Events 2013-14
30 Sep 2013: Venezuela after Chavez: reflections on an uncertain future
A Politics event
Time: 16:00
Venue: Room 718, Adam Smith Building
Presenter: Dr Inaki Sagarzazu, University of Glasgow
Jointly organised with Latin American Research Network
The Politics Seminar Series is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
7 Oct 2013: Reluctant donors? The International development policies of Central and Eastern European states
A CEES event
Time: 13:00
Venue: Adam Smith Building, room 916
Presenter: Dr Simon Lightfoot (University of Leeds)
All welcome
The CEES West Coast Seminar Series is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
9 Oct 2013: National capitalisms versus international capitalisms: recent changes in economics and politics in Central Europe
A CEES event
Time: 17:30
Venue: Adam Smith Building, room 916
Presenter: Prof Roderick Martin (formally of the Business School here at Glasgow, and now based at Central European University, Hungary)
Time: 5.30pm (tea and coffee from 5pm), Room 916, Adam Smith Building
Abstract:
"In 'Constructing Capitalisms' (OUP, 2013) I examined the changing structures of capitalism in Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania. A rhetoric of shareholder value coexisted with fragemented business systems. The presentation will take the discussion further by examining the relation between national and international capitalisms, before and after the financial crisis, primarily in Hungary and Poland: are peripheries powerless?"
All welcome
The CEES West Coast Seminar Series is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
14 Oct 2013: The program-to-policy linkage: a comparative study of election pledges and government policies in ten countries
A Politics event
Time: 16:00
Venue: Room 718, Adam Smith Building
Presenter: Professor Robert Thomson, University of Strathclyde
(in collaboration with Terry Royed, Elin Naurin, Joaqu¡n Art‚s, Rory Costello, Mark Ferguson, Petia Kostadinova, and Catherine Moury)
The Politics Seminar Series is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
15 Oct 2013: The Frankfurt School on Israel
An Urban Studies event
Time: 17:15
Venue: Room 407, Boyd Orr Building
Presenter: Professor Jack Jacobs (City University of New York)
Jointly hosted with CSSTM
"I will explore the range of views which existed within the founding generation of the Frankfurt School on matters pertaining to Israel and Zionism, with particular attention to the ideas of Marcuse, Fromm, Horkheimer, and Lowenthal, and will attempt to explain the subtle differences which existed among these thinkers on this issue by examining the differences in their family backgrounds and their knowledge of Judaism. I argue that there is an inverse relation among members of the School between knowledge of Jewish religious ideas and criticism of the State of Israel. The deeper the thinker’s familiarity with Judaism, the stronger the thinker’s critique of Israel."
All welcome
The Sociology Seminar Series is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
23 Oct 2013: Lithuanians’ National Identity and (Re-)Constructions of Pre-Christian Baltic Religion
A CEES event
Time: 17:30
Venue: CEES Seminar Room, 8 Lilybank Gardens
Presenter: Dr Dalia Senvaityte (Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania)
The aim of this seminar is to explain the relationship between the construction of Lithuanian national identity and specific historical memory. Special attention will be given to the memories of ancient Lithuanian statehood that are commonly allied with ancient pagan religious practices. Attention will be placed on the process of modern Lithuania's national revival in the 19th century, when memories of ancient Lithuanian statehood, as well as those of ancient pagan religion, were again evoked.
Afterwards, the period of Lithuania's Soviet occupation will be discussed. The paper will explain the importance of ancient history, and why specific Lithuanian ethnic culture as well as of the pagan religion were evoked. Later on attention will be paid to the period after Lithuania regained its independency in 1990 and how the Popular Movements related with ancient paganism, lost their ties with Lithuanian national identification, and had to re-establish them anew.
The second part of the paper is intended to present the most popular (re-)constructions of pre-Christian Baltic religion. The sources of these (re-)constructions will be introduced, and the main problems of these reconstructions will be discussed. (Re-) constructions of the upper and lower ancient pantheon will be presented. Images of the ancient gods, their co-relations and functions will also be discussed.
All welcome.
The CEES Seminar Series is supported by the University of Glasgow MacFie Bequest.
23 Oct 2013: Devolving the Carceral State: Race, Reentry and the Micro-politics of Urban Poverty Management
A Sociology event
Time: 16:00
Venue: Room 916 Building, Adam Smith Building
Presenter: Professor Reuben J Miller (University of Michigan)
This paper presents findings from an ethnographic study of prisoner reentry programming in Chicago to better understand the strategies reentry organizations employ to rehabilitate prisoners and the ways in which those strategies articulate with larger social policy processes. Prisoner reentry is a hybrid welfare state-criminal justice institution. As the rehabilitative strategy of choice in the current age, the ascendance and proliferation of reentry services throughout low income communities of color represent the long standing collusion between social welfare and criminal justice actors to manage marginalized populations and a formal reconfiguration of the state, altering its scope, reach and consequence in the lives of the urban poor. I detail the experiences of former prisoners participating in reentry services and discuss the implications of reentry for race relations, punishment, and social welfare policy in the United States.
All welcome.
The Sociology Seminar Series is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
24 Oct 2013: The Failed European Banking Union: Banking Regulation and Supervision in Western Europe, 1965-1983
An ESH event
Time: 11:00
Venue: Seminar Room, Lilybank House
Presenter: Emmanuel Mourlon-Droul (University of Glasgow)
All welcome. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be available.
The Economic & Social History Seminar Programme is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
25 Oct 2013: Big Data and Urban Informatics: Examples, Prospects and Challenges
An Urban Studies event
Time: 15:00
Venue: Room 916 Adam Smith Building
This talk will focus on recent developments on the use of Big Data for urban planning, policy and business innovations. Examples of recent work in this area will be given. The importance of Open Data initiatives and open source tools and technologies will be discussed, as well as emerging informal networks of urban data infomediaries and civic hackers who are likely to play a transformative role in urban informatics. The value that citizens can bring through Information and Communications Technologies in cities of the future will be discussed with examples. Finally, critical challenges in connecting urban informatics to urban innovations will be identified.
