Here is my latest episode of Social Studies on ABC Life Matters It's 10 minutes of me trying to use a bit of sociology to get out of a loop of me whinging about people whinging about whinging. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Social Studies: Why we love a whinge - ABC listen

Love it or hate it, the reality is we all whinge at some point in our lives.  It is a part of human behaviour and can be a way to connect with others and build a sense of shared commonality and exper...

abc.net.au

This week on Life Matters I was talking about a festival in New York all about getting offline and building in person connection, called the 'Summer of Ludd' named after the Luddites who resisted early forms of automation in the early 19th Century. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

The Summer of Ludd, a festival celebrating getting offline - ABC listen

Do you ever catch yourself scrolling on your phone and think 'I am on this device far more than I should be'? The desire for a return to the offline world has led a group of people to organise The Su...

abc.net.au

Only a couple of days left to get your abstracts in for the Journal of Youth Studies Conference next year in Porto, Portugal (4th to 6th of May, 2027). It's going to be big - so don't miss out. ciie.fpce.up.pt/en/events/jo...

Journal of Youth Studies International Conference 2027

ciie.fpce.up.pt

For your weekend listening, here is my latest Social Studies episode on ABC Radio National Life Matters, where I talk about the intersection of nostalgia, cosplay, community and big business in the context of medieval fairs. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Social Studies: Why do we love medieval fairs? - ABC listen

Hear ye, hear ye! It's time to explore the renaissance of medieval festivals, and understand why so many of us are nostalgic for a time that none of us have ever experienced.

abc.net.au

Two visits to the ABC Studios in Melbourne this week. My regular Life Matters 'Social Studies' spot on learning digital skills. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr... And ABC Conversation Hour on Historical nostalgia and the very best decade, the 1990s (from 21.25 minutes) www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

This week's episode of Social Studies on ABC Life Matters is online, and this Woodman's talking about the sociology of surnames. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Social Studies: What do our surnames say about us? - ABC listen

Traditionally, most Australian children were given their father's surname at birth, and most women who went on to marry would take their husband's surname. And while there are plenty of other options...

abc.net.au

Given all the talk this year was about inter-generational fairness, I finally got the chance to take part in the great Australian tradition of post-budget punditry. I'm on from 17.00 to 33.00 minutes. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

How far does the budget go in reducing intergenerational inequity - ABC listen

The Federal Budget has been handed down and in this edition of The Conversation Hour we explore just how far it goes in reducing intergenerational inequity and how it could shift our attitudes towards...

abc.net.au

Small contribution from me in this story on ABC AM yesterday. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Productivity losses hitting younger generations hardest - ABC listen

Ahead of next week's budget, addressing intergenerational fairness is shaping up as a central theme.

abc.net.au

BIG NEWS! The 5th Journal of Youth studies Conference will take place in Porto, May 4 to 6, 2027! Check the link for all relevant details including submissions, registration and keynotes. jys-conference.eventqualia.net/en/2027/home/

Inexplicably, I've never been asked to talk about coolness on the radio. Until now! Here is my latest episode of Social Studies with Tegan Taylor on ABC Radio National Life Matters. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Social Studies: Defining 'coolness' in Melbourne's trendiest suburb - ABC listen

Are some places just cooler than others? This week a tribunal in Victoria reversed a decision to block an application for a new McDonald's in one of Melbourne's trendiest suburbs. While the council h...

abc.net.au

A couple of radio spots last week. The sociology of politeness - who decides what is and isn't acceptable? www.abc.net.au/listen/progr... Women in heterosexual marriages now being more likely than their husbands, on average, to have higher education. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Social Studies: The evolution of politeness - ABC listen

What does politeness mean to you? We have seen what is deemed to be polite change rapidly over the last 100 years. But who decides what is and isn't acceptable, how does it evolve and is there a fut...

abc.net.au

My latest Social Studies episode about men 'marrying up' the education ladder. I open with how I did in the style stakes (you should've seen how I dressed before meeting my wife) but that it is not easy to marry up from a PhD - those with 2 are a small & quirky pool. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Social Studies: How men 'marrying up' became the norm - ABC listen

For the first time ever, women are more likely to be married or partnered with a man with a lower education than them. New ABC analysis of Census data from heterosexual couples shows that women are m...

abc.net.au

My latest Social Studies episode on ABC Radio Life Matters. Listen in while your doing your knitting (or blacksmithing). www.abc.net.au/listen/progr....

