like those art lovers thinking of their intellectual capabilities and creative lives in a slaughterhouse in Vesterbro, also these people would think of their good lives in Sulukule, removed from the dangers it once had. π * See http://www.cowswithguns.com/cowmovie.html)
photo credits: 1. http://www.destination360.com/europe/denmar k/kastellet-the-citadel.php accessed on 26.11.2008. 2. Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyhavn accessed on 26.11.2008. 3. http://www.royalcopenhagen.com/Press-room/ News-archive/2007/The-Royal-Cafe.aspx accessed on 26.11.2008.
Editorial
contributors to the sociologist
Allison Hui Allison is a second-year PhD student in Sociology who has managed to immerse herself in Lancaster life thoroughly in the last year. Though she still prefers the extremes of Canadian prairie weather to Lancaster’s nearly constant rain, her mobility to this place has fed her current research that examines the interaction between mobilities and practices in the case of enthusiasts and enthusiasms.
David Mansley David is a second-year PhD student in Sociology and Criminology. His research topic is protest policing.
Natalie Gill Natalie is a second year PhD student in sociology/science studies who spends her time following bin men and rubbish trails.
James Tomasson James is in the final year of a PhD focusing on the materiality and practices of Aga cookers and reclaimed timber flooring. When he’s not busy contributing to ‘The Sociologist’ and working on his research, he enjoys hiking in the Lake District, cooking vegetarian meals and watching ‘Grand Designs’.
Jennifer TomomitsuTomasson Jennifer is a 3rd year PhD student researching scientific imaging practices at the nano scale. As a reprieve from writing and field work, she enjoys learning the guitar or escaping to the world of HBO television.
Writers
Basak Tanulku Basak is a PhD student and is currently writing up her thesis. Her research is on gated communities in Istanbul and she is interested in urban studies, and social and spatial segregation. In her spare time, Basak enjoys traveling, walking and spending time in the countryside.
Gail Crowther Gail is a third year PhD student studying reader responses to the work of Sylvia Plath. When she’s not doing this, she’s reading Sylvia Plath and sometimes other people as well.
Joe Rigby Joe is a secondyear PhD student in Sociology. His research focuses on contemporary capitalism, border control and states of emergency.
Sergio Fava Sergio is writing a thesis on artistic and scientific representations of climate change as apocalypse. He has lived in the UK for the 4 years of his postgraduate life, but feels at home at a little known beach in southwest Portugal.
Endre Danyi Endre is a third year PhD student in sociology/science studies. Between two episodes of 'The Wire' he tries to make sense of various spaces and material practices of politics.
Tom Roberts Tom is a PhD candidate in the Centre for the Study of Environmental Change (CSEC) looking at the role of narrative and storytelling in imagining, engaging and enrolling publics in energy futures. Tom is also Environmental Coordinator at Lancaster University and has helped recruit an environment team, run environmental campaigns, achieved fairtrade status for the University and drafted an ethical investment policy.
soci-classified ads yoga with paula
Preliminary Colloquium Schedules:
Have a sore back? Join Paula for 60 minutes of hatha yoga in which we work on a series of poses (known as asanas) which help calm and strengthen both the mind and body. Designed for every level of ability, age, and physical condition, this weekly course will help you focus on gaining physical and mental strength.
1st year PhD (Topics and times to be confirmed.) 27th Jan 10th Feb 24th Feb 10th March 17th March
Tuesdays 2pm–3pm, Bowland North SR 20
2nd + PhD’s 13 January, 2pm - supervision in the later stages of a PhD 10th February, 2pm - the uses of images, pictures, figures and diagrams – as tools for thinking with, and as methods of presentation
*Paula is currently a PhD student in Sociology and has experience with Iyengar Hatha Yoga. For the past year she has taught yoga in Abbystead and Dolphinholme (near Lancaster). She aims for a comfortable, inclusive environment. Beginners are welcome - Paula will adjust the strength of practice according to each individual. Cost: £2 drop-in
Gender/Women’s Studies PhD Workshops
Please call Paula at 07964835673 or x94508 or simply drop in! Bring either a blanket, yoga mat, or large towel and please wear loose-fitting clothes.