30 Oct 2013: Challenges and Opportunities in researching LGBT Families in Ukraine
A CEES event
Time: 17:30
Venue: St. Andrew’s Building, room 157
Presenter: Dr Tamara Martsenyuk (National University Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Ukraine)
In 2011-2012 I worked with a research team on the project ‘LGBT Families in Ukraine: Legislative Regulations and Social Practice’. In this seminar I will share the main results of this research and discuss the challenges that I faced ‘being in the field’ both theoretically and methodologically. I will start by outlining the broader perspective of the state of the LGBT movement in Ukraine and attitudes towards homosexuality on the part of Ukrainian citizens, politicians etc. I will then present the findings of the project, and discuss their potential value for public sociology projects (i.e. I will discuss the possibility of changing the situation with regards to homophobia in Ukraine).
Publications on this topic:
1. Martsenyuk, Tamara (2013). Gender Roles in LGBT Families in Ukraine: Idealization and Reproduction of Heteronormativity, Manifold Angles of Gender: Georgia. Poland. Russia. Ukraine: Conference Materials [Heinrich Boell Foundation, Tbilisi], p. 79-84.
2. Martsenyuk, Tamara (2012). The State of the LGBT Community and Homophobia in Ukraine. Problems of Post Communism, Vol. 59, # 2 (March-April), p. 51-62.
All welcome. Tea and coffee from 5pm.
The CEES Seminar Series is supported by the University of Glasgow MacFie Bequest.
1 Nov 2013: The marginal among the invisible: women in the informal economy
A Politics event
Time: 18:00
Venue: Room 407, Boyd Orr Building
Public lecture.
Building solidarity between continents.
When we think about employment we generally focus on jobs in the formal economy, which makes millions of workers invisible. Many workers are self-employed in small unregistered businesses and also wage-earners in cleaning, catering, commerce and other sectors of the informal economy, where economic activities are not regulated nor protected by the State. Women are overrepresented among workers with non-standard employment arrangements and have indeed joined the informal economy in large numbers. As crisis takes root the dimension of the informal economy is growing across the globe, including in the UK and other European countries. In countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the informal economy can be as high as 90% of the total workforce.
In early November women leaders from the Nicaraguan Movement of Working and Unemployed Women Maria Elena Cuadra (MEC) and from the Malawian Union for the Informal Sector (MUFIS) will be at the University of Glasgow to share their experience of organising women domestic workers, street vendors and home-based workers and to tell us why supporting them should be a priority for those concerned about development, labour rights and gender and economic justice.
Speakers:
PATRICIA ESTRADA lives in Chichigalpa, a town close to Managua (capital of Nicaragua), which houses the Headquarters of the Movement of Working and Unemployed Women Maria Elena Cuadra (MEC) .
She joined MEC as an outreach and advocacy worker in 1998, when she was 14 years old. Patricia has now extensive experience as an advocate for the rights of women working informal sector and has expanded MEC's networks and membership with hundreds of street vendors, market traders, domestic workers, entrepreneurs and rural workers.
She delivers trainings for women on issues of gender, economic literacy gender budgeting, human and labour rights and sexual and reproductive rights, and supports member as a paralegal in the defence and promotion of their rights.
MEC was established in 1994 and today has a membership of more than 70,000 women in seven Departments of Nicaragua, including maquila factories workers, small entrepreneurs, rural women, women working in the informal economy and unemployed women. MEC works to improve the quality of life of working and unemployed women in the poorest sectors of Nicaragua and fights for women's equality and in defence of their rights as women, workers and mothers.
FAITH SHABA works as a street vendor from Blantyre, Malawi. She makes a living selling clothes, for which she travels across various t Malawian provinces. Faith joined the Malawian Union of Informal Workers (MUFIS) in 2011, where she is active in the women's committee as well as in the organization's own micro-credit initiative.
A passionate advocate of women's rights, Faith denounces how women working as street vendors in Southern Africa are unaware of their rights and are harassed and abused by council officials, police and other vendors alike.
"Street vending is biased towards men. Lending institutions for instance favour men, who get loans and equipment much more easily, whereas women are asked for extensive evidence of their ability to repay." With MUFIS Faith works to raise awareness of these issues among other male and female unionists and to build a culture of respect for women's rights among street vendors.
MUFIS was established in 2001 to represent the growing numbers of informal economy workers, which now stands at 88% of the active population. Working together with existing street vendor and market trader organisations, it aims to provide a national platform for informal economy workers to raise their concerns to government authorities. MUFIS also trains members in leadership and business ventures and fights for the right to the city.
2 Nov 2013: Making change happen: How we campaign!
A Politics event
Time: 10:00
Venue: Sir Charles Wilson Building, Basement Seminar Room
Free advocacy and campaigning course presented by the Central American Women's Network.
University of Glasgow in association with The Active Learning Centre.
4 Nov 2013: Ethics and Integrity in British Politics: How Citizens Judge their Politicians’ Conduct and Why it Matters
A Politics event
Time: 16:00
Venue: Room 718, Adam Smith Building
Presenter: Professor Sarah Birch, University of Glasgow
The Politics Seminar Series is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
6 Nov 2013: Hungarian Wine, Slavic Brandy? Alcohol in Reform-Era Hungary
A CEES event
Time: 17:30
Venue: Room 157, St Andrew's Building
Presenter: Dr Alexander Maxwell (Victoria University of Wellington)
Alcohol acquired important nationalist symbolism during the Hungarian Reform Era (1825-1848). Its symbolism derived partly from national self-glorification, but partly from the economic interests of Hungarian wine producers: patriots devoted great efforts to promoting the Hungarian wine industry. Yet while the production of brandy also grew during the Reform Era, Hungarian elites associated the characteristically Slavic tipple with drunkenness and disorder. Alcohol's cultural symbolism thus reflected Hungary's ethnic diversity: different alcoholic beverages associated with different ethnic groups inspired different attitudes from Hungarian elites.
