Transforming Society podcast

Apr 14 2025 133 ep. 36 mins 43

Transforming Society podcast artwork

Brought to you by Bristol University Press and Policy Press, the Transforming Society podcast brings you conversations with our authors around social justice and global social challenges.We get to grips with the story their research tells, with a focus on the specific ways in which it could transform society for the better. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Can journalism as we know it survive?

Apr 14 2025 51 mins

There are many truisms about journalism. That it should speak truth to power. That it must be rooted in community. But what do these mean in practice, especially at a time when journalism is facing an unprecedented set of threats – financial, technological, and political? In this episode, George Miller talks to journalist and media commentator Jon Allsop about the challenges

The myth of the heroic billionaire

Mar 26 2025 27 mins

Billionaires represent a scourge of economic inequality, but how do they get away with it within our culture?In this episode of our Transforming Business podcast series with Martin Parker, Carl Rhodes, author of ‘Stinking Rich’, explains the dangerous and deceptive myths which portray billionaires as a ‘force for good’.They discuss the myths of the heroic, generous, meritor

Changemaking and radical hope in times of crisis

Mar 19 2025 30 mins

Everybody wants to change the world, but can we actually make a difference? In the first episode of our Transforming Business podcast series with Martin Parker, Jane Holgate and John Page, authors of Changemakers: Radical Strategies for Social Movement Organising, discuss the power of activism and challenge the belief that change is impossible.They explore the distinction

Social work and social control

Mar 11 2025 35 mins

Social work exists in a constant tension between caring and protecting vulnerable people, and the control mechanisms within the broader context social workers operate in. Where are the lines drawn in its dual role as an instrument of the state and an advocate for social justice? In this episode Malcolm Carey and Gurnam Singh, guest editors of the Critical and Radical

The myth of the hormonal female

Feb 25 2025 52 mins

We’ve all blamed PMS on hormones but, despite popular belief, no direct causal link between female sex hormones and PMS has ever been proven. So why does the ‘hormonal woman’ stereotype persist? And how does it fuel outdated, sexist narratives about female health? In this episode, Jess Miles speaks to Sally King, a visiting fellow in menstrual physiology at King’s Coll

How to be creative with data analysis

Jan 14 2025 43 mins

Alongside a growing interest in creative methods, researchers are increasingly exploring how to bring creativity into data analysis. But how do you strike the balance between innovation and maintaining a systematic, rigorous and ethical approach?Jess Miles talks to Helen Kara, Dawn Mannay, and Alastair Roy, editors of The Handbook of Creative Data Analysis, about the role of creati

Are zoos an anachronism in the 21st century?

Dec 10 2024 34 mins

Many of us have fond memories of going to the zoo as children, but zoo critics are vocal in their condemnation of keeping animals in captivity, believing there can be no such thing as a good zoo. Are the goals of entertainment, conservation, education and research more often in conflict than harmony? And are they ultimately irreconcilable with concern for animal welfare?In thi

Austerity: The silent killer

Dec 03 2024 45 mins

Life expectancy is about more than just health – it’s about the kind of society we live in. In this episode, Richard Kemp speaks with David Walsh and Gerry McCartney, co-authors of 'Social Murder?: Austerity and Life Expectancy in the UK', about the monumental impact austerity has had, and continues to have, on life expectancy. They discuss the real-life stories of pe

PODCAST: How economics left the real world behind

Nov 19 2024 50 mins

Modern economics often credits Adam Smith as its cornerstone, but another key figure, David Ricardo, has shaped our world in ways we rarely examine. Ricardo, the wealthiest stock trader of his day, developed the theory of comparative advantage, a concept that helped justify globalisation but concealed deeper ties to power, empire and slavery.In this episode, Jess Miles speaks

The problem with counterterrorism

Nov 12 2024 36 mins

The budget and resources that have been dedicated to combatting terrorism this century are staggering. But has it worked?In this episode, George Miller talks to Leonie B. Jackson, author of 'What is Counterterrorism for?', about the exceptional measures that states have taken in recent decades – such as detention without trial and targeted killing – in reaction to terrorist thr