THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 www.britsoc.co.uk Executive Committee Members

Executive Committee Co-opted members for BSA Office Members for the period the same period The offices of the British Sociological Association, and March 2006 – March 2007 the address at which the Charity’s Correspondent (or President senior employee), Judith Mudd may be contacted, Elected members Professor Geoff Payne are at: Bailey Suite, Palatine House, Belmont (trustees and company directors) Business Park, Belmont, Durham, DH1 1TW. Co-opted Officers Gillian Bendelow (MedSoc Study Group) Tel: 0191 383 0839 Fax:0191 383 0782 Prof Gayle Letherby (Chair) Julie Cappleman-Morgan (Outside Academia) Email: [email protected] Prof Pat Allat (Vice-Chair) Kerrin Clapton (Postgraduate Forum) Dr Thomas Hall (Treasurer) Annika Coughlin (Outside Academia) Staff Sarah Earle (Income Generation) Judith Mudd (Executive Officer) Ordinary Executive Committee members Nina Hallowell (MedSoc Study Group) Deborah Brown (Office Manager) Dr Abby Day (Publications / Income Generation) Ruth Lewis (Postgraduate Forum) Joyce Campbell (Administrative Assistant) Dr Bella Dicks (Publications) Sanjay Sharma (Race Forum) Liz Jackson (Conference Manager) Dr Mark Freestone (Website) Margaret Luke (Administrative Assistant) Mr Brian Goldfarb (FGP / Membership) Honorary Vice Presidents Libby Marks (Publications Manager) Dr Susan Halford (Publications) Martin Albrow Gillian Mason (Finance Officer) Prof Barbara Harrison (Conferences and Donna Willis (Website and IT Officer) Events /Consultations) Robert Burgess Dr Eric Harrison (Media Liaison) Joan Busfield Accounts Prof David Inglis (Publications) David Morgan Annual Accounts for the period September 2005 to Prof Linda McKie (Communications) Jennifer Platt September 2006 have been prepared by Baker Tilly, Dr Rob Mears (Postgraduate Liaison) John Westergaard Chartered Accountants, I St James’ Gate, Newcastle Dr Iain Wilkinson (Study Group Liaison) John Scott upon Tyne NE1 4AD. Dr Emmanuelle Tulle (Vice Treasurer / Membership) Dr Chris Yuill (Conference and Events / MedSoc Liaison)

Ex-Officio Prof John Brewer (Immediate past chair) Foreword

As the pages of this Annual Report show this year has been a busy one By Gayle Letherby for the Association and it is clear from the activities and events reported on here that as an organisation the BSA continues to serve and represent Chair of the British its member and support and enhance sociology as a discipline. Thanks are due to all the members of committees, study group convenors, Sociological Association journal editors and BSA members who contribute to the continued success of the organisation.

In organising the annual conference in Harrogate last year the BSA was assisted by a professional conference organisation company: Conference Co-ordination. Predictably perhaps this led to some improvements and some new problems. The conference team for 2007 (University of East ) have worked closely with Conference Coordination this year and the record number of delegates indicates the likely success of the conference. The Medical Sociology Conference in 2006 was also in a new venue and Herriot Watt proved to be a popular choice.

At last year’s annual BSA conference we launched The World of Sociology our new DVD designed to introduce students to sociology. Highlights at this year’s conference include the birthday celebrations

Continued Overleaf

FOREWORD 01 ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION of two of our journals - Sociology is 40 this year and Work, particular significance this year have been the responses Employment and 20. We also launch Cultural to the ESRC 1+3 Consultation Document and the RAE Sociology (which is jointly owned by the BSA with Sage) Consultation Document. The BSA Executive Committee at this conference and there will be a further celebration continues to work closely with Heads and Professors of of the 40 years of Sociology at the European Sociological Sociology (HAPS formally HODS). Association Conference in September in Glasgow. A recent development at the annual conference and at MedSoc has There have been some changes in the BSA Office in been the introduction of media workshops. We have this year Durham this year. We were sad to see Nicola Gibson leave extended this provision starting with a one-day workshop in but have welcomed Liz Jackson as Conference Manager Aberdeen followed by an event in Warwick with more to follow. and Donna Willis as Website and IT Officer. Our thanks Our positive reciprocal relationships with sister organisations as ever are due to all the staff in the office – Judith Mudd, continue for example in a joint BSA/BSC conference – Sex Deborah Brown, Libby Marks, Gillian Mason, Liz Jackson, as Crime – in the spring of 2006 and in having Tim Newburn Donna Willis, Joyce Campbell and Margaret Luke. In (President of the BSC) as guest speaker at our Annual General addition to regular duties, sickness and departures have led Meeting at last year’s annual conference. at times to increased responsibilities for all and those of us who work closely with the office are grateful to all the BSA Members of the Executive Committee and its sub- staff for their dedication and hard work. committees – Finance and General Purposes, Publications, Communications and Conferences and Events – have been Last but not least thanks are due to Geoff Payne, BSA involved in the usual range of activities over the year. In President (2005 – 2007). Geoff’s Presidential lecture was addition this year the BSA Executive has been busy reflecting a highlight at last year’s conference and his thoughtful, on the findings of the Alinear Reengineering Ltd review of supportive and forward thinking work for the association is our structure and working practices. We report on the work appreciated by us all. This year we welcome Sue Scott, we have done and of the subsequent changes to structure BSA President (2007 – 2009) and look forward to another and organisational practice at this year’s AGM. The changes year of BSA activity. that we will implement in 2007/8 will promote more efficient working practices and free up more time for strategic planning Gayle Letherby for the association. As ever the BSA has also been involved Chair, BSA Executive Committee in the response to various consultation exercises initiated by government, funding agencies and various HE bodies. Of

02 FOREWORD THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 Executive Committee

1. Status and constitution of the charity Sociological Association and proceeds on a rolling basis with new members elected to the Executive Committee in the spring of each year. The British Sociological Association (BSA) was founded in 1951. It is a charity registered in England and Wales (charity registration number 1080235) and a Company Members of the Executive Committee are the legal trustees of the Association, and Limited by Guarantee registered in England and Wales (company number 3890729). have overall responsibility for ensuring the organisation has in place an appropriate system of controls, financial and otherwise; to provide reasonable assurance that the 1.1 BSA Publications charity is operating efficiently and effectively; that its assets are safeguarded against The charity controls a trading subsidiary: BSA Publications Limited. BSA Publications unauthorised use or disposition; that proper records are maintained and financial Limited publishes sociological journals on behalf of the parent body, the British information used within the charity or for its publication is reliable, and that the charity Sociological Association. complies with relevant laws and regulations. Much of the work of the Executive Committee is carried out by delegated sub-groups – Finance and General Purposes, 1.2 Executive Committee and trustees Publications, Conferences, and Communications. The activities of the BSA are co-ordinated by an elected Executive Committee (Council) made up from ordinary members of the Association; the Executive 1.3 The BSA office Committee directs current activities and attends to the future direction of the The work of the Executive Committee and its sub groups is supported by a dedicated Association in the light of its stated aims and objectives. The Executive Committee staff team, based at the Association’s registered offices in Durham. The BSA employs comprises 18 members, including three officers (Chair, Vice-Chair, and Treasurer), seven staff on a permanent basis all of whom are subject to an annual professional nominated and elected by the wider membership for a term of three years. The development review. Other paid support includes temporary office assistance as election of Executive Committee members is governed by and set out in the charity required and contracted services (see below). Office staff are responsible for the day governing document, the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the British to day administration of the business of the Association under the management of the Association’s Executive Officer, Mrs. Judith Mudd.

Continued Overleaf

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 03 ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION 2. Aims and objectives 3. Activities

The objects for which the Association was established as a Company are set out in its 3.1 Membership Memorandum and Articles of Association as the advancement of public education by The Association has provided a range of services to members and the discipline (and the promotion and diffusion of the knowledge of sociology by lectures, publications, to wider and public audiences) throughout 2005/06. Membership of the Association the promotion and publication of research and encouragement of contact between remains open, and more or less stable at just over 2000 members; continuing cross- workers in all relevant fields of enquiry, and by undertaking such other activities as subsidy of subscription rate enables the Association to offer subsidised membership shall be conducive to the attainment of these objects provided that the same shall be to students and those on low incomes. The Association addressed recruitment and legally charitable according to the law of England and Wales, but not otherwise. retention of members in 2005/06 through the appointment of the consultancy firm Hall Associates to help refine its annual subscription cycle. In the year 2005/06, the Association’s main objectives have been those set out in its recent mission statement, as follows: The Association provides support for specialist study groups within its membership, • To represent the intellectual and sociological interests of its members and is pleased to report that study group activity – mailing lists, seminars, networking • Provide information and services to members – continues to grow. 2005/06 saw the total number of BSA study groups increase • Seek to influence policies affecting sociology within the wider social sciences remit to 34. The Executive Committee was pleased to approve three new groups during • Promote the identity of the discipline and its practitioners/scholars the financial year: Animal/Human; Researching Students; and Urban Theory and • Enhance the context for the pursuit of sociology Research. The ‘grassroots’ activity and intellectual interest generated and sustained • Maintain and encourage links with sociologists throughout the world by study groups is important in itself and also functions as a means of recruitment to • Publish journals, books and other materials the wider Association. • Generate income from activities related to the work of the BSA • Establish and maintain suitable systems of management for the BSA 3.2 Publications • Act as responsible employers, with appropriate concern for the health and welfare of Having begun a process of renegotiation with Sage Publications in the previous its employees. financial year, 2005/06 saw the Association finalise a new publishing contract for its premier journals Sociology and Work, Employment and Society. The new contract In contributing to a range of scholarly activities, and through the wider promotion of came into force in January 2006, offering the Association’s trading subsidiary (BSA sociology, the Association aims to add value to society and the economy Publications) a significantly higher level of royalties (negotiated up to 70% for both more generally. journals); the new contract also included an increase in the advance paid to the Association by Sage and substantial backdated payment of royalties. Subscriptions to both Sociology and Work, Employment and Society increased over the course of the financial year and remain healthy.

The Association continues to publish the successful and innovative online journal Sociological Research Online as a complement to its print journals. It should be noted that all of the Association’s print journals are also available in electronic copy and 04 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 that members of the Association enjoy privileged online access to the journals back In June 2006 the Association sponsored a regional Media Event workshop in catalogue, through Sage. association with the University of Aberdeen. The workshop, run by the Association’s media consultant Ivor Gaber (see below), was designed to assist social scientists The Association’s Executive Committee has agreed to fund an annual, all-day (staff and students) in their links with regional media and in the publicising of their publications strategy meeting, at an approximate cost of £1000 per annum, on the research in the regional media. The programme featured speakers from the local basis that this will allow the publications sub group to give thorough consideration to print and television media and a round-table discussion amongst academics of their the academic and business contexts and priorities for the Association’s publishing experiences of working with the regional media. Two further workshops are planned activities. The first all-day strategy meeting was held in 2007. for 2007.

Aegis Peer Review Management continue to assist with the administrative workload for Due to an unusually limited demand for places, the Association cancelled the 2006 both Sociology and Work, Employment and Society, the Association having extended postgraduate summer school, with regret. The summer school is an annual event an original six month contract in view of continuing workload issues and the prime offering an intensive, residential week of study and networking to postgraduate importance of publications both to the Association’s financial standing and its wider student members of the Association. The BSA has a continuing commitment to the aims and objectives. support of postgraduate members, whose development is key to the health of the profession, and is now giving strategic consideration as to how best to respond to the 3.3 Conferences and events changing training and support needs of this constituency. Opportunities for additional, 2006 saw the Association’s Annual Conference move from the University of York to the external funding through the Economic and Social Research Council’s Researcher International Conference Centre in Harrogate. A total of 376 delegates booked for the Development Initiative are being explored. conference, with 251 abstracts selected for inclusion in the programme. The conference theme, ‘Sociology, Social Order(s) and Disorder(s)’, proved popular, connecting to 3.4 Communication and consultation core sociological concerns whilst also signalling links to criminology (the President of The Association’s website and newsletter Network continue to provide valuable the British Society of Criminology gave an invited address at the Association’s Annual communications tools, connecting the Association to a number of audiences: General Meeting). Overall the conference ran smoothly and feedback from delegates members, students, media and the general public. Network is published by BSA was largely positive. The innovation of employing professional assistance through Publications Ltd and mailed to members three times a year (Spring, Summer and Conference Coordination also appears to have worked well. The Association thanked Autumn). Members consistently cite Network as one of the Association services the academic organising team from the . they most value. Regular features include interviews with leading figures in the field, professional news, and reports on specialist activities and study groups within the The Association’s 38th Annual Medical Sociology Conference was similarly successful, BSA. The newsletter also provides an informal vehicle for members to express views with 276 delegates attending a three-day event at the Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. on issues relevant to the profession, discipline and future of their Association. The website provides a shop window for sociology and the Association, providing

