Department of Sociology

The blog of the Department of Sociology at the University of Surrey

The meaning of Jeremy Corbyn

By Charlie Masquelier Following Nicolas Sarkozy’s presidential victory, Alain Badiou published a set of reflections aimed at revealing the true meaning of this event (or, as he put it, ‘non-event’) for French society and French politics. This was followed by the publication of a book with a similar intent and written by Richard Seymour, who […]


Social and Spatial Disparities in Emotional Responses to Education

By Rachel Brooks Introduction Historically, educational institutions have had an uneasy relationship with emotions. Following the Enlightenment tradition, schools and universities have often been concerned only with educating the mind, while side-lining the body[1]. Their focus has thus, traditionally, been on reason, rather than emotion. Boler argues that this privileging of the rational over the […]


“He’d be naughty…he’s maybe stupid….Or just bored of education”: Mario Balotelli, celebrity culture, aspirations and young masculinities

By Laura Harvey When I went to my work experience, one of them said to me, they go ‘who’s your, who’s your role model?’ I said ‘Tu Pac’, she goes ‘Right’. And I explain everything to her, she just couldn’t, she said ‘I think he shouldn’t be your role model, you should have another role […]


Social Class

By Graham Scambler I reached the conclusion 20-30 years ago that it is premature to abandon classical Marxian notions of class and class struggle. While it would be ludicrous to claim that Marx hit the 21st century nail right on the head – he was writing 150 years ago – it is to me apparent […]


Modelling the Mafia

By Nigel Gilbert and the GLODERS team “Cape Town: Long Street business owners – who lifted the lid on an apparent security racket – fear for their lives and those of their doormen and patrons if they refuse to pay R1 500 in “protection services” each month … “I was once approached by a company […]


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