Thinking Allowed

The truimph of Neoliberal economics in the post Recession world. Laurie Taylor talks to US Professor of Economics, Philip Mirowski, about his analysis of why neoliberalism survived, and even prospered, in the aftermath of the financial meltdown of 2008. Although it was widely asserted that the economic convictions behind the disaster would be consigned to history, Mirowski says that the opposite is the case. He claims that once neoliberalism became a Theory of Everything, providing a revolutionary account of self, knowledge, markets, and government, it was impossible to falsify by data from the 'real' economy. Neoliberalism, he suggests, wasn't dislodged by the recession because we have internalised its messages. Have we all, in a sense, become neoliberals, inhabiting "entrepreneurial" selves which compel us to position ourselves in the market and rebrand ourselves daily? Also, why do work almost as hard as we did 40 years ago, despite being on average twice as rich? Robert Skidelsky, Emeritus Professor of Political Economy, suggests an escape from the work and consumption treadmill. Producer: Jayne Egerton.

Richard Hoggart: Laurie Taylor talks to Professor of Cultural Studies, Fred Inglis, about his biography of this leading cultural commentator and academic. Hoggart's 1957 book 'The Uses of Literacy' documented the lives and hardships of the life of the poor in pre-World War Britain as well as providing an account of the transition from working class to 'mass' culture in the post War period. Inglis considers some of Hoggart's key ideas including his emphasis on working class community and family life as a source of support and sanctuary. Also, the sociology of the family, then and now. Hoggart's views about the family form part of an ongoing sociological debate to which the late Mary McIntosh made a major contribution. Professor of Sociology, Carol Smart, pays tribute to her classic 1982 book 'The Anti Social Family' which offered a socialist and feminist critique of the traditional nuclear family, arguing that it was as often a site of inequality and conflict as of refuge, particularly for women. Deborah Chambers, Professor of Media and Cultural Studies, joins the debate.Producer: Jayne Egerton.

'Low pay, no pay' Britain. Laurie Taylor talks to the sociologist, Tracy Shildrick, about her prize winning study of individuals and families who are living in or near poverty. The research was conducted in Teesside, North East England, and focuses on the men and women who've fallen out of old working class communities and must now cope with drastically reduced opportunities for standard employment. Also, the US sociologist, Kimberly Kay Hoang, discusses her study into Vietnamese sex workers who've become American wives who, contrary to their hopeful expectations, end up as primary breadwinners in their new country.Producer: Jayne Egerton.

Muslims against Muslim Fundamentalism - Laurie Taylor talks to Karima Bennoune, US Professor of Law and author of a groundbreaking book which addresses resistance to religious extremism in Muslim majority contexts. Over a 3 year period, she interviewed nearly 300 people from almost 30 countries, from Afghanistan to Mali, Egypt, Israel/Palestine, Niger and Russia.They include teachers, journalists, doctors, musicians, street vendors and women's rights activists - some of whom have risked death. Her subjects range from the secular to the devout, yet all share a desire to challenge religion inspired violence and oppression. She's joined by Professor Stephen Vertigans, a sociologist who has studied Islamic movements globally. Also, Marek Korczynski discusses his research into the abuse of service workers by customers.Producer: Jayne Egerton.

Laurie Taylor explores The World Service, talking to Marie Gillespie about her study into the role of the diasporic broadcasters at the heart of the BBC's foreign service. Even though the Service has derived much of its creative and diplomatic significance from these men and women, they've been largely absent from academic work and public debate. Professor Gillespie's work brings to light the invisible writers and intellectuals who've been responsible for the BBC's credibility as an international broadcaster. She's joined by Ramy Aly, a Middle Eastern scholar who has studied the BBC Arabic Service, in particular. Also, who decides when someone is a danger to themselves or others? Professor Gillian Bendelow discusses her research into the use of section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983.Producer: Jayne Egerton.

TWITTER - Laurie Taylor talks to the sociologist, Dhiraj Murthy, about his new book 'Twitter: Social Communication in the Twitter Age'. This form of social media is now a household name, discussed for its role in political movements, national elections and natural disasters. But what's the real significance of this 'electronically diminished turn to terseness' as Murphy describes it? Using case studies including citizen journalism and health, his groundbreaking study deciphers the ways in which Twitter is re-making contemporary life.Also, elite university admissions. Harvard Professor of Education, Natasha Kumar Warikoo, discusses her research into the perceptions of meritocracy and inequality among undergraduates at Oxford University - part of a wider study of students at the highest ranking universities in the United States and Britain.Given the frequent critiques of such universities for admitting low numbers of state school graduates and, more recently, British Afro-Caribbean students, how do their students make meaning of the admissions process? Melissa Benn, writer and education campaigner joins the discussion.Producer: Jayne Egerton.

Slum Tourism - the transformation of impoverished neighbourhoods into attractions for international tourists. Laurie Taylor talks to the sociologist, Bianca Freire-Medeiros, about 'Touring Poverty', her study of Rocinha, a district in Rio de Janeiro which is advertised as "the largest favela in Latin America." She talked to tour operators, guides, tourists and residents to explore the ethical and political questions raised by selling a glimpse into other peoples' poverty. Professor of Tourism Mobilities, Kevin Hannam, joins the discussion. Also, 'eating the world' - the geographer, Emily Falconer, discusses her research into the food driven impulses of backpacking tourists.Producer: Jayne Egerton.

Noodle narratives - Laurie Taylor talks to US anthropologist, Deborah Gewertz, about the invention, production and consumption of instant ramen noodles. From their origins in Japan to their worldwide spread to markets as diverse as the USA and Papua New Guinea. As popular with the affluent as with the poor, they enable diverse populations to manage their lives. So how did noodles become one of the industrial food system's most successful achievements? And what can the humble noodle tell us about the history of food and the anthropology of globalisation? Also, British men dancing like Brazilians. Social scientist, Neil Stephens, discusses a study which finds that Capoeira challenges the traditional opposition between masculinity and dance. He's joined by Theresa Buckland, Professor of Dance History and Ethnography.Producer: Jayne Egerton.

Holiday hedonism - Laurie Taylor talks to the criminologist, Daniel Briggs, about his study into young British tourists' risk taking behaviour in Ibiza. From drug taking to prostitution, violence and injury. What leads these holidaymakers to engage in deviant, even dangerous behaviour when abroad? Also, Nathan Manning discusses his research into the meaning and causes of white, working class political disaffection. He interviewed low wage workers in Yorkshire and the NorthWest, areas where support for the far right British National Party and low voter turnout indicate alienation from mainstream politics. He's joined by Professor of Politics, Michael Kenny.Producer: Jayne Egerton.

Bohemian Soho - Laurie Taylor talks to the writer, Sophie Parkin, about her book on the Colony Room Club, a private members bar whose doors opened in 1948 and shut in 2008. The only criterion for membership was that you weren't dull. For 60 years it played host to an assortment of offbeat and colourful characters from the fashionable to the criminal: the artist, Francis Bacon, rubbed shoulders with the gangster Kray twins. Eccentrics and misfits congregated and drank in a smoky, shabby room with sticky carpets. But what place does the Colony Room have within a wider history of Bohemian life? Professor of Cultural Studies, Elizabeth Wilson, joins the discussion.Also, Melissa Tyler discusses her study of sales workers in Soho sex shops. Producer: Jayne Egerton.