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 05 ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION a range of accessible information about the nature and practice of sociology, BSA and Europe. The DVD is divided into four sections that can be used individually or as events and activities, career opportunities, and other news. The website has been a whole: The World of Sociology, Studying Sociology, Sociology in Society and Living recently updated and now hosts a page for media and research enquiries as well as Sociology. Developed by Tony Grace (Director/Co-Producer) and Paul Littlewood a web discussion forum. A members’ area of the website, accessed by password, (Producer), the DVD was launched at the 2006 annual conference and will be contains an electronic version of the newsletter, a searchable members database distributed from the Association’s Durham offices. and a CV notice-board and privileged access to the electronic back catalogue of the Association’s lead journals Sociology and Work, Employment and Society. The An important role for the Association is to represent the interests of members and Association has awarded a tender to Waterstons to host the website and provide the discipline in both academic and broader public environments. This year the continuing technical support; content management continues to be organised Association has engaged in a number of such consultations including responses in-house. submitted to the Research Assessment Exercise Draft Criteria and Working Methods Consultation, the QAA Review of Phase 1 Benchmarks, and the DfES Consultation on Communication with and through the media is, increasingly, important to the public Reform of Higher Education Research Assessment and Funding. Three nominations understanding and profile of the discipline. Accordingly, the Association has continued for Academician were submitted to The Academy of the Social Sciences. Expressions to contract consultancy services from Ivor Gaber, who has helped organise press of disappointment were sent regarding the closure of the Department of Sociology at coverage of both the Annual and Medical Sociology conferences, run workshop Reading and offering support to any affected members. The Chair and President of the sessions for members (see above), drafted Association guidelines for working with the Association also respond directly to individual correspondence from members and the media (available on the website) and provided support and guidance, throughout the public regarding publishing, investment and other matters. year, in response to individual member enquiries. 3.5 Organisational review 2005/06 also saw the Association commission and fund development of a introductory The wide remit of the Association, and enthusiasm and willingness of its trustees and DVD, The World of Sociology, intended as a resource for careers advisors, teachers staff, requires careful monitoring given the limited resources, and responsibilities, and students. This authoritative and attractive production provides an authentic range within which the Association is required to act. Recognition of increased workload of student opinion and informed comment from leading sociologists across the UK in the BSA office has led the Association to take steps in 2005/06 to review its staffing, working practices and organisational structure. To this end it has engaged the consultancy services of Alinear Reengineering Ltd, who have undertaken a wide- ranging appraisal and analysis of BSA structures and working practices with the aim of ensuring the continued, effective functioning of the Association as a fit-for-purpose organisation. A Review Group of trustees (including the three senior officers of the Association) and the Executive Officer has been convened to receive the Alinear report and act on findings. Interim support for the office has been secured in 2005/06 through the purchase of temporary office assistance and the financial services of Ashworth Roberts.

06 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 4. Risk management Various steps have been taken in the course of the year under review to monitor and manage these areas of risk and to minimise the potential impact should any Trustees review the Association’s objectives and identify the major risks (both within materialise. Principal among these has been the provision of additional office support and outside the Association’s control) to which the charity may be exposed on an and the institution of the Alinear review of structures and working practices (see annual basis, alternating full-day and half-day (light-touch) reviews. The financial year above). The Association will revisit all areas of risk identified, in a half-day risk review under review saw a full-day review undertaken in October 2005 with sub-committee meeting in 2006 and update the Risk Review Report accordingly. workshops meeting separately and Chairs reporting back to the Executive Committee on priorities for the year, in rank order. Agreed priorities are detailed in a Risk Review 5. Financial Review Report and can be summarised as follows: 5.1 Charity and trading subsidiary accounts BSA Risk Register 2006 The Association works with two sets of accounts – the Charity and the Trading Subsidiary (Publications) accounts – which are consolidated at the year-end. Following Scope Risk Level the guidance of the Charities Commission, the Charity Accounts must achieve a Long-term • Organisational change High balanced year-end in accounting terms and seek to minimise any deficit or surplus. • Website management High The Trading Subsidiary Accounts (concerned with the journals and related publication • Conference planning & new events High work) may achieve a surplus and this can be transferred to the Charity in the form • Supporting professional practice in BSA journals High • Media relations and the image of British sociology High of gift aid. Thus, through consolidation at year-end the Association seeks to ensure • Membership retention and recruitment Medium all costs are met, appropriate activities resourced, and, when possible, a surplus • Communication with members Medium achieved. (The Charities Commission has recently made it clear that a charitable • Reviewing the role of Network Medium organisation may generate a significant surplus providing the strategic context and • Safeguarding and securing the BSA’s resources Medium use for such a surplus can be clearly demonstrated.) • Better strategic cohesion between the Executive Committee and sub-groups Low 5.2 Annual budget, income and expenditure • Human resource management of the capacity In 2005, the Trustees approved a deficit revenue budget of £463,889. The year-end on the Executive Committee Low accounts for 2005/06 show a financial surplus of £153,905. This is a particularly • Property purchase to house the BSA office Low encouraging result and is essentially attributable to the successful re-negotiation of

publishing contracts with Sage, from which the Association will continue to benefit. Short-term • Website management High Principal sources of income for the Association are routinely identified under the • BSA office staff support & development High following headings in the financial accounts: • Research development and the BSA Summer School Medium • Membership (subscriptions) • Setting-up the 2007 Conference Medium • Publications (sales) • Conferences (registration fee) • Management services • Miscellaneous

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 07 ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION These can be taken as the principal funding sources in the year under review. 5.3 Contracted services and management services Expenditure is similarly grouped under collective budget headings, as follows: During the year the services of the following external professional and specialist • Staffing advisers were contracted: • Office costs • Aegis Peer Review Management [assistance with online journal paper • Travel and subsistence submission processing] • Supplies and services • Alinear Reengineering Ltd [Review of BSA structures and working practices] • Miscellaneous • Ashworth Roberts [assistance with production of annual accounts / risk management review] Expenditure in the year under review has supported the Association’s key objectives • Citation plc [Health & Safety regulation compliance support] through direct and indirect funding of the activities detailed above – publications, • Conference Co-ordination [BSA annual conference support] conference and events, communications and consultations; expenditure on staffing • Ethical Screening Ltd [investment portfolio ethical screening] and office costs underwrites almost all BSA activities and is essential to the continuing • GH VAT Consultancy [assistance with VAT returns] work of the Association. • Citigroup Global Wealth Management (formerly Morgan Stanley Quilter) [investment portfolio management] The introduction of collective budget headings under income and expenditure is • Sumlock Ltd [IT systems support] relatively recent, dating to 2004, and has proved useful, allowing the Association to • Waterstons Ltd [website hosting and technical support] separate out its various functions for the purposes of specific financial discussions relevant to each activity and target specific areas for financial management, as 5.4 Reserves required. Collective budget headings have also enhanced communication between The Charity Commission requires Trustees to review reserves and to disclose their the Executive Committee, the Finance and General Purposes sub-group, and the BSA policies on these matters in an annual report, included in the year-end financial office. The trustees are mindful of the extent of financial activity currently recorded statements. This should cover the level of reserves held at the balance sheet date, in the accounts under the ‘miscellaneous’ budget heading and consider this to and the needs and opportunities that are anticipated. Policy statements, activities and be excessive. This is a reporting matter to which the Association will bring greater annual reporting must follow the ‘Accounting and Reporting by Charities – Statement transparency in the coming year. of Recommended Practice’, now known as ‘SoRP 2005’. The terms ‘reserves’ has a variety of technical and ordinary meanings, depending on the context in which it is used. As in SoRP 2005, the Association uses the term ‘reserves’ (unless otherwise indicated) to describe that part of income that is freely available for general purposes. ‘Reserves’ are therefore the resources the charity has or can make available to spend for any or all the charity’s purposes once it has met its commitments and covered its other planned expenditure. The Association’s reserves at year-end 2005/06 stood at £652,875.

08 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 The Association’s reserves policy is derived from a risk assessment of the annual 5.6 Investment policy income and expenditure. This assessment specifies the minimum level of readily The Trustees have the power to invest in such investment, securities or property available reserves required to cover employer-related costs, such as redundancies, as they see fit, subject to any restrictions imposed by law. The Association took a and other commitments during an unforeseen period of difficulty, such as a sudden decision in March 1994 to maintain an ethical investment portfolio. This was further and unexpected decline in membership. Specifically, trustees are charged with reviewed in 2002 with some additional consideration in 2004/05. The Trustees were retaining a sufficient reserve of funds to enable the running down of the Association unanimous that any company associated with armaments, nuclear issues and over a period of one year should members vote to discontinue the Association or pornography should be completely avoided. It was also agreed that the human rights it prove no longer (financially or otherwise) viable. A minimum fund of £150k must and environmental records of companies should be taken into consideration. The be set aside to cover staff, office and related services over one year. This follows Association has stipulated a range of concerns on these matters as well as the ethics the recommended good practice for charities to keep a minimum in reserve for this of general employment and investment practices of companies and these have been purpose equivalent to 3 month’s worth of expenditure for the Group communicated to the Association’s ethical advisors (Ethical Screening) who assist the (the BSA and BSA Publications Limited). Association and trustees in considering ethical issues relating to investment. The net increase in investments at 30th September 2006 was £19,932. Our portfolio Additional reserves are maintained as designated funds (see below) to ensure that has remained stable (with very small positive growth) from the previous year compared the possibility of acquiring premises by purchase remains an available option (the with the benchmark index (the FTSE Private Investor Balanced Index) which has Association currently occupies rented premises), and to meet the costs of one-off changed by 17.7%. planned expenditure on specified projects and any unforeseen contingencies. 6. Future Plans 5.5 Designated and restricted funds The Association’s reserves make mention of both designated and restricted funds, The Association enters the financial year 2006/07 in good financial health and in a the latter being funds that the Association is prevented from disposing of other than strong position to continue to pursue its aims, objectives and mission statement. The as instructed. Until recently a sum to support the Association’s annual Philip Abrams Alinear organisational review initiated in the year under review will be taken forward in Book Prize was entered under restricted funds. The original sum provided to establish the coming year and the Association is committed to seeing its structures and working the prize has now expired; the Association remains committed to the annual award practices shaped as fit for purpose. 2007 will see the publication of the launch volume of the prize, and to enable this amounts are transferred from unrestricted funds. of Cultural Sociology, a new BSA journal also published with Sage Publications. A substantial proportion of the Association reserves also appear in the accounts Advance subscriptions for this new journal have been extremely promising; Sage have as funds designated for property purchase, a possibility the Association has been received close to 2000 requests for a free inspection copy of volume one issue one. considering closely over the last two years. The Association looks forward to its 2007 annual conference, ‘Social Connections’, to be hosted at the University of East London. The conference theme and program have already generated considerable interest. The Association is committed to developing strategies for postgraduate development and support in 2007 and will be exploring the viability of, and alternatives to, its annual Summer School.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 09 ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION 2006 Financial Summary This financial summary uses data extracted from the 2006 accounts, audited by Baker Tilly, and reflects the fact that charity regulations require the accounts to consolidate information about the charity and its trading subsidiary BSA Publications Limited. BSA Publications Limited donated (via gift aid) the sum of £171,707 to the charity, resulting in a net movement in funds for the consolidated Group (the charity and the trading subsidiary) of £153,905

Where the Money Came From Where the Money Was Spent 3% 1% 2% Committee Support Fund Investment Income Costs 2% 2% 3% Sage Development Fund 21% Income from other Other Study Staff Study Groups Groups 4% 15% Professional BSA Annual Fees Conference Income 47% Journal 4% Network 11% Subscriptions Sociology 3% Group Costs DVD 13% Medical 24% Sociology Journal Costs Group Income 19% 16% Membership 10% Annual Conference Costs Subscriptions BSA Operating Costs (Premises, post, IT, etc)

10 FINANCIAL SUMMARY THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 Membership Summary Financial Year-end Membership Totals Comparative Financial Year-end Figures 2003/2004/2005/2006

3000 2,500

2,000 Key 2500 1,500 2003 2004 2005 2006

1,000 2000 500

1500 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Total Members New Members Lapsed Members

Members Members BY GENDER by Gender AND and AGE Age 600 Key 500 400 Male Female 300 200 100 0 18-24 25-34 35-49 50+ Not Supplied

MEMBERSHIP SUMMARY 11 ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION Members Overseas Members in Britain

38% 47% 85% 10% Rest of World Europe England Scotland

4% Wales

1% Northern Ireland

15% North America/Canada

12 MEMBERSHIP SUMMARY THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 Members by Category Subscriptions Method of Payment 0.3% Corporate 1.5% 0.2% BACS/Cash/Postal Order 1.5% Honorary Members Non UK 2 1% 2.5% 32% Standing Non UK 3 UK Concessionary Order 37.5% Credit/Debit Card 4% Non UK 1

4.5% UK Retired

6% UK Standard B 21% UK Higher

12% UK Standard A 30.5% 29.5% Direct Debit 16% Cheque UK Standard C

MEMBERSHIP SUMMARY 13 ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION BSA Honorary Membership Support Fund