All welcome. Tea and coffee from 5pm.
The CEES West Coast Seminar Series is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
13 Nov 2013: Reluctant donors? The International development policies of Central and Eastern European states
A CEES event
Time: 17:30
Venue: Room 157, St Andrew's Building
Presenter: Dr Simon Lightfoot (University of Leeds)
This paper examines the international development policies of the central and eastern European states that joined the EU in 2004 onwards. The paper outlines the motivations and commitments that prompted these states to create international development policies, the domestic politics of aid and the links between aid and foreign policy. In particular, it examines CEE development engagement with post-Soviet states/Central Asia in light of the development-security nexus and foreign policy influence in the region. It also reviews the impact of the financial crisis on aid spending. The paper argues that for the most part we can see these states as 'reluctant donors', although recent events, such as the Czech Republic becoming a DAC member, highlight that some CEE states might be taking a different trajectory.
All welcome. Tea and coffee from 5pm
The CEES West Coast Seminar Series is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
18 Nov 2013: Mackenzie lecture: Virtues and Vices of Political Leadership in Liberal Democracies
A Politics event
Time: 17:00
Venue: Room 718, Adam Smith Building
Presenter: Professor Donald Searing, University of North Carolina
The Politics Seminar Series is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
20 Nov 2013: Digital Imagery and Child Embodiment in Paediatric Genetics: Sources and Relationships of Meaning
A Sociology event
Time: 16:00
Venue: Room 916, Adam Smith Building
Presenter: Professor Janice McLaughlin (University of Newcastle)
Paediatric genetics involves multiple visually based diagnostic processes. While examining the external features of a child plays an important role, of increasing importance are biochemical analyses of blood, which produce digital diagrams that display variations in the shape and composition of chromosomes. The level of magnification and detail that can now be captured is allowing new patterns of variation to be 'seen' and possible diagnosis to be made, which were not possible before. However, this generates questions about whether these forms of genetic diagnosis and digital visualisation are increasing the scope of medicine to define the body as ill - regardless of whether symptoms are present. This article, drawing from research in a paediatric genetic service, cautions against giving too much power to digital imagery. It does so by arguing that the imagery is only one source of visualisation relevant to how the child's body is read and understood.
All welcome.
The Sociology Seminar Series is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
21 Nov 2013: 'Improvement': British colonial settlement and the environment
An ESH event
Time: 11:00
Venue: Seminar Room, Lilybank House
Presenter: Andrew Wear (Emeritus, University College London)
All welcome. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be available.
The Economic & Social History Seminar Programme is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
22 Nov 2013: Paying the Price? Homes and housing wealth
An Urban Studies event
Time: 15:00
Venue: Room 916 Adam Smith Building
Presenter: Dr Beverley Searle, University of Dundee
Homes are important. They are central to our lives providing shelter and emotional security. They are also the major element of household expenditure. More recently owned homes are increasingly perceived as a major investment vehicle; providing a financial resource across the life course. In particular, housing wealth is seen as a major component of asset-based welfare in later life. However home ownership is risky. The recent economic crisis - in which housing played a major role - has drawn attention (not for the first time) to the sustainability of home ownership. Home buyers are exposed to the vagaries of the housing financial markets and government policy and regulations. Furthermore, social implications arise from the unequal concentration of wealth resources in housing and its new role in financial and sustainable welfare policy. Who will pay the price for positioning home ownership as the nation’ welfare resource?
The Urban Studies Seminar Series, sponsored by the McFie Bequest, is open to all students and staff of the University as well as people from outside the University. Should you have particular accessibility requirements, please make contact with the organisers in advance and we will do our best to assist. For further information and final confirmation of any Seminar, please contact Mark Livingston or Julie Clark on (0141) 330 6162/330 4516.
27 Nov 2013: The challenge of stateness: citizenship in post-Soviet democratisation in the cases of Estonia and Ukraine
A CEES event
Time: 17:30
Venue: CEES Seminar Room, 8 Lilybank Gardens
Presenter: Olena Podolian (PhD Student, S”dert”rn University, Sweden)
The idea for this paper is generated by observation of an apparent inconsistency within trajectories of development of stateness within post-Soviet states, most of them running against earlier predictions. These states remain integral, stable, and, in most cases formally, democratic, as exemplified by contrasting cases of Estonia and Ukraine. It is argued that whilst a set of contingent factors, such as countries’ inherited Soviet and quasi-state institutional design at the outset of regime change and post-Soviet political dynamics, are explanatory for state-building, impact of external link on the interaction of internal factors in constructing citizenship model must be analysed. The empirical evidence embraces legislation on citizenship, national minorities and language.
All welcome. Tea and coffee from 5pm.
The CEES West Coast Seminar Series is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
2 Dec 2013: The Politics of Extreme Austerity in Greece and the Drivers of Anti-Austerity Protest
A Politics event
Time: 16:00
Venue: Room 718, Adam Smith Building
Presenter: Dr Georgios Karyotis, University of Glasgow
The Politics Seminar Series is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
4 Dec 2013: Historical cities of Russia: local identities and citizen involvement in the preservation of historical heritage
A CEES event
Time: 17:30
Venue: CEES Seminar Room, 8 Lilybank Gardens
Presenter: Dr Alexander Soldatkin (Lobachevsky State University of Nizhni Novgorod, Russia)
In recent years, the theme of regional and local (especially urban) identities has become somewhat of an intellectual fashion in Russia. Not only it is quite widely discussed, but numerous practical actions are also undertaken in different places to introduce and promote local identity brands. At the same time, many Russian cities have a long history and significant historical heritage that influences the identities of their population, and can form the basis for perspective identity building.