Social Studies: Gen Zs are embracing nanna crafts and analogue hobbies - ABC listen

Analogue hobbies are having a moment again — crochet clubs, scrapbooking and journalling are all over social media. These once old-fashioned pastimes are finding a whole new wave of fans, with some d...

abc.net.au

Well done to everyone who kicked off their 2026 teaching this week. My regular spot on ABC Radio National Life Matters this week was about how the university experiences has changed over recent decades. Here it is for your weekend listening: www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Has online learning sucked the life out of university? - ABC listen

Crowded lecture theatres. Hours spent sprawled on the lawn between classes. Late nights watching bands at the uni bar. For generations these were staples of university life. But with so much learning...

abc.net.au

For your weekend listening pleasure. My latest on ABC Life Matters - how language changes - including the way words come back into fashion. This topic gave me the chance to drop words like bloviate, hoodwinked and felicitations into a broadcast. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Why kids are starting to 'yap' like their grandparents - ABC listen

Keeping up with Gen Z slang can feel like decoding a secret language. But some of the buzziest words right now aren't new at all. The American Dialect Society has named its words of the year for 2025...

abc.net.au

What is in a name? My spot on Life Matters on ABC Radio National this week is about changing social practices in naming babies. Whatever your name is, have a listen. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Social Studies: What's in a name and why are they all Charlotte and Noah? - ABC listen

Giving your child a name that suits them can feel like an impossible task, and we turn to our own cultural touchpoints for inspiration. So what does it say about our cultural references when Charlott...

abc.net.au

Some unboxing content. Edition 2 of This is Sociology just arrived at my place and is about to hit the shelves. I'm pretty happy with where it ended up after the revisions. I'll share a link when it is available for purchase.

I was part of this, broadcast today on ABC in Australia. Spoiler alert: my debate team didn't win, but I think we packed in more jokes. So, I ask you who were the real winners? [Still not us, but I hope you find it entertaining as well as thought provoking]. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

The Great Debate — that Australia's history unites us - ABC listen

From the world's oldest continuous living culture, to the arrival of Captain Cook, the goldrush to the ANZACs, from Federation to elections to referendums, and beyond, our understanding of Australian ...

abc.net.au

For your weekend listening - I was on the Conversation Hour on ABC Melbourne yesterday talking about (not all) Gen Xers overtaking (not all) Boomers in housing wealth. I'm on from the 11 minute mark for about 20 minutes. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Finding light in a time of darkness - ABC listen

The light will win is the theme of today's National Day of Mourning to honour the victims of the Bondi terrorist attack. In this edition of The Conversation Hour we meet an artist for whom the theme h...

abc.net.au

My first Life Matters 'Social Studies' chat on the ABC for 2026. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Social Studies: Our volunteers are burning out - ABC listen

Volunteer numbers have been in steady decline in Australia recently, but the amount of work those volunteers need to do has stayed roughly the same. The result? Volunteer burnout. While the voluntee...

abc.net.au

First visit to the ABC for 2026. I'll be on ABC Radio National's Life Matters every fortnight again this year, so stay tuned.

Photo of me (the large human) and Kate Moss aka 'Mossy' (our small dog).

Deadline for applications for the International Sociological Association's PhD Lab in December in Doha is fast approaching (30th Jan). I'll be one of the ISA Executive Committee members mentoring the participants (if that is an added incentive!). www.isa-sociology.org/en/junior-so...

We look back at some examples of public #sociology from the past year, and news of sociologists forging social change around the world.

Sociology in the News

We look back at some examples of public sociology from the past year, and news of sociologists forging social change around the world.

sociologyatwork.org

One month left until the application deadline ⏰ XIX ISA International Laboratory for PhD Students (Doha Institute for Graduate Studies in Qatar) 🪙 For successful applicants: No participation fee. Travel to Doha, accommodation, and meals during the Lab will be covered.

The 6th ISA Council of National Associations Conference in FLAME University (Pune, India) has gathered 37 delegates from 34 countries, with 28 National Associations represented. December 2025

The International Sociological Association - Sociology of Youth Research Committee is editing a special issue of Youth and Globalization. If this is your thing, consider submitting an abstract (by January 15, 2026). See the full call here brill.com/fileasset/do...

Cancel your weekend plans and listen to ABC Listen instead. Sorry to say this is my last spot on ABC Life Matters for 2025. Pleased to say I will back as the 'resident sociologist' for another year in 2026. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Social Studies: Is cancelling plans the new cancel culture? - ABC listen

You've got dinner plans with a group of friends, and you've been looking forward to it for weeks. But in the days -or hours- leading to the catch-up... you get one... maybe several texts. Sorry, I c...

abc.net.au

🎙️ Sociology In Podcast is back! Episode 11: Sociology in Australia with Sally Daly, Alphia Possamai-Inesedy, Morgan Carter and Rhys Gower. youtu.be/j43XwLfvc7M

Sociology In Podcast - Australia (Episode 11)

YouTube video by isasociotube

youtu.be

My latest on ABC Radio National Life Matters - this week I was chatting about 'Schoolies' (Australian tradition of celebrating the end of high school with a week of partying or other activities with mates) and how it has changed over time. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Is Schoolies travel still the rite of passage it used to be? - ABC listen

This Friday, another generation of school leavers will walk out of the school gates for the last time. Schoolies travel has been a rite of passage for Aussie teenagers since the 1970s, but the event ...

abc.net.au