In 2001 the BSA celebrated its 50th year as a learned society, having worked to The BSA Support Fund’s purpose is to support members living in the promote sociology and represent sociologists in Britain since 1951. It has been UK who are unwaged or in low paid part-time work. Postgraduate supported in this work by members, some of whom have been with the BSA since members who are unwaged or who have no research grants are eligible its earliest days. The Association is keen to recognise the continued contribution to apply. The maximum award to an individual in any one financial year of its most longstanding members, to which end a new ‘honorary’ membership is £150. The majority of funds awarded are towards: category was introduced in 2004. Honorary Members receive all the regular • Travel and subsistence for subject related conferences mailings sent to ordinary members and have full voting rights. • Research and/or fieldwork • Thesis production costs The first members to receive this award were those members who joined the association prior to 1954 and who were in their 50th year (and plus) of During the financial period October 2005 – September membership in 2004. 2006 the Support Fund Committee comprised of:

Rebecca Barnes (Postgraduate Forum Convenor) 2004 Awards 2005 Awards 2006 Awards Kerrin Clapton (Postgraduate Forum Convenor) Joe A Banks* Philip Barbour Ronnie Frankenberg Brian Goldfarb (Immediate past Treasurer) Michael P Banton Samuel Waxman Tom Hall (Treasurer) John Arundel Barnes Ruth Lewis (Postgraduate Forum Convenor) Thomas J H Bishop Rob Mears (EC Postgraduate Liaison Officer) J Gabriel H Newfield David Mellor (Postgraduate Forum Convenor) Peter Brereton Townsend Emmanuelle Tulle (EC Postgraduate Liaison Officer) John H Westergaard

*deceased 13/11/2005

Donations Recieved (financial year-end 2006)

The BSA is grateful to the following members who donated additional funds towards the ongoing work of the Association: Ms Julia Davies Dawson Mr Ruben D Flores Sandoval Ms Yvonne Foster

14 MEMBERSHIP SUMMARY THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 Support Fund Summary Awards ranged from thesis production costs to attendance at the following conferences:

• ESA Conference, Torun, Poland, September 2005 48 members benefited; 18 individual members and 30 BSA Annual • Mestizajes Conference, Centre of Latin American Studies, Conference delegates. A total of £5,901.00 was awarded and allocated Cambridge, September 2005. from an annual budget of £6,000. • 3rd World Congress for the Sociology of Sport, Buenos Aires, December 2005 • PRASH Conference, University of Central Lancashire, January 2006. 50 Key • ‘Practising Spiritualities’ Conference, Lancaster, January 2006 • Latin American Studies Association Conference, Puerto Rico, Conference Support March 2006. • Sociology: Social Order(s) and Disorder(s), BSA Annual Conference, Harrogate 40 Research & Fieldwork International Centre, April 2006. • BSC/BSA One-day Conference, ‘Sex as Crime’ Conference, University of Central Thesis Production England, April 2006 30 • Elias in the Twenty-First Century Conference, , April 2006 • XVI ISA World Congress of Sociology, Durban, South Africa, July 2006

20 Research and fieldwork expenses to assist with the following projects:

• Analysis of children’s talent development in British tennis. 10 • Foreign brides in Taiwan: transition stories and changing identities.

Should you want to apply to the Support Fund for this year, application forms are available to download from the BSA website at: 2005/2006 www.britsoc.co.uk/students/SupportFund.html

SUPPORT FUND SUMMARY 15 ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION Communications Committee

The purpose of this committee is to promote sociology Media Strategy In the later half of 2006 we were delighted to launch the and the Association by communicating with members, Professor Ivor Gaber continues to work with the BSA to DVD The World of Sociology. A team from the University the wider academic community, and the diverse range of develop our strategic approach to media matters. Over of Glasgow worked with BSA members and sociologists groups and organisations interested in sociological work. the year he has also provided guidance on working with working in a range of contexts to explore the many ways This is the second year of the committee’s work and the media through briefing papers and workshops at the in which sociological work is relevant to social, political over the last 12 months we have focused our energies Annual and Medical Sociology conferences. and economic life. The DVD is aimed at sixth form and on three main areas of activities. first year undergraduate students, their parents, teachers We have been working to promote sociological work in and tutors. We will be promoting the DVD along with the Website the varied forms of media and to place stories rather leaflets for schools and colleges on what sociology is The website is increasingly important to communicating than wait for enquiries. This strategy is bearing fruit and and how to study it. The next generation of sociologists with members. Specialist advice and input has helped coverage of the 2006 Annual and Medical Sociology are out there and we hope to support their educational us to refine the website and work is ongoing to review conferences was positive and wide spread. and career development. images and content. The members’ area is used by a growing number of colleagues and the archive of The regional media is one important way of getting Linda McKie journals is a valued service. your research findings to non-academic audiences. Chair of the Communications Committee Workshops on this were held at the Universities of In 2006 we launched pages on Media and Research Aberdeen and Warwick. At both events, representatives Enquiries, directing external queries to experts in BSA of print and broadcast media shared information on study groups. A contact list facility provides information their search for stories, and how social scientists can related to 230 topic areas. These were drawn from approach them. Ivor Gaber followed up presentations Membership of the Committee a survey undertaken with study group convenors. with a practical workshop. Further events are planned Linda McKie (Chair) University centres of specialism are also listed. Early for 2007/8. John Brewer (Consultations) feedback indicates that academic, policy and media Deborah Brown (BSA Membership Secretary) users find these pages useful and highly informative. News and Information Mark Freestone (Website) Network is going from strength to strength. The nature Events listing pages are also proving popular. Links to and quality of content reflects the enthusiasm of the Ivor Gaber (Media consultant) further information for conferences and meetings are editorial team, members who submit copy, and the Victoria Gosling (Network editor) helping to create a one-stop shop for publicity health of the discipline more generally. The Editorial Tom Hall (BSA treasurer) and bookings. Team of Network, the Executive and Communications Eric Harrison (Media liaison) Committees continue to work closely to support Gayle Letherby (BSA Chair) each other and ensure a flow of relevant information Libby Marks (BSA Publications Manager) to members. Judith Mudd (BSA Executive Officer) Donna Willis (BSA Website and IT Officer)

16 COMMITTEE REPORTS THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 Conferences and Events Committee

This is the second year that this Sub-Committee of the Executive has operated. provision to name a few. Oversight of progress on the 2007 Conference at University It continues to meet virtually, and this year has had one joint meeting with the of East London, and early plans for 2008 at Warwick, feature on most agendas. Communications Committee in order to consider publicity and media opportunities around a number of important events within the Association this year. This year sees a number of important events around our journals. There are two anniversaries: Sociology is 40 and Work Employment and Society is 20, and we are There was a slight change in membership with Rob Mears (Postgraduate Liaison) launching the new journal Cultural Sociology. The latter will be launched at the 2007 joining the committee and David Miller and Jo Van Every leaving. Jo made invaluable conference, and there will be a number of anniversary events throughout the year. contributions to the committee and thanks go to her. In addition, Nicola Gibson, the BSA Conference Manager left the Association and, from October, we welcomed Liz The Committee will continue to consider how conferences and events can both be a Jackson, who was immediately plunged into work for the 2007 Conference. membership service and meet the aims of the Association in promoting our discipline within academia and in the wider external context. In doing so we are indebted to the We learned late in the year that our joint bid with the British Society of Criminologists support of our Executive Officer Judith Mudd, Conference Manager Liz Jackson, as to the ESRC Researcher Development Initiative to fund summer schools and other well as Publications Manager Libby Marks, all of whom have worked hard to ensure regional training events was unsuccessful. This was disappointing given we had hoped this aspect of the Association’s work continues to be a success. to expand our activities in providing training events across career stages. While there is likely to be another round of bidding in 2007, we have decided to review training Barbara Harrison needs and provision before we go forward another time. This decision was taken also Chair of Conference and Events Committee because our Postgraduate Summer School scheduled in 2006 was cancelled due to insufficient uptake. We are asking our Postgraduate Forum and members more widely for their views on what they would want from possible future provision under BSA Membership of the Committee auspices. Barbara Harrison (Executive Committee, Chair) Much of the Committee’s work is taken with overseeing the Annual Conference of Jeff Hearn (Membership) the BSA, this last year held for the first time outside an academic institution at the Liz Jackson (BSA Confererence Manager) Harrogate Conference Centre. Evaluations suggested this was popular with many Rob Mears (Executive Committee) although others found travel difficult. There are numerous issues which any conference Judith Mudd (BSA Executive Officer) raises that the committee has considered: budgets, venues, future conference themes, Iain Wilkinson (Executive Committee) withdrawal rates and ‘no-shows’ of paper givers, media coverage, postgraduate Chris Yuill (Executive Committee)

COMMITTEE REPORTS 17 ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION Publications Committee

It has been another hectic year for the BSA Publications Committee. Our broad remit is to guide the activities of BSA Publications Ltd, the company that owns the journals Sociology and Work, Employment and Society and has a share in Sociological Research Online and Cultural Sociology. We meet four times a year and typically find ourselves dealing with a diverse range of matters from the intricacies of our online submission software; to journals’ policy; monitoring financial accounts; contributing to the development of marketing activities; and ensuring that the committee is abreast of developments in the publishing industry that affect the future of our publishing portfolio. The 40th anniversary for Sociology will be celebrated with a special issue of the journal – Sociology and its Public Face(s) – edited by John Holmwood and Our remit always results in long agendas and heavy workloads that simply could not Sue Scott, and this will be followed by annual special issues of the journal from be managed without the commitment of our Publications Manager and the Journals’ 2008 onwards. WES will mark their anniversary at the WES conference to be Editors and Chairs who join the four BSA Trustees in making up the Publications held at the University of Aberdeen, 12th-14th September 2007, an opportunity Committee. Similarly, our excellent relationship with Sage ensures that we have to reflect on the journal’s development and successes over the past twenty publishing industry input and can build a strong platform for our strategic and practical years. Not yet even in print Cultural Sociology has already distinguished itself decision making. Throughout all this, our aim is the continued success of our journals with the highest ever number of registrations for a free trial recorded by Sage, for the benefit of BSA members specifically and of the sociological community and is rapidly achieving the submission rate of a long established journal. more generally. As all our journals record such outstanding success we are excited to This year it is a tremendous pleasure to reflect on that success as we celebrate forty announce that 2007 will see the establishment of an annual Sage prize for years of BSA publishing. The first issue ofSociology appeared in 1967, followed each of our journals, awarded for innovation and excellence in the previous twenty years later by the first issue ofWork, Employment and Society in 1987 and year. (Full details to be found in Network, and in each of our journals in due to be joined this year by the first issue ofCultural Sociology. This sustained success course). in the difficult climate of academic publishing is something that all of us in the Association should be tremendously proud of. For this we must thank all the Editors, Despite all this, we cannot afford to be complacent. The world of academic Editorial Board members, referees and authors – past and present – whose vision and publishing is changing rapidly particularly in relation to electronic opportunities hard work have made our journals what they are today. and proposals for alternative models of publishing such as institutional

18 COMMITTEE REPORTS THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 repositories and open access. From 2007, the Publications Committee has Membership of the Committee expanded its annual Strategy Meeting to a full day, to make sure that we take these developments into full account in planning the future of BSA Publications Ltd. In Susan Halford (Executive Committee / Co-Chair) the meantime, we are working with our publisher and our Editors to maintain high David Inglis (Executive Committee / Co-Chair) standards and explore ways of reaching even higher – for example, through the recent Abby Day (Executive Committee / Vice-Chair) reader survey carried out by Sociology and by working with Sage on strategies to Bella Dicks (Executive Committee / Vice-Chair) drive up usage and increase citations. Alan Aldridge (Chair, Sociology editorial board) Rose Barbour (Co-Editor, Sociological Research Online)

Finally, the Publications Committee is working to increase the wider profile of BSA Graham Crow (Co-Editor, Sociology) journals. This year we have been working with Sage to reach a wider public through Susan Eley (Co-Editor, Sociological Research Online) the press and with the Sociologists Outside Academia Group to improve wider access Libby Marks (BSA Publications Manager) to and involvement in our publications. Catherine Pope (Co-Editor, Sociology) Helen Rainbird (Co-Editor, WES)

Susan Halford and David Inglis Mike Rose (Co-Editor, WES) Co-Chairs of the Publications Committee

COMMITTEE REPORTS 19 ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION registering for free access to Volume 1, Number 1 has topped 2000, the largest number Cultural Sociology of people subscribing to such an offer that Sage have ever recorded.