The seminar is based on the results of a research project completed in 2011 in 7 historical cities of Russia (Great Novgorod, Pskov, Tver, Kaluga, Kazan, Nizhni Novgorod, Irkutsk). The presentation will cover the following topics: perception of the cities' historical heritage by their population; types of popular attitudes towards local history; ways of involvement of the population in preservation and utilization of historical heritage.
All welcome. Tea and coffee from 5pm.
The CEES West Coast Seminar Series is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
5 Dec 2013: ESH Postgraduate Students present their research
An ESH event
Time: 11:00
Venue: Seminar Room, Lilybank House
Meagan Butler (University of Glasgow): "Husbands without wives, wives without husbands": Divorce and Separation in Scotland, c.1830-1880
Zoi Pittaki (University of Glasgow): History of Post-Second World War Greek entrepreneurship and a comparison with UK experience - Some findings for the Greek case
All welcome. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be available.
The Economic & Social History Seminar Programme is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
6 Dec 2013: Urban Reflections: Disciplinary and Methodological Challenges of Using Film to Tell the Story of Planning
An Urban Studies event
Time: 15:00
Venue: Room 916 Adam Smith Building
Presenter: Mark Tewdwr-Jones, Professor of Town Planning, Newcastle University
Planning has always been concerned with technical achievements, set within politicized and contentious contexts, while attempting to mediate between conflicting interests and constituencies. But to what extent is it possible for planning to reach out and embrace place sensitivity and communicate the need for or resistance to urban change on the terms of place users, rather than on the terms of planning professionals? As planning moves to become more sensitive to community’ desires, understanding place and place distinctiveness requires planners to learn new concepts and new methods. It is my contention that planning and place, and people’ perceptions of planning and of places, are indecorously bound together, and utilising images, stories and film from cultural sources is a highly effective way to reflect not only different perceptions of place and urban change, but also on the role and status of urban planning itself. With examples drawn from UK planning and British film history, the presentation considers how perceptions toward planning have been reflected in film through the decades, and that these serve as a useful frame for professionals and researchers to appreciate communities’ emotional attitudes toward place and change.
The Urban Studies Seminar Series, sponsored by the McFie Bequest, is open to all students and staff of the University as well as people from outside the University. Should you have particular accessibility requirements, please make contact with the organisers in advance and we will do our best to assist. For further information and final confirmation of any Seminar, please contact Mark Livingston or Julie Clark on (0141) 330 6162/330 4516.
10 Dec 2013: White Flight and Residential Sorting: Can Residential Mobility Explain Environmental Injustice?
An Urban Studies event
Time: 16:30
Venue: YUDOWITZ Lecture Theatre, Ground Floor of the WOLFSON MEDICAL SCHOOL BUILDING (Room:253), University of Glasgow
‘Using A Structural Model of Neighbourhood Dynamics to Simulate the Impact of Environmental Disamenities on Location Decisions’
Abstract: Effective environmental justice policy requires an understanding of the economic and social forces that determine the correlation between race, income, and pollution exposure. We show how the traditional approach used in many environmental justice analyses cannot identify nuisance-driven residential mobility. We develop an alternative strategy that overcomes this problem and implement it using data on air toxics from Los Angeles County. Differences in estimated willingness-to-pay for cleaner air across race groups support the residential mobility explanation. Our results suggest that household mobility responses eventually work against policies designed to address inequitable siting decisions for facilities with environmental health risks.
Chris Timmins is a leading international expert in urban and environmental economics and has published in leading international journals such as the American Economic Review and Econometrica. His research has focussed on developing cutting-edge empirical methods for the valuation of local public goods and amenities, with a particular focus on hedonic techniques and models of residential sorting. His recent research has helped advance the methods used to measure the costs associated with exposure to poor air quality, the benefits associated with remediating brownfields and toxic waste under the Superfund program, the costs of exposure to shale gas development, and the valuation of non-marginal changes in disamenities, such as the large reductions in violent crime that occurred in many US cities during the 1990’.
15 Jan 2014: Religion - State Relations in Azerbaijan: separation v cooperation in public education
A CEES event
Time: 17:30
Venue: Room 915, Adam Smith Building
Presenter: Dr Rashad Ibadov (Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy)
This research seminar is aimed at discussing theoretical and practical aspects of the relationship of religion and the state in the Republic of Azerbaijan. It will provide, first, an introduction on the historical and modern periods of the secularization in Azerbaijan, which led to building of a secular government and the society based on the Islamic culture, second, explore the constitutional fundamentals of the religion - state relations, describing a model for Azerbaijan and third, construe the place of religion in [public] education, emphasizing on the challenges and problems that arise out of religious claims.
All welcome.
The CEES West Coast Seminar Series is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
15 Jan 2014: SCCJR Working Lunch: Sharing ideas and work in progress
A Sociology event
Time: 12:30
Venue: ASRF Meeting Room, 66 Oakfield Ave
This is an opportunity for those at Ivy Lodge to share information on their current projects and research/teaching ideas for the future.
If you would like to present some work(-in-progress), would like to hear what others are working on, or are looking for a forum to host/sponsor discussion of ideas, the SCCJR Working Lunch series can help. Please get in touch with Marguerite (marguerite.schinkel@glasgow.ac.uk) to book a session.
