Thinking Allowed

British comics are full of iconic and transgressive characters from Dan Dare to Minnie the Minx. Laurie Taylor talks to professor James Chapman the author of a new book charting the cultural history of British comics. They are joined by the broadcaster Matthew Sweet.Also, Professor Nicoli Nattrass explains why a disproportionate percentage of Black South Africans and African Americans subscribe to conspiracy theories about the origins of AIDS.. Producer: Jayne Egerton.

Philanthropy is most often associated with the fight against poverty and disease. But a new book claims that the philanthropic foundations established by the major American industrialists - Rockefeller, Carnegie and Ford - have also promoted American values across the world. From Chile to Indonesia, they've invested in the creation of intellectual elites with a neo liberal agenda. And, it's claimed, they've had a significant role on the international stage, transforming America from a parochial nation into a global leader. Professor Inderjeet Parmar explores the power of US philanthropy with Laurie Taylor. Also, what does the language of wine tell us about civilisation? Professor Steven Shapin charts the cultural and chemical evolution of wine tasting.Producer: Jayne Egerton.

The agony of love is a classic trope of romantic literature and popular journalism. The suffering caused by failures in our personal lives seems timeless. But the sociologist, Eva Illouz, argues that the nature of romantic suffering has changed radically in the modern era. Her book 'Why Love Hurts' argues that the individual misery of the 'broken hearted' should be subjected to scrutiny by social scientists. Failures in our private lives are shaped by social forces much larger than ourselves; they can't be explained by our individual psyches and histories alone. Stephen Frosh, Professor of Psychosocial studies, also joins the discussion. Laurie Taylor puts love under the sociological microscope. Producer: Jayne Egerton.

Hebden Bridge was once a working class textile town shaped by a culture of chapel and self help. But a new book finds its character transformed by a wave of incomers - from hippies to home workers. The writer Paul Barker talks to Laurie Taylor about community, past and present, in Hebden Bridge. Also, the social historian, Emily Cockayne explores relations between neighbours down the ages. As long as people have lived in shelters they have had people living next door. But how has the support, as well as the noise and nuisance of neighbours changed over time?Producer: Jayne Egerton.

What drives people to make the often difficult choices to change their bodies and change their gender? How is the everyday affection for one's country changing in English life? Laurie Taylor discusses issues of transsexuals and the body modifications they choose. Also the place of ordinary English nationalism, as he meets the joint winners of The British Sociological Association's Philip Abrams first book prize. Producer: Charlie Taylor.

The sad story of the hunt for the lone gunman Raoul Moat had many of the ingredients of classic crime fiction: a countryside location; an outsider against the law and an extraordinary set of tragic circumstances that unfolded over time. In this edition of Thinking Allowed Laurie Taylor speaks to Michael Rowe, a criminologist at the centre of the crisis. He gave countless media interviews at the time and has now conducted a study of how 24 hour news media used the rubric of crime fiction to present events in a gripping way. He argues, however, that it was a method in which truth and understanding seem to have been amongst the victims. Also on the programme Prabha Kotiswaran discusses her ethnographic study of the daily and nightly life of prostitutes in two of India's cities.Producer: Charlie Taylor.

What is the reality of life for a crack cocaine user in South London? Daniel Briggs new ethnography is a day to day observation of the people who use the drug, and their struggles to get the drug and also to get off it. He takes Laurie Taylor on an unsettling journey through violence and intimidation. Also in the programme, eight men in a boat - but how to stop them from pulling in different directions? Anthony King tells Laurie about his research into how a Cambridge crew prepared for and won the Boat Race. He explains the factors which helped and hindered their attempt to establish a rowing rhythm, and discusses what this says about co-ordinating action in society at large. Producer: Charlie Taylor.

We pay others to take away our household refuse from the front of our house whilst hoarding other junk in the attic. And while most of us wouldn't mind buying other people's discarded clothes in a charity shop, only a few are prepared to take even edible food from supermarket dumpsters. What hidden motives lurk behind our relationship with waste? Martin O'Brien, author of 'A Crisis of Waste?' and Jeff Ferrell, author of 'Empire of Scrounge', join Laurie to sift through the competing ways of understanding refuse. Producer: Charlie Taylor.

When the factories close, what happens to the communities they leave behind? In this week's programme, Laurie investigates the effects of industrial decline in Wales, examining in-depth sociological studies of the residents of two industrial Welsh towns. Professor Valerie Walkerdine discusses the impact of the closure of the steelworks in 'Steeltown.' How does an community cope when its focal point finally closes? How does the community attempt to maintain a sense of identity? How do young men deal with the embarrassment of being branded "mammy's boys" for having to take on 'feminine' work? And how do women manage to hold the community together? Also in the programme, Jean Jenkins tells Laurie about her research on how the closure of the Burberry factory in Treorchy affected non-work life for the workers concerned. Many people found part time work, but did that really improve their life at home? Producer: Charlie Taylor.

Britain congratulates itself on the success of its restaurants and its stable of 21 multiple Michelin-starred eateries, but how many people know that Germany has nearly double that figure? What are the Germans cooking up that leaves the Brits behind? Economic sociologist Christel Lane discusses her recent research with Laurie Taylor, arguing that, while French culture still dominates in restaurants awarded multiple stars by the 'little red book', it is a regional emphasis which sets Germany apart. Food critic and editor of Waitrose Kitchen William Sitwell joins the discussion of the extent of globalising factors in the high end restaurant industry. Does the ubiquity of lemongrass or the rise of the Othello Cake show that French influence is starting to wane? Also in the programme: why do we show dignity towards the dead when they are not around to appreciate it? Dignity is a quality which pervades many aspects of modern life. Philosopher Michael Rosen explains the practical applications of dignity, how it forms the basis of notions like human rights and the tangles and confusions that arise from diverging notions of what dignity means. Producer: Charlie Taylor.