Editors: David Inglis and Andrew Blaikie Moreover, in the twelve months since the journal opened for business at the start of (University of Aberdeen) February 2006, more than 120 papers have been submitted. A significant proportion North American Editor: Robin Wagner-Pacifici of these have been from the UK and the USA, as one might expect, but one striking (Swarthmore College, USA) aspect of submissions so far are their globality, with pieces being received from Review Editors: Garry Crawford (University of Salford) and countries such as Israel, Poland, India and Singapore, to name just a few. Our hope Jessica Evans (Open University) is that the journal can not only significantly help stimulate inter-cultural dialogue on Board members: 17 Editorial board members cultural sociological issues, but can also augment and heighten the already very 39 International Advisory board members important contributions British sociology brings to the world sociological community. Issues per year: 3 issues per year (March, July and November)

A great deal of behind the scenes work goes into developing, launching and running a journal, and this is a good opportunity to thank all of those who have made the The year 2007 sees the launch of the BSA’s latest major publishing project, the journal possible. Robert Rojek, Katie Sayers and Cheryl Merritt at Sage have provided journal Cultural Sociology. It’s remit is to publish empirically-oriented, theoretically invaluable help and support in developing the project. Libby Marks, Publications sophisticated, methodologically sound papers, which explore from a broad set of Manager at the BSA, has been a vital source of knowledge as to how journals operate, sociological perspectives a diverse range of cultural forces and phenomena. as have been colleagues from the BSA’s Publications Committee. Meryl Aldridge and Tim Strangleman, who were charged by the BSA Executive Committee to begin the The launch of the journal comes at a very fortuitous time. Never before has ‘’ process of developing the journal, contributed much time and energy in getting the been quite such an important area of concern within sociology in a wide range of project off the ground. The Editors are very grateful to all these people, and many national, international and transnational contexts, and this is perhaps especially so in others, for helping make Cultural Sociology the central scholarly resource we think it Britain, where the ‘cultural turn’ has had a very marked impact on sociological thinking will be. and research practice. The journal both is a product of such developments, and also is intended to meet the scholarly needs and interests created by them. Its prime Personal subscriptions to Cultural Sociology are available to BSA members for the purposes are to act as a central forum for key debates in the sociology of culture, to substantially discounted rate of £15 (usual price £40). push those debates forward, and to be a central resource for all scholars interested in See www.britsoc.co.uk/publications/CUS for details. what sociology can tell us about the multiple features of cultural life. David Inglis and Andrew Blaikie The journal would seem to be very eagerly awaited by large numbers of scholars Co-Editors, Cultural Sociology across the world. The BSA’s publisher, Sage, reports that the number of people

20 JOURNAL REPORTS THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 enforce the maximum word limit of 8000 words and to reduce the burden of rejecting Sociological Research Online papers by referees. The rejection rate in 2006 is consistent with 2005.

Management Editors: Rosaline Barbour (University of Dundee) and Susan Eley (University of Stirling) The BSA is one of the four management consortium partners that oversee the Review Editor: Edwin van Teijlingen (University of Aberdeen) and Anne Holohan (Trinity College, Dublin) production of the journal alongside the University of Surrey, the University of Stirling Chair of Management Board: Nigel Gilbert (University of Surrey) and SAGE Publications. We are delighted that SRO will be able to offer the SAGE Chair of Editorial Board: Gayle Letherby () Prize for Innovation and Excellence and that this will be presented at the BSA Board members: 10 Management board members, 46 Editorial board members Annual Conference. Issues per year: In 2006, 4 issues per year (March, June, September and December) Submissions In 2006 SRO continued to publish wide ranging work, from re-examination of classical Sociological Research Online continues to publish high quality sociological articles, theory through to scholarly commentaries on contemporary issues, from a healthy mix focusing on theoretical, empirical and methodological discussions that engage with of established authors and experienced researchers. current political, cultural and intellectual topics and debates, as an electronic refereed journal. Volume 11 (2006) A total of 42 papers were published in volume 11, of which 24 papers were published Editors and Editorial Board in the General Section with two short peer reviewed articles relating to current events. We would like to thank the previous editorial team, Amanda Coffey and Nicola Green, Two linked collections of scholarly papers on intimacy were published in the Special who completed their term as Editors at the end of 2005. The transition to the new Sections on ‘Families, Intimacy and Social Change’, guest edited by Lynn Jamieson editors has been smooth thanks to the support of the SRO team of Catherine Ternant and ‘Intimacy Beyond the Family’, guest edited by Alison Anderson and Elizabeth in the Editorial Office, Edwin van Teijlingen and Anne Holohan, Book Review Editors, Ettorre. One call was publicised in December 2006 for a Special Section Nigel Gilbert and the Management Board, and Gayle Letherby and the Editorial Board. on ‘Methodology and LGBT’ people in which the we will be joined by Bob Cant as guest editor. We continue to welcome articles for all in the international We would like to warmly thank the Editorial Board members who retired in 2006 and sociological community. thank the Editorial Board of over 40 scholars who were supportive of the move to publish six issues of SRO per year from Volume 12 (2007). They continue to meet the www.socresonline.org.uk pressing demands of writing referee reports within 10 days. In response to the growing number of submissions in 2006 (122 compared to 101 in 2005 and 75 in 2004), the Rosaline Barbour and Susan Eley editors have been using epress to screen papers prior to sending them out to review, Co-Editors, Sociological Research Online to offer supportive feedback to authors to develop their work for publication, to

JOURNAL REPORTS 21 ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION Sociology

Editors: Graham Crow (University of Southampton) A session on ‘Perfect Peer Review’ was held at the BSA conference 2006 and and Catherine Pope (University of Southampton) was well attended by Board referees and those who were considering undertaking Review Editors: Wendy Bottero reviewing for the journal or standing for the Boards in the future. (University of Manchester) and Derek McGhee (University of Southampton) Special Issues Chair of Editorial Board: Alan Aldridge The special issue 2007, reflecting on sociology’s past, present and future entitled (University of Nottingham) ‘Sociology and its Public Face(s)’, is in progress. This has been guest edited by John Board members: 24 Editorial board members Holmwood and Sue Scott. 24 Associate board members 10 International Advisory board members A call for submissions to the special issue for 2008, to be edited by the current editors, Issues per year: 6 issues per year on the theme of ‘Sociology and the future of the research relationship’ has opened and (February, April, June, August, October a large number of applications for a further special issue for 2009 have been received and December) by the Board.

Looking ahead As part of the continuing efforts to engage the readership of the journal the editors This has been an exciting year for the journal, encompassing the 40th anniversary of have assisted the design of an online questionnaire, hosted by our publishers, Sage, Sociology. This will be marked by a special issue (41.5 – October 2007) and events at to obtain views of the readership. This will be augmented by focus group research the BSA and ESA Conferences in 2007. during 2007. In addition the Editors have opened dialogue with the newly established Sociologists Outside Academia group of the BSA to see how the journal meets the Editorial and Associate Board needs of this group. The editorial team continue to welcome suggestions about how We owe a debt of thanks to the Editorial and Associate Boards of the journal who do the journal might be improved. sterling work behind the scenes reviewing papers for us and thereby contribute to the continuing high standards set by the journal. We especially thank the chair of the Graham Crow, Catherine Pope, Derek McGhee and Wendy Bottero Editorial Board, Alan Aldridge for his continued support in the past year. Editorial Team, Sociology

22 JOURNAL REPORTS THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 Work, Employment and Society (WES)

refereed. This is especially important for an inter-disciplinary journal and means that Editors: Helen Rainbird (University of Birmingham) all papers are read by the editors prior to their allocation to referees. The editors are and Mike Rose (University of Bath) monitoring submission rates and the impact they have on board workloads. They are Debates and Controversies Editor: also enforcing word limits more rigorously. In order to make the best use of our board Irena Grugulis (University of Bradford) Review Editor: Anne Munro (Napier University) members’ time, and the WES page allocation, a maximum word limit of 8000 per Board members: 24 Editorial board members article is strictly enforced. 10 International Advisory board members Issues per year: 4 issues per year Codification of working practices (March, June, September and December) We are working with the editorial board and WES liaison officer, Bella Dicks, on the codification of journal working practices and a document has been produced.

Conference Editorial team The next WES conference will be hosted by the University of Aberdeen on 12th-14th The Editorial Team is as described above. In September 2005 a Search Committee September 2007. Professor Jeff Hyman, a former member of the Editorial Board, is for the new editorial team for 2008-2010 was set up, chaired by Sarah Vickerstaff. An leading the organising team and has become a co-opted member of the Board. election was held in autumn 2006 and the new editorial team will be announced soon. BSA Publications Manager, Libby Marks, based in Durham, assists the team. Manuscript Central Manuscript Central is an online manuscript submission system. It was introduced Editorial Board for WES in January 2005 and had processed over 460 submissions by the middle of WES continues to be a successful and influential journal. The board is made up of 24 February 2007. The first papers to be accepted for publication through the electronic committed individuals with a good spread of expertise, as well as the editorial team. refereeing system appeared in volume 20(2) in June 2006. WES only use board referees, ensuring the quality of reviews and continuing the collegiate ethos that makes WES such an enjoyable journal to be involved with. As we reported last year, there have been difficulties in providing the editors with an overview of all the papers in the system and to present this in digest form, which the However, this also means that editorial board members can have a heavy workload, BSA Publications Manager has worked hard to resolve. There are still some occasional amounting to an average of 15 papers to referee in 2006. With this in mind, the blips but generally is running smoothly. editors have been using the facility to screen papers prior to sending them out to review to ensure that only those papers which stand a real chance of acceptance are Mike Rose, Helen Rainbird, Irena Grugulis and Anne Munro Editorial Team, Work, Employment and Society

JOURNAL REPORTS 23 ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION Network has continued to emphasise the diversity of its membership and has faced many challenges in its attempts to represent its large and varied readership in so few pages a year. This has at times been challenging as historically there has been a lack of submissions from members outside of the Network team. Nevertheless the team

Newsletter of the British Sociological Association have continued to actively seek out and encourage other BSA members to become involved and contribute to Network.

Editor: Victoria Gosling (Nottingham Trent University) I would therefore like to take this opportunity to offer special thanks to the editorial Deputy Editor: Peter Rogers (University of Manchester) team who have worked very hard this year to ensure that Network has maintained its Book Review Editor: Esther Dermott (Bristol University) high standards in both content and quality. In particular I would like to extend those Editorial Team: Sara Edwards, Max Farrar, Nic Groombridge, David Morgan, Yvette Taylor thanks to anyone who has written something for Network or contributed in any way Issues per year: 3 (Spring, Summer, Autumn/Winter) to the publication’s continued success this year. We were pleased to receive more unsolicited submissions than in recent years and we look forward to receiving more submissions in the coming year. Network is the British Sociological Association newsletter and is available to all BSA members whether retired, undergraduate or postgraduate students, academics, In 2006/07 the newsletter has covered many important themes relevant to BSA practitioners and anyone else interested in sociology. It is one of the BSA’s key readers including the highs and lows of the 2006 BSA annual conference, and publications acting as a main source of communication for all BSA members and interviews with a variety of influential sociologists. We have played a key role in promoting the BSA’s work and activities. In particular Network continues to provide promoting member publications and in particular have followed and supported the sociologists with key information and announcements relevant to them including launch of the new BSA journal Cultural Sociology, as well as promoting study group conference notices, the latest news in sociology and the opportunity to express their news and events. We have dedicated a substantial number of our pages over the views on recent happenings and trends in the discipline. past year to non-BSA related news and events such as a report on the benefits of funding and discussion of the pros and cons of the RAE. We have In 2006/7 the editorial team has continued its dedication to both the development also published the views of our members on topics as diverse as bootlegging, science of content and the overall quality of the publication whilst continuing to formalise fiction, media exposure, dyslexia and condolence books. Such varied submissions the editorial procedures and internal workings of the magazine, adding to its overall ensure that the content of Network continues to be lively, up-to-date and relevant to as quality. In particular this year the role of a book review editor has been implemented many members as possible. which has further strengthened the internal organisation. In addition this year’s conference was the first to host a promotional, staffedNetwork stand with the aim of Victoria Gosling encouraging suggestions and comments from delegates. Editor, Network

24 NETWORK THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 NETWORK 25 ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION Postgraduate Forum

The Postgraduate Forum is a network of BSA members currently doing postgraduate The Postgraduate Forum at the BSA Annual Conference 2006 research in sociology. They meet regularly to discuss issues pertaining to The 2006 BSA annual conference witnessed four very successful postgraduate forum postgraduate research, and share their experiences in academia. There are currently events. Each year there is an open meeting for Forum members at the conference. In more than 450 members. 2006, in addition to this meeting, postgraduates welcomed the opportunity to debate a talk given by Tom Hall on ‘the future of Public Sociology’. Three very successful The Forum is organised by a team of convenors whose role is to ensure that student Postgraduate Workshops were also held: members of the Association are kept up to date with matters of specific interest to • Personal Reflections on the PhD Journey (presented by Emma Christie) them, and to facilitate contact between student members and with members of the • ’This is very much work in progress’: Presenting at conferences and dealing with BSA Executive Committee. During the year the convenors: Professor Ego (by Dr Alan Aldridge) • circulate information to other postgraduates via the Postgraduate Forum • A panel session focused on ‘Getting Published’ (presented by Dr David Inglis, email distribution list Dr Susan Halford and Professor Graham Crow). • keep the Postgraduate Forum pages of the BSA website up to date • make contributions to Network Current activities and plans for 2007 • assist with the processing of BSA Support Fund applications by joining the panel of 2006 has been a busy an interesting time for us as postgraduate convenors. Amongst members who grant awards from the Fund other things, we have recently conducted a series of focus groups with postgraduate • help organise postgraduate workshops and events at the BSA Annual Conference members and hope to use the findings from these to inform our activities for the • represent the interests of postgraduate members at Executive Committee meetings coming year.