20 Jan 2014: EU employment policy in transition: towards more hierarchical forms of governance
A Politics event
Time: 16:00
Venue: Room 916, Adam Smith Building
Presenter: Dr Myrto Tsakatika, University of Glasgow
The Politics Seminar Series is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
22 Jan 2014: Russia’s Wounded during the First World War: Medicine and Politics
A CEES event
Time: 17:30
Venue: Room 915, Adam Smith Building
Presenter: Professor Peter Waldron (University of East Anglia)
The onset of war in 1914 created a social crisis for the Russian state and Russian society as hundreds of thousands of wounded men required immediate care during the autumn of 1914 and the spring of 1915. The paper discusses how both the state and public organisations responded to this crisis and suggests that the issue of the wounded was central in changing the political mood in wartime Russia.
All welcome.
The CEES West Coast Seminar Series is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
22 Jan 2014: Double Estrangement, Embodying a Reflexive Habitus: The Experience of Minority Group Boys in Three Inner-City Primary Schools in Dublin
A Sociology event
Time: 16:00
Venue: Room 916, Adam Smith Building
Presenter: Dr. Lindsey Garrett (Manchester and CoDE)
This paper introduces the concept of 'double estrangement' which is based within a somatic Bourdieusian framework and draws from DuBois 'double consciousness' and the work of Abdelmalek Sayad. Drawing on a large qualitative dataset I will argue that migrant group boys in Dublin's inner city tend to experience their bodies with unease, as somewhat problematic 'shameful bodies', through which they suffer from a break with their embodied selves and a disruption of their internal time as they are pushed between habitual and reflexive action. The dual elements of 'double estrangement' will be outlined, firstly, it will be contended that visible difference and dispositions of the body mark migrant boys out as not belonging and this provokes a tendency for them to feel constantly on display and judged through their bodies. Secondly, I will argue this has the effect of heightening a boy’s self-consciousness of their body as an object of value within peer interactions and this reflection estranges them from their habitual embodied being. This paper will conclude by illustrating how double estrangement acts as a form of symbolic violence within the ‘child world’ of the school, through the development of a ‘reflective habitus’ or habitual disposition to reflect on one’s body which estranges migrant origin boys from the embodied orthodoxy of the child world which in turn justifies inequalities between boys and disguises racism within encounters.
All welcome.
The Sociology Seminar Series is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
23 Jan 2014: The Family, Sexuality, and Human Rights in Global Perspective
A School-wide event
Time: 17:15
Venue: Sir Charles Wilson Building, Basement Seminar Room, University of Glasgow
The Gender and Sexualities Forum, in association with the Glasgow Human Rights Network, is pleased to announce this event.
- Chair: Dr. Vikki Turbine (Politics, University of Glasgow)
- Dr. Kelly Kollman (Politics, University of Glasgow)
- Dr. Roona Simpson (Sociology, University of Glasgow)
- Dr. Matthew Waites (Sociology, University of Glasgow)
The event will conclude with a wine reception.
Corinne Lennox and Matthew Waites (eds.) (2013) Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in the Commonwealth: Struggles for Decriminalisation and Change (School of Advanced Study, University of London)
Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in The Commonwealth: Struggles for Decriminalisation and Change offers the most internationally extensive analysis to date of the global struggle for decriminalisation of same-sex sexual behaviour, with chapters by academics and activists covering 16 states in detail: United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Malawi, Botswana, Uganda, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and The Bahamas. The volume is the first to address the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) and all non-heterosexual people in the Commonwealth of Nations, in a context where 41 Commonwealth states still criminalise same-sex sexual acts between adults, due to the British Empire criminalising same-sex behaviour across the world.
Kelly Kollman (2013) The Same-Sex Unions Revolution in Western Democracies (Manchester University Press)
This book examines same-sex unions (SSU) policy developments in eighteen western democracies and seeks to explain why the overwhelming majority of these countries has implemented a national law to recognise gay and lesbian couples since 1989. The analysis in the book illustrates that this wave of SSU policy adoptions across the established democracies of Western Europe and North America is, to a significant degree, the product of international norm diffusion and socialisation. The first part of the study traces the creation of a norm for relationship recognition by transnational activists and policymakers within the European polity, and describes how this norm has catalysed policy change in many western democracies. The second part examines these processes in greater depth using two comparative case studies (Germany and the Netherlands; the United States and Canada) to identify how the norm influences domestic policy debates as well as which factors determine the power it can exert in different national environments.
Lynn Jamieson and Roona Simpson (2013) Living Alone: Globalization, Identity, Belonging (Palgrave Macmillan)
This book presents a systematic sociological analysis of the growing trend of solo living across the globe. Prevalent first among the elderly, living alone has become common at ages associated with partners and children, leading to anxieties about the end of family and community. This groundbreaking and highly original study brings evidence to core debates about contemporary social change in the context of globalization, exploring individualization and social connection, the future of family formation, consumption and identities, the relevance of place in mobile worlds, belonging and 'community', living arrangements and sustainability.
24 Jan 2014: The Housing Market Renewal programme in Northern England: Lessons from the past and challenges for the future
An Urban Studies event
Time: 16:30
Venue: tbc
Speaker: Brendan Nevin (Director, North Housing Consulting)
This event is being jointly held with Policy Scotland.
During the thirty years 1970-2000 many inner urban areas in older ex industrial towns and cities in the North and Midlands of England experienced significant population loss which was driven by employment change and decentralisation encouraged by planning policies which supported suburbanisation. These processes increasingly segregated the poorest communities from an increasingly affluent society, and by the turn of the century this was being reflected in the collapse of some neighbourhoods which had been (expensively) refurbished following the closure of the clearance programmes in the 1970s as collapses in housing demand spread beyond social housing estates to multi tenure Victorian neighbourhoods.