21 January (week 2, Spring term) - County Main SR1 11 February (week 5) - room tbc 11 March (week 9) - room tbc 6 May (week 3, Summer term) - room tbc
floorball
Wednesdays, 2:30-4:30/5:00 Dates for future sessions are:
Try out floorball by joining the weekly game – Tuesdays from 12–1pm in the Minor Hall colleagues from Sociology, Geography, and other departments come together for a fun game. All you need is running shoes and a sense of adventure (i.e. no skill required).
sociology christmas party The Departmental Christmas Bash will take place on Wednesday 10 December 2008 at 6.30pm in the Sociology Department (exact location to be decided - but likely to be one of the kitchen areas). Food will be provided as follows at £12.00 per head: Menu Oven Baked Fillet of Salmon with a Watercress & Crème Fraiche Sauce Courgette, Sweetcorn & Red Onion Quiche (v) Vegetable Kebabs Marinated in a Tarragon & Garlic Olive Oil served with a Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce (v) Vegetable Samosa with Minted Yoghurt (v) Home-made Onion Bhaji (v) Noodle, Pepper, Mushroom & Toasted Sesame Salad (v) New Potato & Red Onion Salad (v) Rice Salad Mixed Leaf Salad (v) Olives & Assorted Breads (v) All vegetarian foods are labelled and plated separately. **** PLEASE BRING A BOTTLE **** Please confirm with Ruth if you wish to attend r.love@lancaster.ac.uk no later than Friday 5 December by which time payment should also be passed to Ruth (cash only please).
calendar *Please note: this schedule is still preliminary as speakers, paper titles and dates may change in the upcoming weeks
Departmental Seminars
date
speaker
title
VENUE
2 Dec 2008
Harry Ferguson
Professional lives on the move
9 December
Noortje Marres
The cost of involvement: on Bowland North Seminar Room 2 CO2 as a doubtful currency 16.15-18.00 of public engagement
03 February
Mick Dillon
Biopolitics of Security in the Bowland North Seminar Room 2 21st Century and the Political 16.15-18.00 Analytics of Finitude
17 February
Steve Hinchcliffe
03/03/
Bowland North Seminar Room 25 16:15 – 18:00
Title TBA
Bowland North Seminar Room 2 16.15-18.00
Carol Smart
Family Secrets
Bowland North Seminar Room 2 16.15-18.00
10 March
Eric Laurier
Shortcuts: commuting knowledge
Bowland North Seminar Room 2
17 March
Nik Brown
Title TBA
Bowland North Seminar Room 2 16.15-18.00
26/05/
Anthony D'Andrea
4th December, 2008,
Maggie O’Neil,
21 January 2009
Anne Parsons
11th February 2009
Elisavet Pakis
11th March
Clare Hollowell
24 April 2009
TBC
date
title
Cultural Hypermobility and Room TBA Nomadic Identities: towards 16.15-18.00pm a theory of Neo-Nomadism
CGWS Seminars
Upcoming Workshops
8 - 9 January 2009 Hope: A Workshop on Feminist Theory
“Trans-national refugees and Bowland North Seminar Room 20, human rights: ethno-mimesis 16:30 – 18:00 as performative praxis”: Emotional Labour Series, Lunchtime Seminar Series Bowland North, SR14, 1.00 - 2.00pm Title: TBC Lunchtime Seminar Series 1:00-2:00 Title: TBA Venue TBC Lunchtime Seminar Series 1:00 – 2:00 "More fun than you can Venue TBC shake a stick at (stick not provided): Methodological challenges in researching young women's experiences of fun". CeMoRe / CGWS Sailing Proud Seminar venue Time and venue to be confirmed
Venue TBC 4.15pm - 6.00pm info Contact d.ferreday@lancaster.ac.uk if you would like to attend
we want to hear from you! Call for submissions: Next deadline: February 27, 2009 Want to write a review about a book, article or conference? Have a story to tell about doing field work? Or is there a bit of advice you’d like to offer other postgraduates in the department? Please send us your articles, reviews, stories and rants (or suggestions of what else you would like to see in the newsletter) to thesociologist@live.com. We also welcome research-related photographs/artwork so please send them along!
Established 2008 Unless otherwise stated, the opinions expressed in The Sociologist are solely the author's and not the editors or the Lancaster Sociology Department. Cover photograph by Jennifer Tomomitsu-Tomasson
Were you able to guess this mystery guest? A: Joe Rigby
To find this newsletter online and download it, visit: http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fass/sociology/current/phd/index.htm