Convenors We are always looking for information relevant to postgraduate members, ideas There was a change of Postgraduate Forum convenors during 2006, with Becky for future events and for articles. We are also like to hear your views on any issues Barnes and David Mellor stepping down from their posts towards the end of the year. relevant to the BSA. Please email your comments and suggestions to us at: Samantha. From January 2007, two new convenors, Lara Killick from Loughborough University [email protected], [email protected], l.killick@lboro. and Sam Caslin, from the University of Manchester, have been appointed. The two ac.uk or [email protected] new convenors will be joining Kerrin Clapton and Ruth Lewis, both from the University of Edinburgh, in running the forum. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Sam Caslin, Kerrin Clapton, Lara Killick, Ruth Lewis Becky and David for their efforts on behalf of the BSA, and to wish them every Co-convenors of the Postgraduate Forum success in the future.

26 POSTGRADUATE FORUM THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 Our response covers four main themes or issues, all of which relate to the Commission’s Race Forum first question about the meaning of integration and cohesion. 1. The political context of race and multicultural issues in the UK today. (and Race and Ethnicity Study Group) 2. The importance of socio-economic inequalities and life chances on social cohesion. 3. The need to consider both material and symbolic forms of inclusion and exclusion. Our aim is to advise the BSA on race and diversity issues and to organise educational 4. The importance of the local settlement and local definition of cohesion activities in the field of ‘race’ and ethnicity. and integration.

The BSA Race Forum is an analytical social hub for challenging racialised formations. A link to our full response can be found at: The forum intervenes in public and academic debates on ‘race’ and ethnicity. Our http://www.britsoc.co.uk/about/RaceForum.htm activities aim to pool together researchers and practitioners from different fields. We are particularly keen to build on our existing links with international groups and After 7/7 - A Panel Discussion networks. The Race Forum also acts in an advisory capacity to the BSA on race and Wednesday, 15th February 2006. Goldsmiths College, University of London. equality issues. Forum members also organise the BSA Race and Ethnicity Study The BSA Race and Ethnicity Study Group in collaboration with the new Xenos research Group which contributes to the BSA annual conference, and organises its own initiative (Dept of Sociology, Goldsmiths College) organised a panel of leading thinkers to conferences, seminars and workshops, usually in collaboration with other institutions consider the aftermath of the July 7 2005 bombings in London. and disciplines. Teaching Race In the past year, Race Forum and Study Group Tuesday 27th June 2006, London. key activities have included: The Study Group has worked intensively with the HE Academy’s subject group for sociology, and politics (C-SAP) over the past three years. Last year it Response to Commission on Integration and Cohesion co-organised with C-SAP a second conference on ‘teaching race’. The conference In December 2005 the Commission on Integration and Cohesion - which was set proceedings book is forthcoming. The first conference in this series gave rise to: Farrar, up under the new Department for Communities and Local Government - issued a M. & Todd, M. (Eds) (2006) Teaching ‘Race’ in Social Sciences - New contexts, New consultation document. This set out some issues and questions of concern to the Approaches. Birmingham: Higher Education Academy/C-SAP Commission and invited responses. Pierre Bourdieu in Algeria: Testimonies of Uprooting Members of the BSA Race Forum discussed this by email and some met in early Richard Hoggart Building (RHB), Kingsway Corridor, Goldsmiths, University of London. January 2007 to draft a response. This has been sent to the Commission. A photographic exhibition as part of the ESRC Seminar Series on ‘Thinking With Pierre Bourdieu in Algeria’, organised by Nirmal Puwar (Goldsmiths, BSA Race Forum), Les Back (Goldsmiths, BSA Race Forum), Azzedine Haddour (UCL) and Derek Robbins (UEL).

Max Farrar, Nirmal Puwar and Sanjay Sharma Co-Convenors of the Race Forum

RACE FORUM 27 ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION Study Groups

The BSA has more than forty study groups, each providing specialist networking and events for members. Encompassing a wide variety of sub-disciplines – from ageing to youth, leisure to work, reproduction to bereavement – there is a study group for you.

Current study groups are listed below. Study groups submitting an annual report •

Ageing, body and society • Race and Ethnicity Medical Sociology groups Animal / Human • Realism and Social Research • Medical Sociology – national group • Auto/Biography • Religion • London • Consumption Researching Students • North and East Midlands Disasters • Risk and Society • South West • Education Scottish Studies • Wales • Emotion Sexual Divisions • West Midlands • Environment Analysis Group • Cancer Family • Social and Public Policy • Death, Dying and Bereavement • Food/SCOFF Sociologists Outside Academia • Mental Health • Human Reproduction • Sport • Language and interaction • Theory Leisure and recreation • Urban Theory and Research • Lesbian • Violence Against Women • Media • Visual Sociology • Museums and Society • Weber Protest and Social Movements Work, Employment and Economic Life Youth •

28 STUDY GROUPS THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 Ageing, Body and Society Animal/Human Studies Group confirmed that there will be four themed sessions www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/AgeingBodyandSociety www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/AHSG and a total of thirteen human-animal related papers addressing the conference theme. Established: 2005 Established: 2006 • Rebecca Tipper (University of Manchester) is in Number of members: 190 Number of members: 41 the early stages of establishing a bibliographic Expenditure: NIL Expenditure: NIL and research project database for the group and Income: £89.54 Income: £189 mainstream BSA members. Moreover, she is looking into the possibility of creating a webpage for the Review of the year Aims Group. We currently have 190 members and a dedicated email Key aims of the AHSG include: discussion list: [email protected]. • create a specialist research/academic forum Concluding remarks and useful resources for specialists, mainstream The last six months has seen the successful launch Owing to recent appointment changes and terms of sociologists and colleagues working in cognate of the AHSG and the current membership numbers sabbatical, we haven’t organised a conference this year. disciplines reflect a growing interest in this area. The BSA Annual We have decided to organise a one-day conference • provide opportunities for networking and Conference is an important event to promote the Group every two years instead. We are in the process of putting interdisciplinary exchange and collaboration and its activities to a wider audience and will do much to together a one-day conference in conjunction with • identify gaps in the animal-human research agenda introduce non-specialists to the area. Surrey University. Details to follow. • raise the profile of animal-human related research in mainstream sociology. Convenor contact details Convenor contact details Dr Rhoda Wilkie Dr Azrini Wahidin Review of the year School of Social Science (Sociology) Reader in Criminology and Criminal Justice • The Group held its Inaugural meeting at the University University of Aberdeen Centre for Criminal Justice Research and Policy of Nottingham on the 26th of September 2006, [email protected] University of Central England in Birmingham which was co-hosted by the Institute for the Study Birmingham of Genetics, Biorisks and Society and the Centre for B42 2SU Applied Bioethics. [email protected] • Following a call for papers for the forthcoming BSA Annual Conference (2007) the conference organisers

STUDY GROUPS 29 ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION Auto/Biography of both owes a great deal to his work, as conference Disasters www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/43 organiser, reviews editor, Auto/Biography editor (for www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/45 many years) and general inspirer of writing on auto/ Established: 1992 biography. Michael will continue as Reviews Editor and Established: 2000 Number of members: 131 Treasurer. A day conference was held at the Institute of Number of members: no formal membership Expenditure: £6,083.73 Education in December on ‘Lives and Food and Drink’, Expenditure: NIL Income: £6,705.77 the Food / SCOFF study group members participated in Income: NIL the event which attracted over 30 delegates. In addition Review of the year to the above the study group held, with the Biography Review of the year 2006 was another important year for the Study Group. and Education Research Group at the University of The Disasters Study Group was established in 2000. It The Study Group journal, Auto/Biography, under the Southampton, a number of workshops and seminars has no formal membership as such but a large number editorship of Andrew Sparkes, has published some aimed at postgraduate students and research training of subscribers have joined its email discussion group outstanding articles and continues to raise its national provision. from around the world. The aim of the Group is to and international profile. The journal was promoted at encourage dialogue and discussion about issues to the 2006 BSA Annual Conference and the ‘meet the Convenor contact details do with disasters and their management. In particular editors’ event was well supported. Further study group Dr Gill Clarke it seeks to bridge the communication gaps within the events were held during the year including the annual Biography and Education Research Group emergency management community as well as between residential conference which returned to Leicester School of Education practitioners and academics interested in disaster University, 20 papers were presented on the theme University of Southampton research and experience. of ‘Documenting Lives’. The inaugural Phil Salmon Highfield Memorial Lecture was given by Caroline Knowles, Southampton The main activity remains an email discussion group Goldsmiths College, University of London on the topic: SO17 1BJ which is used by subscribers to discuss a wide range ‘Lives and Landscapes’. The ending of Michael Erben’s [email protected] of practical and philosophical issues. It also functions reign as convenor of the Auto/Biography Study Group as a source of information exchange and advice about and his retirement from Southampton University were events and activities within the disaster management marked with a presentation at the conference dinner. field, both in the UK and further afield. The continuing Michael has been closely associated with the Study prevalence of disasters, along with the need to bridge Group and its journal since 1992, and the success gaps between planning, response and research, means the Study Group continues to have an important role to play. New subscribers are asked to introduce

30 STUDY GROUPS THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 themselves by saying a little about their background and Family Study Group will include a panel discussion around ‘Marginalised interests. www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/FamilySG Mothers’ by Val Gillies and ‘Childcare, Choice and Class Practices’ by Ball and Vincent to provide a starting point In June 2006 a Disaster Studies Workshop was held Established: active since 1969 for a discussion of current directions in the sociology which attracted nearly 60 delegates and excellent Number of members: c 150 of the family. We would welcome any ideas for day presentations on: Linking Research, Practice and Expenditure: NIL workshops/conferences which would complement the Education in Disaster Management; Understanding Income: NIL family research activities already planned for 2007. and Managing Floods; and Emergency Services Perspectives. Another similar day is being considered Aims Convenor contact details given that such events offer opportunities to network The group aims to bring together researchers with a Esther Dermott and share details of current research projects in the field. sociological interest in any aspect of ‘family studies’. [email protected] The name does not reflect a desire to privilege ‘family’ Convenor contact details over other forms of personal relationships but to provide Julie Seymour For further information please contact the convenor Dr recognition of the apparent distinctiveness of the family. [email protected] Anne Eyre: [email protected] Review of the year To subscribe write to: The co-convenors of the group have changed to Esther [email protected] Dermott and Julie Seymour. On behalf of the group Human Reproduction members we would like to extend a considerable vote www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/49 of thanks to the previous co-convenors, Lynn Jamieson and Bren Neale and previously Jane Ribbens McCarthy Established: 1970s for their significant efforts and achievements over the Number of members: 110 past few years. This has no doubt contributed to the Expenditure: £2,525.26 considerable activity currently relating to family research Income: £2,910.00 across the UK as represented by the numerous study days and conferences which will have occurred during Aims the review period. As a result, a limited number of The study groups aims to promote the sociological study group activities have been planned. The Family study and understanding of human reproduction. Study Group will be meeting during the BSA Annual Conference on Saturday 14th April 11.30-13.00. This

STUDY GROUPS 31 ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION Review of Year Concluding remarks and interaction can be promoted and discussed. It Two events were held this year, both were successful. A study group meeting is planned for September 2007 also aims to act as a forum through which the profile At the Study Group’s Annual Conference sixteen oral in Liverpool at the BSA’s Medical Sociology Group of social scientific studies of language and interaction papers were presented in two streams. The conference Conference. This meeting provides members with can be communicated to the broader sociological and was attended by 32 national and international delegates. an opportunity to network and provides others with social scientific community. We have held and will The following provides a flavour of some of these: an opportunity to find out more about study group hold seminars and workshops about current work in activities. The 8th annual conference will be held on ethnomethodology, conversation analysis, discursive • Lesbian mothers and sons and the rejection of Thursday 13th December 2007. A new event on writing psychology, psycho-social studies, interactionism and separatism and publishing is planned for later in 2007. different varieties of ethnographic research in relation to • Late abortion in Britain culture, society and social interaction. The group is open • Irony and loss: parents’ orientation to grief following Convenor contact details to suggestions for activities, seminars and workshops the death of their baby Dr Sarah Earle from BSA members or, indeed, in collaboration with • ‘Making it all normal’: the role of the internet in [email protected] other study groups. problematic pregnancy • Sourcing stem cells in the abortion clinic Review of this year Language and Interaction We are currently organising a one-day seminar Activities www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/50 workshop on psycho-social approaches to the analysis A Study Group Meeting was held at the BSA Medical of ‘discourse type’ data. The main speaker will be Sociology Group Conference in September 2006. This Established: 1961 Professor Valerie Walkerdine. The seminar/workshop was well attended and attracted new members to the Number of members: 90+ will be held at the Cardiff School of Social Sciences this group. There was a lively discussion on writing and Expenditure: NIL year, details to follow. A recording of a previous BSA publishing opportunities within the sociology of human Income: NIL Language and Interaction Study Group seminar is also reproduction. available from the following URL Aims http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/schoolsanddivisions/ The 7th Annual Conference of the Study Group was During the 1980s the group brought together academicschools/socsi/news/new/bsa/audio.html held at Cranfield Management Development Centre in researchers from a number of disciplines to discuss Cranfield on Thursday 7th December 2006. methodological issues and present work in progress. Convenor contact details The aim of the group is to provide a forum through which William Housley matters related to research and the study of language [email protected]