The response to this urban disintegration was the development of a Market Renewal programme focused upon nine areas of England with a combined population of one million residents. The boundaries of the areas were deliberately constructed to take in large fragments of urban areas and housing markets to ensure the coordination of programmes designed to regenerate housing and labour markets and to ensure that the Planning system could operate in a more equitable manner in respect of new residential development. To support this a Housing Market Renewal Fund was created to facilitate clearance, refurbishment and new build. The programme was operational between 2002 and 2011 when it was prematurely terminated by the Coalition Government. During this time around œ7bn of public and private housing investment refurbished around 120,000 properties, and demolished 35,000. A similar number were constructed using land, public subsidy and planning powers.
The Market Renewal programme was a contested renewal programme, being opposed by environmentalists, both left and right of centre journalists, some progressive and ‘radical’ academics and occasionally residents (largely homeowners affected by clearance). However it was only in 2011 (after abolition) that the Conservative Party registered opposition at a national level. Given the long history of the programme it is proposed to divide the presentation into three parts. The first will explore the socio economic and housing market changes which led to the creation of the programme. The second will critically explore the extent to which housing and labour markets were influenced by the programme and the distributional issues which arose from its implementation. The third will detail how Local Authorities have endeavoured to finish renewal schemes and outline the emerging issues for these areas post 2015 when the financial resources of localities will have largely expired.
Biography
Brendan Nevin is a Director of North Housing Consulting, an independent research consultancy, he was formerly a Director of Nevin Leather Associates a Public Policy Consultancy. Brendan has been committed to improving the linkages between academic research and the development of Public Policy for more than two decades. He has been an active researcher since 1989, having held a variety of full-time and visiting positions at British universities during this period. Brendan has developed an extensive body of Policy relevant research, focused on exploring the changing dynamics of place at regional, sub-regional, city and neighbourhood levels. This research has focused on identifying the drivers of spatial change and their relationship with economic, housing, strategic planning and infrastructure development policy. Brendan was instrumental in developing and implementing the Housing Market Renewal Programme from 1998 to 2011.
Urban Studies seminars are sponsored by the Macfie bequest.
27 Jan 2014: Lobbying the EU: density and diversity of activity
A Politics event
Time: 16:00
Venue: Room 916, Adam Smith Building
Presenter: Professor David Coen (UCL)
The Politics Seminar Series is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
29 Jan 2014: The Electoral Tango: The Evolution of Electoral Integrity in Postcommunist Electoral Authoritarian Regimes
A CEES event
Time: 17:30
Venue: Room 915, Adam Smith Building
Presenter: Professor Sarah Birch (University of Glasgow)
This paper provides a novel account of the evolution of electoral integrity in contemporary electoral authoritarian regimes. The main argument is that because in the 21st century the politics of electoral reform revolves mainly around the implementation of democratic electoral principles rather than around the principles themselves, electoral authoritarian leaders tend to employ forms of electoral abuse that entail giving unfair advantage to pro-regime electoral competitors, rather than excluding either voters or competitors from the electoral arena altogether. When such regimes become weakened, they tend to ramp up forms of manipulation that favour pro-regime political forces. This deterioration in election quality then serves as a focal point which mobilises both domestic and international pressure for electoral reform, as the erosion of established electoral rights generates grievances. Under the right circumstances, such mobilisation can lead to step changes in the quality of elections. Though in and of themselves none of these arguments is entirely original, their synthesis yields a new one-step-back-two-steps-forward model of electoral change which is in several ways quite distinct from existing understandings of the relationship between elections and democratisation. This model, which I term the ‘electoral tango’, has implications for how we evaluate and address electoral malpractice in the contemporary world.
All welcome.
The CEES West Coast Seminar Series is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
5 Feb 2014: La Vie et La Mort - Experimental Paediatrics in the Paris Maternity Hospital in the Eighteen-Sixties
An ESH event
Time: 17:30
Venue: Main Reading Room, Library, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
Glasgow History of Medicine Group
Speaker: Professor Lawrence Weaver (Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Centre for the History of Medicine and Child Health, MVLS, University of Glasgow)
Coffee and Biscuits at 5pm.
The Institute of Health and Wellbeing and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow are collaborating in this new series of seminars on medical history, medical humanities and related topics. For further details please contact Malcolm.Nicolson@glasgow.ac.uk or library@rcpsg.ac.uk
5 Feb 2014: Refugee Integration Policy AND Rethinking the Sexuality of Migration
A Sociology event
Time: 16:00
Venue: Room 916, Adam Smith Building
LKAS Postdoctoral Fellows Panel Session
Dr Gareth Mulvey
Refugee Integration Policy: The Effects of UK Policy-Making on Refugees in Scotland
While the concept of migrant integration is a contested one, national, sub-national and local governments over the past 40-50 years have professed support for integration in various forms. However, practical measures have been rare with broad race relations policies from the 1960s being the primary means of ‘inclusion’, alongside tight restrictions on migrant numbers. This dual system continued until the late 1990s. However, under New Labour, labour migration was opened up in order to satisfy strong employer demands while support for integration was questioned by a focus on community cohesion and a move away from multiculturalism. Simultaneously refugees, as opposed to asylum seekers, were identified as a migrant population with particular challenges and they have thus been the only group of new migrants subject to specific integration programmes. Nevertheless, policy and rhetoric about asylum seekers and refugees more generally have tended to operate against integration and have made it increasingly difficult for refugees to rebuild their lives. This paper examines refugee integration from the perspectives of refugees themselves. It suggests that the consequences of broader UK Government policy around asylum and refugee issues negates any positive support in the form of refugee integration programmes and actively inhibits integration.