32 STUDY GROUPS THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 Leisure and Recreation to encourage active membership. The group now has Lesbian www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/120 35 members. www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/51

Established: Re-established in 2005 In May 2006 the Centre for Scientific and Cultural Established: 1995 Number of members: 35 Research into Sport at Roehampton University hosted Number of members: 42 Expenditure: NIL the first meeting of the newly formed BSA Leisure and Expenditure: NIL Income: NIL Recreation Study Group entitled ‘Theorising Leisure: Income: NIL The Consumer Experience’. The reforming of the Aims Study Group after lying dormant for over ten years, Aims • To continue to re-establish a group of sought to bring together sociologists with an interest • To provide information and networking opportunities interested members in researching leisure consumption. We hope also to for lesbian academics • To organise a meeting of the Study Group (the first for publish an edited collection of papers after the study • To support researchers in lesbian sociology and inter several years) at the 2007 BSA annual conference group, which we hope will re-invigorate sociological disciplinary studies • To organise annual research meetings of the debates of leisure practice. In addition, a meeting of • To provide a channel of communication with the media Study Group the Study Group has been arranged for the 2007 in relation to lesbian sociology • To begin to re-establish ‘leisure’ as a key theoretical BSA conference. and substantive theme within sociology Review of the year • To consider the relationship between leisure studies We very much welcome any discussions or input in this Tamsin Wilton, Professor of Human Sexuality at UWE, and the RAE newly established study group and interested parties are died suddenly in April of this year. She had been a asked to get in touch with the convenor. member of the BSA lesbian study group for over 10 Review of the year years and had jointly edited (with Clare Farquhar) a This has been a very exciting year for this newly Convenor contact details special edition of Sexualities on lesbian issues. re-formed Study Group. Dr Emma Casey (Kingston Dr Emma Casey University, UK) took over as convenor of this study [email protected] Yvette Taylor, Newcastle University, was interviewed by group in June 2005. Prof Alan Tomlinson (Brighton Laurie Taylor on Radio 4 about her PhD research into University, UK) joined Emma as co-convenor in August working class lesbian lives. 2005. Prior to this, the Study Group was listed as defunct and had not met for several years. One of the key tasks of the Study Group, then, was to establish a new list of interested members in the first instance and

STUDY GROUPS 33 ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION Julie Fish, De Montfort University, published her first Medical Sociology: Social Contexts positively to a proposal to publish these papers as an book with Palgrave: Heterosexism in Health and of Death, Dying and Bereavement edited collection. Social Care. www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/MedSocDDB In this session the scope of the sub-group was Concluding remarks Established: 1991 discussed, with an overall consensus that the accessible The Lesbian studies group continues to function as an Number of members: 178 and informal atmosphere of the day symposium was email based group. It has been difficult to co-ordinate Expenditure: £467.50 one that was very important and should be kept for next regular meetings. Income: £240.00 year. There was also a brief debate on the visibility of the group, with an agreement that there is scope for the Convenor contact details Aims group to raise its profile through, for example, writing Dr Julie Fish The group seeks to promote and support work in the articles for Network. Senior Lecturer and Research Fellow fields of death, dying and bereavement which employs Social Work perspectives from the social sciences and to provide a Convenor contact details De Montfort University supportive venue for the presentation of interdisciplinary Professor Jenny Hockey Leicester research, especially by doctoral students. University of Sheffield LE1 9BH Department of Sociological Studies [email protected] Review of the year Elmfield Following on from recent years’ success in holding Northumberland Road annual seminars, the principle activity of the group this Sheffield year was to offer a one-day symposium in Sheffield S10 2TU in late November 2006. Attended by over 60 people from a wide range of backgrounds the day was a Dr Carol Komaromy huge success, with papers on a variety of research The Open University projects from early stage sociologists. There was Faculty of Health and Social Care much discussion on their individual topics, including Walton Hall the funeral home, memorialisation and suicide Milton Keynes commemoration, and a very productive panel-led MK7 6AA session at the end of the day on the future of the group. Open University Press has already responded very

34 STUDY GROUPS THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 Medical Sociology – London informally questioned, useful information about people Medical Sociology – Sociology of www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/MedSocLondon or happenings transmitted, and matters of recent Mental Health concern within the health and illness field (and well www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/MedSocMentalHealth Established: before 1985 beyond) discussed over food and drinks. Number of members: no formal membership Established: September 2004 Expenditure: £101.40 During the year Martin Hyde stood down as committee Number of members: 140 Income: NIL member since he was moving out of London: his past Expenditure: £170.00 efforts on behalf of the group are greatly appreciated. Income: NIL Aims Continuing members are Jacqueline Davies and Miranda To disseminate new sociological knowledge, and Leontowitsch (Treasurer): their work is much valued by Aims encourage contacts between those interested in medical us all. • Heighten the profile of study in the area of sociology of sociology in London and the South-East. mental health; We would like to thank the Florence Nightingale School • Provide a forum for the communication and discussion Review of the year of Nursing and Midwifery, and Kings College London for of work being carried out in the area; The London group continued to operate very supporting our meetings. • Facilitate networking and information-sharing between successfully in 2006/7. In the past year, our meetings those studying, or whose work or interests relate to, have once again been extremely wide ranging in Convenor contact details the sociology of mental health; content, with presentations on gender and the Richard Compton • Provide a forum of support for those interested in professionalization of hygiene; ethical issue in pre- [email protected] studying mental health and distress from a sociological implantation genetic diagnosis; contemporary social perspective; constructions of paedophila; depression in older • Provide a core of expertise in the area of sociology of women; Marx and the psychosocial dimension of mental health. health inequalities; Habermas and the user voice in mental health care; quantitative medical sociology; and Review of the year donor insemination programmes. Our aim is to include 2006 was another busy year for us as study group presenters at every stage of a medical sociological convenors, adding to our membership base; maintaining career, ranging from reports on Ph.D research in our web site (see: http://www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/ progress to the analyses of those in professorial MedSocMentalHealth.htm); editing (with Professor Anne positions. Each session ends with a social occasion Rogers) a journal publication arising from our 2005 in a convenient local venue where speakers can be annual event; and organising events.

STUDY GROUPS 35 ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION Two Study Group panel sessions were held at BSA Medical Sociology – national support group activities and, this year has funded the conferences as follows: www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/52 online Medical Sociology Register. This online resource • Social Capital and Mental Health, at the BSA Medical will replace the earlier register of Medical Sociologists in Sociology Group Conference (14-16 September, Established: 1970s Britain. It will be accessible via the BSA web pages and Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh). Number of members: c. 450 will be overseen by the Medsoc Committee. Expenditure: £80,229.39 • The Sociology of Mental Health: Continuity or Income: £90,045.21 Concluding remarks Change?, at the BSA Annual Conference This year saw the departure of Nicola Gibson from her (21-23 April, Harrogate International Centre). Aims post of Conference Manager at the BSA. Nicola has To foster the development of teaching and research in been heavily involved in organising the Annual Medsoc Members of the Study Group are also currently hosting the sociology of health and illness and communication Conference for a number of years and the committee an ESRC seminar series (see www.mhseminars.info/). between persons interested in these areas. were very sad to learn that she was moving to a new We held an AGM at the Medical Sociology Group job, we were also worried that we would be unable to conference in September, which proved useful for Review of the year cope without her at Heriot Watt. In the event, Nicola’s reviewing and planning activities, and for attracting The 38th Annual conference was held at Heriot Watt extensive forward planning and organisation enabled us new members. University, Edinburgh and was attended by 244 to carry off the conference like professionals; however, people, 26 from overseas including: Australasia, South she was missed by both the committee and delegates Convenor contact details America, Mainland Europe and North America. 64 alike. Shortly after the conference Liz Jackson was Lydia Lewis people identified themselves as either newcomers or appointed as Conference Manager and the committee Department of Sociology postgraduates. There were 166 oral presentations, would like to extend to her a very warm welcome University of Warwick 2 plenary presentations (Robert Dingwall and Linda to Medsoc. Coventry McKie), 7 workshops (including the publishing [email protected] workshop) and 5 posters presented. Convenor contact details Gillian Bendelow (Department of Sociology, School of Louise Woodward The Phil Strong Prize was awarded to Kerry Jones, Science and Cultural Studies, University of Sussex) and Research Programme Organiser (Mental Health) University of Bristol and the Sociology of Health and Nina Hallowell ( Public Health Sciences, & Medical Sociologist Illness Book prize was awarded to Iain Wilkinson for his University of Edinburgh) R&D Department, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS book Suffering: A Sociological Introduction. Both [email protected] Trust Duncan Macmillan House, Porchester Road Nottingham, NG6 3AA The Group would like to thank the The Sociology of [email protected] Health and Illness Foundation which continues to

36 STUDY GROUPS THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 Medical Sociology – South West Medical Sociology – Wales Medical Sociology – West Midlands www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/MedSocSWGroup www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/MedSocWales www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/MedSocWestMidlands

Established: relaunched 2007 Expenditure: £91.99 Expenditure: £217.30 Number of members: Not known Income: NIL Income: NIL Expenditure: £28.14 Income: NIL Seminars Held: Review of the year 22nd November 2006 In 2006 the West Midlands Medical Sociology Group The SouthWest Regional MedSoc Group held a relaunch Dr. John Gabbay, University of Southampton held two events jointly with the Institute of Health event in January 2007. Our focus on the day was Depression or what? Mindlines, Communities of Practice at the University of Warwick. In May 2006 we held ‘What is Medical Sociology?’ which we attempted to and the Social Construction of Disease a postgraduate forum which focused on the social address through contributions from a sociological (Dr aspects of health, illness and medicine. The aim of the Oonagh Corrigan, University of Plymouth) and a medical Dr. Maria Barnes, Cardiff University forum was to provide postgraduates with a supportive (Dr Richard Ayres, Peninsula College of Medicine Depression and Stress: environment in which to share their ideas and discuss and Dentistry) perspective. In addition to two formal Why are they so common in South Wales? their work in progress. Postgraduates at Warwick were presentations all participants talked about their own active in peer reviewing abstracts and a number of work in relation to medical sociology. We also devoted 22nd March 2007 postgraduate speakers came to present a diverse range some time to the planning of future events and have Dr Sarah Li, & St. George’s Surrey of interesting and stimulating papers. As many people planned a regional conference in May 2007 and two Learning to do qualitative data analysis: an observational as possible were given the chance to present. This afternoon seminars in October 2007 and January 2008. study of PhD work was a half-day event and provided useful practice for presenting ideas to an audience of peers and supportive Convenor contact details Tessa Watts, Swansea University academics and also gave postgraduate students the Dr Anthony Gilbert ‘It’s just a hospital environment’: Shaping patients’ chance to meet people from other universities. It was University of Plymouth participation in decision-making in the hospice hoped that research students from across the region [email protected] would attend but in fact it attracted students from as far Convenor contact details: away as Plymouth. Professor Gayle Letherby Dr Sue Philpin University of Plymouth [email protected] The second event held jointly by the Group and the [email protected] Institute of Health was held in October 2006. Professor Dr Lesley Griffiths Gayle Letherby of the University of Plymouth was invited Mrs Mel Wright [email protected] University of Plymouth [email protected]

STUDY GROUPS 37 ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION to speak and her presentation was entitled ‘From PhD Media Dr Anne-Marie Kramer (University of Warwick) to PCT: reflections on research praxis’. Gayle reflected www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/121 ‘Women’s Rights, Medical Responsibility and the on the last 16 years of her research career, how auto/ Assessment of Risk: Pre-natal Testing in the biography often links with research topics, and the Established: 1999 Polish press’ ways in which motivations, choices and opportunities Number of members: 73 members have influenced her career to date. The event was on a Expenditure: NIL Dr Ros Gill (London School of Economics) Friday afternoon and we were very pleased with both the Income: NIL ‘Rewriting the Romance? Chick Lit and Postfeminism’ numbers who attended and the stimulating discussion which took place relating to both methodology and Aims Dr Stuart Price (De Montfort University) the substantive area of reproductive and non/parental The study group provides a supportive and open forum ‘Action, Utterance & Agency: Representations of identities, mothering and non-mothering. for research students, academics and practitioners, Gendered Behaviour in Contemporary Film whatever their age and stage, to discuss, share and and Television’ Overall we are pleased to have been able to facilitate disseminate research on the media. discussion between students interested in medical Concluding remarks sociology but aim to encourage further interest in joining Review of the year Our aims include increasing membership and running a the group this year. We will also be organising a further Membership continues to grow (10 new members series of workshop or seminar events. Please email the postgraduate forum to take place in the summer term. this year), with most new members making their initial convenor with suggestions for future meetings enquires through the study group section of the and events. For further information about future events please BSA website. contact Geraldine Brady on and or visit the BSA Medical A one day conference - Criminal Intent: Performance, Sociology Group website at www.britsoc.co.uk In addition to running a study group session at the Agency, Gender and the Drama of Mediated Crime – is annual BSA conference in April 2006 in Harrogate, the scheduled for Wednesday 23rd May 2007. This event Convenor contact details main event of the year was a well-attended one-day will be hosted by the Media and Politics Group, De Dr Geraldine Brady (Coventry University) ‘Gender and the Media’ workshop. This was a co- Montfort University and the BSA Sociology of Media [email protected] hosted event between the BSA Sociology of Media Study Group. Study Group and the Centre for the Study of Women Dr Caroline Vautier (Warwick University) and Gender, University of Warwick. Convenor contact details Dr Sharon Lockyer The workshop was held at the University of Warwick in [email protected] September 2006 and covered a range of topics from the politics of pre-natal testing, through to chick lit to gender in film and TV. There was also time for open discussion and networking. Speakers included:

38 STUDY GROUPS THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 Museums and Society • Meet & Greet session for members/potential members were four in the past year. Speakers included Martyn www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/53 held at BSA annual conference in Harrogate in April Hammersley, Dave Byrne, Malcolm Williams and Dave • Museums & City Seminar IWM North 15th Sept 2006 Elder Vass. The group also held a successful stream Established: 2001 meeting at the BSA Annual Conference. Number of members: 103 Concluding Remarks Expenditure: NIL The Museums and Society study group will continue to Activities Income: NIL present a series of one-day seminars or workshops on • Regular seminars various aspects of museums & society research. • Stream at Annual Conference Aims To provide a forum for the discussion of the museum as Convenor contact details Concluding remarks a site for sociological theorising and empirical research. Dr Gaynor Bagnall We have a problem of recruitment and commitment [email protected] shared by many study groups. The group has a core Review of Year membership, but it is difficult for academics these This year the Museums and Society study group has Dr Rhiannon Mason days to find the time for what many institutions regard continued to provide a forum for collaboration between [email protected] as extra-curricular activities. Nevertheless, the group university social scientists with museum interests and has maintained its regular seminars and is currently museum practitioners with an interest in the social negotiating to set up a debate session at the ESA sciences. The group has maintained its membership Realism and Social Research conference in Glasgow. The next meeting of the group throughout the year, and it has via email and the web www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/55 will be held at Birkbeck on May 31st at 2pm. site at the BSA provided members with information about current news and events. A meet and greet Established: 2004 Convenor contact details the convenors session was held at the BSA Annual Number of members: 28 Aoife O’Grady Conference in Harrogate in April. The highlight of the Expenditure: NIL Aoife O’[email protected] year was a well-attended, lively and successful seminar Income: NIL on Museums and the City which was held in Manchester Robert Carter at the Imperial War Museum North on 15th September Aims [email protected] 2006. The group has two chief aims: to review and develop realist social theory and to encourage realist social Activities research. • Information on current news and events circulated to members regularly throughout the year Review of the year The group continues to hold regular seminars at Birkbeck College, University of London and there

STUDY GROUPS 39 ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION Religion in June 2006, and Materializing Religion: Expression, Review of the year www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/ReligionSG Performance and Ritual, edited by Elisabeth Arweck, Three Study Group meetings were held this year, and William Keenan, a book based on the group’s 2001 beginning with the launch at the April conference Established: 1975 conference, was published by Ashgate in August 2006. with Professor Ken Robert’s paper, Sociology and the Membership: 148 Present-Day University Student Experience in the UK. Expenditure: £3,128.33 Convenor contact details Professor David Jary and Dr Yann LeBeau compared Income: £2,442.39 Dr Peter Gee sociology students in five departments from their [email protected] ongoing ESRC project. Lively debate ensued when Aims Professor Miriam David disagreed with Professor To provide a forum in the UK for the sociological study of Roberts that there was a unitary student experience. Dr religion and to increase the profile of the sub-discipline Joyce Canaan then explored how lecturers’ pedagogic within sociology. Researching Students strategies can impact on students’ learning. www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/ResearchingStudents Review of Year Leeds University Medical School hosted a meeting in The growing interest in the social role of religion has Established: 2006 June combining an overview from Dr Carole Leathwood been reflected in the increasing membership of the Number of members: 42 on the feminising of HE in the 21st century with a study group and in the three successful events (two Expenditure: NIL consideration of this issue in medical education by conferences and a study day) held by the group during Income: NIL Professor Trudie Roberts and Sue Kilminster and by Dr. the year Alan Bleakley. Aims Activities • Encourage research that explores the 64,000 dollar Our October meeting at UCE Birmingham on the ‘F’- Annual conference on Religion and the Individual, Hulme question: what do students learn in HE—both in and word explored the effects of raised fees on student Hall, University of Manchester from 3 – 5 April. Reading outside the formal classroom; experiences, although Wes Streeting, V-P for Education Religion in Text and Context. Study Day, God Talk - In • Include students as researchers answering at NUS, emphasised NUS’s continuing opposition to Sociology & Theology, Heythrop College, London 18 this question; this and all fees. Professor Claire Callender reminded November. Tenth Annual Postgraduate Conference, • Bring research findings back to the classroom us of funding part-time study, while Esmee Hanna, Bristol, 22-24 February 2007. (through transforming HE pedagogy/curricula) to enable PhD Student at Leeds University, asked ‘What impact more engaged and critical learning and teaching do increased fees have upon students’ political Reflections of Faith and Practice, in Religious Materials, in future; involvement?’ edited by Elisabeth Arweck and Peter Collins, based on • Engage in the above activities in collaboration with the group’s 2003 conference was published by Ashgate the Society for Research into Higher Education’s ‘Student Experience Network’.

40 STUDY GROUPS THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 Concluding remarks and empirical reality of the ‘risk society’, we are also Scottish Studies This Study Group has had a promising start, with well- concerned to develop and promote a distinctively www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/58 attended and engaged events. We hope to include sociological perspective on risk. students more fully in future as indicated by the planned Established: re-launched 2005 February event, ‘Students as Producers of Knowledge’ Activities Number of members: circa 200 at the Reinvention Centre at Warwick University, in The group now contains 130 members. Last year’s Expenditure: NIL collaboration with Dr Cath Lambert and Professor annual conference was hosted by the Centre of Health Income: NIL Patrick Ainley. Service Studies at the University of Kent (with plenary presentations from Dr Tom Horlick-Jones, Professor Alan Aims Convenor contact details Petersen, and Professor John Tulloch). It took place in The BSA Scottish Studies Study Group is a forum for Dr Joyce Canaan, School of Social Sciences, Faculty conjunction with journal Health Risk and Society. Special disseminating sociological research that has a focus of Law, Humanities, Development and Society, UCE thanks go to Andy Alaszewski, Kirstie Coxon and Helen on some aspect of Scotland, its people, communities, Birmingham, Perry Barr, Birmingham B42 2SU, 0121 331 Wooldridge for all the hard work they put into ensuring culture or society. In particular (though not exclusively), 6201, [email protected] that this was a great social and academic success. This it aims to encourage the sharing of new research and year’s conference, on ‘Future Directions in the Study work in progress. of Risk’, will once again be hosted by the CHSS team at the University of Kent and will run between the 9th Review of the year Risk and Society to the 11th September. For further inquiries about this The study group had two main events during the past www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/RiskandSociety year’s conference please contact Kirstie Coxon on year, a seminar at the BSA’s 2006 annual conference [email protected]. For further information about the followed by a successful day-conference in November Established: 2001 membership and activities of the Risk and Society Study 2006. The study group wishes to thanks all those who Number of members: 130 Group, please contact the convenor. took part in the interesting discussions. Details and an Expenditure: NIL overview of these events can be found on the study Income: NIL Convenor contact details groups page on the BSA website (under specialisms). Iain Wilkinson Aims [email protected]. The study group wishes to not just be a focus for The BSA study group on Risk and Society continues discussion but to disseminate knowledge too. To to flourish and provides one of the principle forums that end the study group has been investigating, for scholarly debate on the sociology of risk. While in association with the BSA, the potential to run a working together to map out the conceptual boundaries peer-reviewed e-journal for working papers and new

STUDY GROUPS 41 ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION research, and to also link outputs from the study group’s Review of the year Group (SNAG) other activities of seminars/day-conferences to this, This year has been one where the Study Group has been www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/SNAG where possible. It is anticipated that more information reactivated after a period of inaction. will be available sometime in 2007. Established: 2005 Activities Number of members: c. 50 Concluding remarks • Continued to raise the profile of the study group Expenditure: NIL The study group is open to all. If you wish to be on our • Made links with other groups and organisations Income: NIL mailing list please register with: http://www.jiscmail. primarily the HEA Subject Centre for Sociology ac.uk/lists/scottish-study-group.html (C-SAP) SNAG formed in the latter part of 2005 and we are still • Organised a joint international conference with forming. Convenor contact details C-SAP on ‘Teaching Gender in the 21st Century’ Dr. James Oliver to take place in June 2007 • We have an active e-mail discussion list, run via jiscmail. [email protected] The list has over 50 members. About 30 are BSA Concluding remarks members. To increase formal membership of the group; to • On 16th March 2006 we will ran our first introductory establish what aspects of sexual divisions are of most workshop on social network analysis (and the Pajek significance to the members of the Study Group and Sexual Divisions analytic software) for BSA members. This event was organised a conference to take place in June 2007 on oversubscribed within two days of the BSA e-mail www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/59 the ‘Teaching of Gender in the 21st Century’. newsletter announcing it. Consequently we repeated the workshop on 5th December 2006. Again the event was Established: Not known Convenor contact details massively oversubscribed. Further such workshops are Number of members: No formal membership Dr Mehreen Mirza planned. Expenditure: NIL [email protected] • On 17th March (2006) the group had its first face-to- Income: NIL face seminar meeting in Manchester. five papers were presented. Turnout was a bit disappointing (10 people) Aims but not bad for a first meeting, and plans were made for To promote the study of sexual divisions in its many future activities. manifestations. • A number of members of the group (Nick Crossley, John Scott, Christina Prell, Alan Warde, Mike Savage), along with colleagues from other disciplines, put in a successful application to the National Centre for

42 STUDY GROUPS THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 Research Methods for a seminar series on network Review of the year Sociologists Outside Academia analysis. We will be holding four seminars (two in Membership of the group has been increasing Manchester, one in Sheffield and one in Essex) throughout 2006, with a growth of interest from people Established: 2006 between April 2007 and March 2008, with guest working primarily in the field of social/public policy Number of members: 44 speakers from around the world. These seminars analysis, but who draw upon sociological theory and Expenditure: NIL will be open and free of charge to all BSA members, research as part of their work. This development Income: NIL subject to place restrictions. They will be advertised in provided the impetus for the discussions with the British the BSA newsletter and hopefully also in Network. Sociological Association (BSA) and the Social Policy The Sociologists Outside Academia group (SOAg) Association (SPA) that resulted in the group becoming a launched with a ‘meet and greet’ session hosted by Julie Convenor contact details joint BSA/SPA study group in December 2006. Cappleman-Morgan and fellow (former) co-convenor Nick Crossley Lynda Nicholson at the BSA annual conference in [email protected] An inaugural workshop and AGM were held on 8th Harrogate in April 2006. Formed through the coming January 2007 at the Palace of Westminster. Short papers together of BSA members who did not fit the ‘traditional’ from Prof. Alan Walker and Prof. Nick Ellison provided concept of sociologists with permanent affiliations to the stimulus for a plenary discussion. The administrative academic institutions, the group aims to: Sociology of Social and Public Policy arrangements for the group were formalised and future www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/SocialandPublicPolicySG events/activities were discussed. • Strengthen the idea that we are first and foremost sociologists regardless of our circumstances; Established: May 2006 Concluding remarks • Raise the profile and value of sociologists working Number of members: 75 During the forthcoming year the group aims to develop its largely outside the academy; Expenditure: NIL presence at the BSA and SPA annual conferences and to • Raise the status of sociological work undertaken Income: NIL plan a one-day conference and AGM for January 2008. beyond an academic context; • Raise awareness of the need to support new and Aim Convenor contact details ‘budding’ sociologists and others who hold a keen To consider how we might understand, using Dr Angharad Beckett, interest in the discipline; sociological theories and perspectives, the processes [email protected] • Provide a forum through which our interests, views by, and contexts within which, social/public policy and concerns can be related to the BSA so that is generated, implemented and ‘received’; how the Dr Justin Waring, appropriate support and recognition is afforded to empirical analysis of policy can contribute to theoretical [email protected] all sociologists. development in sociology; and how the sociological analysis of policy can contribute to public and political debate.