Dr. Francesca Stella
Despite a growing body of empirical research focusing on migration and same-sex sexualities, this work has thus far mainly focussed on North America. Existing literature indicates that sexuality can be a key motive for both internal and international migration in the face of negative attitudes towards same-sex relations. Mobility and migration have been seen as key strategies enabling queer practices and subjectivities. This notion is embedded in widespread narratives of queer migration as a journey towards community and identity (typically towards ‘gay-friendly’ countries and towards metropolitan areas), which this paper problematises. The paper draws on a review of the literature and on the analysis of findings from a pilot study on East European LGB migrants in Scotland, UK (2013). To date, little empirical research has been conducted on queer migration from a European perspective, despite ongoing processes of European integration and very uneven levels of recognition of LGB (lesbian, gay, bisexual) rights across Europe. Findings from the pilot study point to the importance of considering the role of personal relations and emotions in migration research, rather than narrowing focusing on migration as a strategy for accessing rights and resources.
All welcome.
The Sociology Seminar Series is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
5 Feb 2014: SCCJR Working Lunch: Exploring the effects of gender on victims' involvement with the criminal justice system
A Sociology event
Time: 12:30
Venue: ASRF Meeting Room, 66 Oakfield Ave
Presenter: Stephanie Fohring (University of Edinburgh)
This talk will firstly cover some recent research findings suggesting differences in not only the rate of victimisation between men and women in Scotland, but also in their patterns of reporting crime, service use and satisfaction with support received. Discussion will then focus on possible theoretical explanations/implications of these findings.
If you would like to present some work(-in-progress), would like to hear what others are working on, or are looking for a forum to host/sponsor discussion of ideas, the SCCJR Working Lunch series can help.
10 Feb 2014: Double book launch: Centre for Business History in Scotland
An ESH event
Time: 17:00
Venue: Seminar Room, Lilybank House
Launch event for:
‘The Business of Waste. Great Britain and Germany, 1945 to the Present’ RG Stokes, R Koster, & S Sambrook
and
‘The Optical Munitions industry in Great Britain, 1888-1923’, S Sambrook
10 Feb 2014: The impact of the economic crisis in Spain on citizens' relationship to politics
A Politics event
Time: 16:00
Venue: Room 916, Adam Smith Building
Presenter: Dr Irene Mart¡n Cort‚s (Universidad Autonoma de Madrid)
The Politics Seminar Series is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
11 Feb 2014: LGBT equality and the geopolitics of human rights: insights from Russia
A School-wide event
Time: 17:00
Venue: Sir Charles Wilson Seminar Room (ground floor)
Speakers: Olgerta Kharitonova and Sabine Hoffman, editors of the Russian samizdat lesbian journal Ostrov
Chair/organiser: Dr Francesca Stella
Discussants: Dr Francesca Stella, Dr Vikki Turbine and Dr Matthew Waites
Since the introduction of a law banning the ‘propaganda’ of homosexuality to minors in Russia (June 2013) and a surge in episodes of homophobic violence, LGBT rights in Russia have been widely debated in the UK and beyond (media, academia, political actors, NGOs’).
Amidst a flurry of international solidarity campaigns and calls to boycott the Sochi Olympics, the issue of LGBT rights in Russia has become something of a cause celŠbre; at the same time, campaigners have often failed to consult with representatives of the Russian LGBT community, to broaden the debate and include other discriminated groups and human rights violations, or to consider how human rights may be used instrumentally in foreign politics. The aim of the seminar is to explore these complexities, and to consider how misconceptions about the Russian context may jeopardise the effectiveness of international solidarity campaigns.
The seminar will be opened by Olgerta Kharitonova and Sabine Hoffman, the editors of the samizdat lesbian journal Ostrov, which has been published since 1999 and is the oldest existing lesbian publication in the country. Through their long experience of active involvement in LGBT and feminist circles, Olgerta and Sabine will offer insights from within Russia on current debates.
This event is organised by the Gender and Sexualities Forum, in association with the subject areas of Sociology and Central and East European Studies, and the Glasgow Human Rights Network.
12 Feb 2014: Frisby Memorial Lecture 2014: Behind Marx’s ‘hidden abode’: Toward an expanded conception of Capitalism
A Sociology event
Time: 16:30
Venue: Boyd Orr Lecture Theatre 2, University of Glasgow
Presenter: Professor Nancy Fraser (Diane Middlebrook/Carl Djerassi Professor of Gender Studies, University of Cambridge and Loeb Professor of Philosophy and Politics, New School for Social Research)
The current sense of crisis - in economy, ecology, politics, and society - is prompting many critical theorists to revisit the problem of capitalism. I salute this return to core issues of social theory after a period of neglect. But received understandings of capitalism are not adequate to 21st century conditions. I propose, accordingly, to re-examine a basic theoretical question: How is capitalism best conceptualized: as an economic system, a form of ethical life, or an institutionalized social order? To answer this question, I will integrate some relatively familiar concepts from Marx with newer insights from feminist, ecological, and political theorizing. Whereas Marx sought the essence of capitalism by looking beneath the sphere of exchange to the ‘hidden abode’ of production, I shall look behind production to abodes that are more hidden still. The result will be an expanded conception of capitalism able better to accommodate the multiplicity of crisis tendencies and social struggles that characterize the 21st century.
All welcome.
The Sociology Seminar Series is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
17 Feb 2014: The Mysterious Case of Aafia Siddiqui: Reading Gothic Ambivalence in the War on Terror
A Politics event
Time: 16:00
Venue: Room 916, Adam Smith Building
Presenter: Dr Caron Gentry (University of St Andrews)
The Politics Seminar Series is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
18 Feb 2014: Self-Determination in the 21st Century: Scotland's Phoenix or a Pandora's Box?
A Politics event
Time: 18:00
Venue: Sir Charles Wilson Building
Stevenson Trust for Citizenship Lecture Series 2012-14 & Glasgow Human Rights Network Annual Lecture
Speaker: Professor Hurst Hannum (Tufts University, Massachusetts, USA)
20 Feb 2014: RH Tawney and the Development of Social and Economic History in Britain 1900-1960
An ESH event
Time: 11:00
Venue: Seminar Room, Lilybank House
Presenter: Lawrence Goldman (University of Oxford)
All welcome. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be available.