STUDY GROUPS 43 ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION The group’s two convenors currently sit on the BSA and the editor of Sociology, on preferred personal Sport Executive Committee as co-opted members, providing designation and organisational affiliation terms. www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/123 a vital link through which issues affecting any members ‘outside academia’ can be fed directly to Executive level Issues concerning concessionary BSA membership Established: 1995 for due consideration. Practical issues raised so far have and delegate rates are soon to be raised by the Co- Number of members: c. 80 included: Convenors at Executive level. Expenditure: NIL Income: NIL • The lack of ‘official’ recognition of ‘independent’ In addition to pursuing the above professional concerns, sociologists / researchers in application paperwork for SOAg has developed networking and information Aims journal article submissions and academic events. sharing opportunities. We are compiling a SOAg To promote research and scholarship in the sociology • Difficulties in obtaining inexpensive access to members’ contact list, while regular email bulletins and of sport; represent, in appropriate fora, the professional academic libraries and electronic resources quarterly newsletters (also available on the BSA website) interests of those engaged in the sociology of (e.g. online journals). provide updates on the group’s progress and enable sport; raise the profile of expertise in the sociology • Lack of financial support to attend conferences and members to share views, experiences, resources and of sport in public debate and within appropriate other sociological events. news of their achievements. Our web-forum, launched user constituencies; generate links and liaison with • Lack of concessionary BSA membership rates in October 2006 on the BSA website, has also been very appropriate national and international groups with and conference fees for institutionally unaffiliated successful, receiving the greatest number of postings complementary scholarly interests. sociologists with low incomes. to-date of all the BSA study and interest groups. We plan to hold our first meeting in the Midlands during late Review of the Year We are pleased to report that progress has been made Spring 2007. The Group held its Annual Regional Seminar at Stirling on several of the above concerns. The BSA have University in May. The theme of the seminar was ‘Sport, pursued the library access issue and, with the help of Convenor contact details Poverty and Africa’, but a key feature of the day was a new co-convenor Annika Coughlin’s research on various Julie Cappleman-Morgan lunchtime workshop on the sociology of sport and the schemes currently available in the UK, are exploring the [email protected] RAE hosted by a member of the ‘Sports-related’ RAE options available to support independent scholars and Panel, Grant Jarvie. researchers. Annika Coughlin [email protected] In addition to this, Loughborough University hosted the Additionally, the SOAg membership was consulted study group’s second postgraduate forum. Attracting in Autumn 2006 by the BSA Publications Committee speakers from both Spain and France, this again proved a popular event.

44 STUDY GROUPS THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 Membership of the study group remained stable in Urban Theory and Research group off the ground by expressing an interest to follow 2005-06. www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/URBAN+THEORY+AND through and sign up for the group. The panel session at +RESEARCH+STUDY+GROUP the conference is a cost efficient way of publicising the Concluding Remarks study group to a wide range of people and I’ll be hoping Discussions over the staging of the annual regional Established: 2006 to receive papers from members of the group to develop seminar for 2006-07 are ongoing, but a postgraduate Number of members: 21 this further in the coming months. forum has been arranged for September, to be hosted Expenditure: NIL by the University of Leicester. Study group support for Income: NIL Convenor contact details the BSA’s annual conference has not been strong in Peter Rogers recent years, but a themed session on ‘Medical Aspects It’s early days for the newly established BSA Urban [email protected] of Sport’ will be held at the 2007 conference. The Study Theory and Research Study Group, but the future Group also intends to launch an online discussion forum is looking bright and smoggy depending on your during 2007. preference and we are moving ahead with our activities Violence Against Women into 2007. www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/127 Convenor Contact Details Dominic Malcolm Aims Established: 1985 (reactivated after a period [email protected] • Fuel generation of collaborative research bids and link of inactivity in 2006) to research institutes Number of members: 82 • Create a dynamic forum for theoretical debate Expenditure: NIL • Assist and develop publications strategy and skills Income: NIL throughout the career path • Assist in development of academic enterprise Aims • Promote individual excellence and activities To provide a (woman only) space for academics, • Proactively engage and foster networks for academics students, practitioners and activists to analyze Violence and practitioners Against Women, network, share work and ideas, and

to support each other in our work to combat Violence Concluding remarks Against Women. Just to remind you all that our study group survives and succeeds or fails on your subscriptions and support, Review of the year I’d to encourage all of those who helped to get this 2006 has been an extremely important year for the

STUDY GROUPS 45 ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION VAWSG as it marked the re-launch of the group after issues of Violence Against Women. Visual Sociology a period of 18 months-2 years of inactivity. The group www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/Visual+Sociology was officially ‘reactivated’ at the BSA annual conference Concluding remarks in Harrogate last April where several members of the Interest in this group continues to grow and members Established: 2006 group presented papers. The relaunch of the group was increase. It has been expressed to the conveners on Number of members: 78 advertised, new members were recruited and a very many occasions how grateful members are, new and Expenditure: NIL successful study group session held. old, that this group has reactivated. The importance of Income: £36 having a woman only feminist space for academics, Following this the conveners marked the group’s activists and practitioners interested in the issue of Aims renewal with a ‘re-launch seminar day’, held on the Violence Against Women was keenly felt by those who • To provide an organisational context in which to bring 22nd November 2006 at Bristol University. Over twenty attended the re-launch seminar and a strong feeling together academics and researchers from a number women attended the seminar, coming from all over the shared of needing to support one another in our work to of areas within sociology who have an interest in the United Kingdom. Six excellent papers were delivered combat violence against women and children. visual; including a stimulating plenary given by Professor Jill • To provide a forum to allow for the critical Radford summarising the history and influence of the Convenor contact details development, building and elaboration of visual group. The day ended with a motivating roundtable Gillian Macdonald and Melanie McCarry sociological theorizing and related discourses; discussion and everyone left feeling energised, [email protected] • To develop new and refine existing visual sociological supported and enthusiastic about the group meeting [email protected] methodologies; again. • To develop professional practice protocols for the ethics of visual sociological research; Throughout the year the group’s mailing list has been • To create a context in which professional networking successfully used to share information about events, and constructive interdisciplinary communication can books/articles, research projects, job vacancies and take place; anything thought to be of interest to group members. • To seek a professional interaction with the International Networks have been forged and strengthened and the Visual Sociology Association (IVSA); its intellectual mailing list continues to be a useful resource for support explorations and its established hub for visual and information sharing. sociologists

Group conveners have also been approached on several occasions to request group input or ‘expertise’ on

46 STUDY GROUPS THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 Review of the year Youth We have also secured funding from the University of It has been a good year for the Visual Sociology Study www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/116 Surrey’s Institute of Advanced Studies and the UK Social Group; soon after its birth it hosted its first annual Policy Association to hold an international seminar conference at the University of Warwick in May 2006. Established: 1999 on ‘Young People, New Technologies and Political Within a couple of months the Study Group had its Number of members: c. 150 Engagement’ (University of Surrey, 24-25 July 2007). We own website( http://www.visualsociology.org.uk/index. Expenditure: NIL welcome contributions from study group members – and asp) which it is still developing towards an effective Income: NIL further details can be found on the seminar website online resource for Visual Sociologists. The website (http://www.soc.surrey.ac.uk/ias/workshops/young/ was developed in record time by committee member, Review of the year index.php). researcher and photographer Terence Heng. Amongst The BSA Youth Study Group has an active email its biggest achievements has been the publication of discussion list with around 150 members. This year the Convenor contact details the group’s Statement of Ethical Practice in December group organised a successful session at the 2006 BSA Rachel Brooks 2006. A PDF of the document is available at http://www. conference on ‘Young People, Citizenship and Identity’. [email protected] visualsociology.org.uk/BSA_VS_ethical_statement.pdf. In January, we held a very well-attended seminar at the The Study Group is currently in liaison with a number University of Surrey (organised by Andy King, a study Paul Hodkinson of organisations (including the British Museum) about group member) on ‘(Re)minding the Gap: Young People [email protected] future events. and the Gap Year in Contemporary Society’. This event brought together, for the first time, all those working on Sian Lincoln Concluding remarks the gap year, including geographers and educationalists, [email protected] The Study Group has come a long way since as well as sociologists. This attracted considerable its founding in 2006 and is dedicated to further media attention and was featured on the front page Mary-Jane Keihly development. Keep posted for future developments. of the Guardian’s Education supplement. This year, [email protected] we will be running another session at the BSA annual Convenor contact details conference (on ‘Connected Youth? Young People and Marc Bush Social Networks’). Department of Sociology, School of Human Sciences University of Surrey [email protected]

STUDY GROUPS 47 ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION Dates for your Diary

BSA events run throughout the year, from our BSA Social and Public Policy Study Group – Policy, BSA Media Study Group / DeMontfort University Media showcase national conference to study group Technology and Society Workshop and Politics Group one-day conference: Criminal workshops and seminars. Below you will find a 13th April 2007, 09.00-11.00 Intent: Performance, Agency, Gender and the Drama of selection of forthcoming events. Please check BSA conference, University of East London Mediated Crime our website – www.britsoc.co.uk/events – for Contact [email protected] or Justin. 23rd May 2007 more listings and information. [email protected] De Montfort University, Leicester Contact [email protected] or [email protected]

April 2007 Family Study Group meeting, BSA Annual Conference JUNE 2007 BSA Media Study Group session at the 14th April 2007, 11.30-13.00 BSA Annual Conference BSA conference, University of East London BSA Medical Sociology London group – Telenursing 12th April 2007, 14.00-15.00 Contact [email protected], as a professional project? the case of NHS Direct BSA conference, University of East London [email protected] for England http://www.britsoc.co.uk/events/Conference.htm 13th June 2007 King’s College London, 6 -7 p.m. BSA Medical Sociology London group – Old people http://www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/MedSocLondon.htm BSA Violence Against Women Study Group session and sickness: some thoughts on the interface between 12th April 2007 medical sociology and social gerontology BSA conference, University of East London 18th April 2007 Sociology of Mental Health Study Group: Mental Health and Human Rights: Sociological Perspectives http://www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/127.htm King’s College London, 6 -7 p.m. 22nd June 2007 http://www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/MedSocLondon.htm University of Warwick Researching Students Study Group: Contact [email protected] The Student Experience MAY 2007 13th April 2007, 09.00-11.00 BSA conference, University of East London BSA Medical Sociology London group – Reframing the BSA Violence Against Women Study Group meeting http://www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/ politics of a ‘right to health’ 28th June 2007 ResearchingStudents.htm 9th May 2007 Newcastle University King’s College London, 6 -7 p.m. http://www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/127.htm http://www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/MedSocLondon.htm

48 DATES FOR YOUR DIARY THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 JULY 2007 SEPTEMBER 2007 DECEMBER 2007

Urban Theory & research Study Group Panel @ The 39th Annual Conference of British Sociological BSA Medical Sociology London group – Institute for Social and Spatial Transformations (SST) Association Medical Sociology Group Decreased trust, increased reliance: the pregnancy 1st Annual Conference - ‘Everyday Life in the Thursday 6th - Saturday, 8th September 2007 after stillbirth Global City’ Britannia Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool 12th December 2007 July 9th-11th 2007 http://www.britsoc.co.uk/events/msconf.htm King’s College London, 6 -7 p.m. Manchester Metropolitan University http://www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/MedSocLondon.htm http://www.icgc.mmu.ac.uk/events/everyday-life/ see also UTR discussion board at http://www.britsoc.co.uk/ Work, Employment and Society Conference specialisms/URBAN+THEORY+AND+RESEARCH+STU 12th-14th September 2007 BSA Human Reproduction Study Group Conference DY+GROUP.htm University of Aberdeen, Scotland 13th December 2007 www.abdn.ac.uk/wes2007 Cranfield Management Development Centre, Cranfield Contact [email protected] BSA Auto/Biography Study Group Annual Conference – Empathy in Auto/Biography OCTOBER 2007 Thursday 12th July - Saturday 14th July 2007 BSA Auto/Biography Study Group Day Conference Trinity College, University of Dublin BSA Medical Sociology London group – – Crime and Lives [email protected] New social and health movements 18th December 2007 10th October 2007 Institute of Education, London King’s College London, 6 -7 p.m. Contact [email protected] BSA Youth Study Group / University of Surrey http://www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/MedSocLondon.htm Institute of Advanced Studies / UK Social Policy Association – International Seminar on ‘Young MARCH 2008 People, New Technologies and Political Engagement’ NOVEMBER 2007 24th-25th July 2007 BSA Annual Conference 2008 University of Surrey BSA Auto/Biography Study Group Day Conference – 28th-Sunday 30th March 2008 http://www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/116.htm Art, Education and Auto/Biography University of Warwick 2nd November 2007 http://www.britsoc.co.uk/events/ForthcomingEvents.htm University of Southampton Contact [email protected]

BSA Medical Sociology London group – Like a prayer: the role of prayer and spiritual narratives in coping with HIV 14th November 2007 King’s College London, 6 -7 p.m. http://www.britsoc.co.uk/specialisms/MedSocLondon.htm DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 49 ANNUAL REVIEW 0607 THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION Mission Statement The British Sociological Association’s mission is to

Publications Ltd represent the intellectual and sociological interests of its The British Sociological Association members. In doing so, the Association aims to: Bailey Suite Palatine House Provide information and services to members Belmont Business Park Belmont Seek to influence policies affecting sociology within Durham the wider social sciences remit DH1 1TW Promote the identity of the discipline and its Tel: +44 (0) 191-383-0839 practitioners/scholars Fax: +44 (0) 191-383-0782 Enhance the context for the pursuit of sociology E-mail: [email protected] Maintain and encourage links with sociologists throughout the world www.britsoc.co.uk Publish journals, books and other materials Generate income from activities related to the work of the BSA Establish and maintain suitable systems of management for the BSA Act as responsible employers, with appropriate concern for the health and welfare of its employees

Design by thumb digital media. www.thumbdigital.com