The Economic & Social History Seminar Programme is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
21 Feb 2014: China's 'Africa Town': An ethnic enclave in a changing landscape
An Urban Studies event
Time: 15:00
Venue: Room 916, Adam Smith Building
Speaker: Zhigang Li (Professor of Urban Studies and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University)
Urban Studies seminars are sponsored by the Macfie bequest.
24 Feb 2014: Doing International Ethics
A Politics event
Time: 18:00
Venue: Room 916, Adam Smith Building
Presenter: Professor Kimberley Hutchings (LSE)
The Politics Seminar Series is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
26 Feb 2014: SCCJR Working Lunch: Is there any point in security measures? The evaluation of 'the Security Hypothesis' in regards to the 1990s crime drop
A Sociology event
Time: 12:30
Venue: ASRF Meeting Room, 66 Oakfield Ave
Presenter: Dainis Ignatans (University of Kent)
This talk will examine the Security Hypothesis, which holds that security measures strongly reduce crime and apply new analysis testing the theory. Points for discussion are: security measures as a visual deterrent or a physical barrier, do security measures create a false sense of safety and does this feeling of safety reduce crime rates?
If you would like to present some work(-in-progress), would like to hear what others are working on, or are looking for a forum to host/sponsor discussion of ideas, the SCCJR Working Lunch series can help. Please get in touch with Marguerite (marguerite.schinkel@glasgow.ac.uk) to book a session.
28 Feb 2014: The Intractability of Venezuela's domestic political conflict
A School-wide event
Time: 12:00
Venue: Room 611, Boyd Orr Building
Glasgow Latin America Research Network Seminar Series 2014
Speaker: Professor Julia Buxton, School of Public Policy, Central European University, Budapest and Global Drug Policy Observatory, Swansea University
The network gratefully acknowledges the support of the School of Social and Political Sciences and the College of Social Sciences Researcher Development Programme
28 Feb 2014: Transplanting Urban Borders in the Pearl River Delta Bay Area
An Urban Studies event
Time: 15:00
Venue: Room 916, Adam Smith Building
Speaker: Roger Chan (Associate Professor, Department of Urban Planing and Design, University of Hong Kong)
Urban Studies seminars are sponsored by the Macfie bequest. It is open to all students and staff of the University as well as people from outside the University. Should you have particular accessibility requirements, please make contact with the organisers in advance and we will do our best to assist. For further information and final confirmation of any Seminar, please contact Mark.Livingston@glasgow.ac.uk.
5 Mar 2014: On the frontline of Europe: The Geopolitics of Values (Lessons from Ukraine and Georgia)
A CEES event
Time: 17:30
Venue: Room 915, Adam Smith Building
Speaker: Ghia Nodia (Ilia State University, Georgia)
It is a popular assumption in the West - or at least in Brussels - that while NATO is about geopolitics, that is competition for power, EU is something qualitatively different: this is a ‘postmodern’ phenomenon that by definition transcends the logic of geopolitics through refocusing the policy debate on issues of trade and democratic institutions. This is sometimes conceptualized as a dichotomy between geopolitics and values. The story of European Partnership, and especially the latest events in Ukraine, exposes this myth.
It also demonstrates the fundamental discrepancy between the western European or Brussels understanding of what ‘Europe’ stands for (the definition is based on EU institutions and loyalty to them, as well as on the project of overcoming nation-state in favour of a supranational ‘postmodern’ entity), and understanding of the same term on the frontline of Europe, where the term stands primarily for the ‘European civilization’, while the European choice and assertion of national independence are in a positive correlation.
All welcome.
The CEES West Coast Seminar Series is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
5 Mar 2014: Emotional Reflexivity in Distance Relationships
A Sociology event
Time: 16:00
Venue: Room 916, Adam Smith Building
Presenter: Dr Mary Holmes (Edinburgh)
Emotional reflexivity is increasingly necessary within globalised conditions of intimate life. This paper briefly sets out a theoretical framework for understanding this emotionalization of reflexivity and illustrates it with the help of a small qualitative study of dual-career, dual-residence couples in distance relationships in the UK. It is argued that these couples provide a glimpse of the way in which such emotional reflexivity operates by taking account of structural constraints, the feelings of others, feelings about 'home' and about the future. Overall the aim is to use these insights to develop a more embodied, relational and emotional model of reflexivity, intimacy and of social life more broadly.
All welcome.
The Sociology Seminar Series is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
6 Mar 2014: Keynes and Liberalism in the 1920s
An ESH event
Time: 11:00
Venue: Seminar Room, Lilybank House
Presenter: Richard Toye (University of Exeter)
All welcome. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be available.
The Economic & Social History Seminar Programme is supported by the MacFie Bequest, named after Professor Alec MacFie, Adam Smith Professor of Political Economy at the University from 1945 to 1958.
7 Mar 2014: Hybrid gentrification in South Africa: Theorising across southern and northern cities
An Urban Studies event
Time: 15:00
Venue: Room 916, Adam Smith Building
Speaker: Charlotte Lemanski (Senior Lecturer in Human Geography, University College London)
Urban Studies seminars are sponsored by the Macfie bequest.
10 Mar 2014: Constituent preferences over representative activities: evidence from conjoint analyses
A Politics event
Time: 16:00
Venue: Room 916, Adam Smith Building
Presenter: Dr Nick Vivyan (University of Durham)
The Politics Seminar Series is su