PhD Viva Announcement 📢 A huge congratulations to Xingyi Li for successfully defending her PhD thesis on "Negotiating Parenthood: Comparing urban and rural young people’s reproductive decision making under China’s three-child policy". #PhD #ForeverLeeds

We are pleased to share that Dr Rebecca Simmons recently published her first journal article! 🎉 Her article ‘Queer Menopause: Expertise, Ways of (Not) Knowing and Resisting Biomedicalisation’, is now available as open access. 📖 Read the article here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

This #DisabilityPrideMonth, read our latest article to see how our School is advancing inclusion through research, teaching, and public engagement. essl.leeds.ac.uk/sociology/ne...

Disability Pride Month: Advancing disability scholarship and inclusive practice

July marks Disability Pride Month, a time to celebrate the experiences, achievements and contributions of disabled people, as well as raising awareness of disability rights and promoting inclusion.

essl.leeds.ac.uk

Dr Mindy Ptolomey has provided research-led insights to help debunk misinformation around ADHD and young people. Read Mindy’s expert insights in this issue of Al Jazeera ⬇️ www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/...

Why have 100,000 people been signed off work with ADHD in the UK?

New government statistics find four million people claimed disability benefits in April.

aljazeera.com

Congratulations to Dr Roxana Barbulescu, whose research has been cited in the House of Lords final report on 'Settlement, Citizenship and Integration'. This recognition demonstrates the value of academic research in helping to shape national debates and policies.

Congratulations to Patricio Simonetto, whose book A Body of One’s Own: A Trans History of Argentina has been named runner-up for the Social History Society Book Prize 2026 and shortlisted for the BSA’s Foundation for the Sociology of Health and Illness Book Prize. A well-deserved achievement!

At the 2026 ATLAS conference, Prof. Tzanelli presented research on ‘environmental imaginaria’ - immersive spaces that stage encounters with planetary change. Her work explored how these environments foster ecological care while raising questions about access & inclusion. Congratulations, Rodanthi!

I spoke with @aljazeera.com about ADHD, PIP, and young people. Article now on the landing page as a ‘must read’. www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/... #ADHD #PIP #YoungPeople #disability #NEET @sspatleeds.bsky.social @universityofleeds.bsky.social

Why have 100,000 people been signed off work with ADHD in the UK?

New government statistics find four million people claimed disability benefits in April.

aljazeera.com

New blog 📢 Our Professor Ipek Demir and co-author Karim Murji have published a blog to accompany the special issue they recently co-edited on the Global Configuration of Whiteness. 🔗 Read the blog: www.identitiesjournal.com/blog-collect...

Connecting White supremacy from the local to the global

Bluesky:  @identitiesjournal.bsky.social

identitiesjournal.com

We are pleased to share that Prof. Mark Davis & Dr Katy Wright have been awarded faculty funding for their respective research projects. Read more about their projects: essl.leeds.ac.uk/sociology/ne...

Sociology and Social Policy colleagues awarded funding to foster collaboration

Professor Mark Davis and Dr Katy Wright have been awarded faculty funding for respective research projects.

essl.leeds.ac.uk

🌈 This #PrideMonth, we are proud to highlight how our Faculty is building an inclusive culture through everyday actions and initiatives. Find out more: essl.leeds.ac.uk/sociology/ne... #EDI

Pride Month 2026: Building everyday inclusion in our faculties

This Pride Month, we’re reflecting on how we can move beyond awareness to create meaningful, everyday inclusion for LGBTQ+ colleagues and students across our Faculty.

essl.leeds.ac.uk

New article live 🚨 Dr @psimonetto.bsky.social recently won the 2026 SLAS Research Development Award for a collaborative project with Biblioteca Claudia Pía Baudracco and Victoria Macioci, looking at preserving trans and travesti community histories in Argentina. ➡️ essl.leeds.ac.uk/sociology/ne...

Dr Patricio Simonetto wins 2026 SLAS Research Development Award

Dr Patricio Simonetto has been awarded the 2026 SLAS Research Development Award for a collaborative project preserving trans and travesti community histories in Argentina.

essl.leeds.ac.uk

In an AI-driven world, why do human stories still matter? 🤖 The Timescapes Archive, led by Professor Kahryn Hughes, captures the depth and complexity of lived experience, offering insights that data alone can overlook. 🔗 Read more: essl.leeds.ac.uk/sociology/ne...

Preserving human stories in an AI age

At a time when AI increasingly shapes how knowledge is organised, analysed, and acted upon, a University of Leeds resource offers the nuance, contradiction, and lived complexity of human existence.

essl.leeds.ac.uk

You are invited 🚨 Join us for a symposium on Frontlash/Backlash (Polity, 2025) by Prof. Jeffrey Alexander. 🗓 Thu 11 June 2026 | ⏰ 2:30–4pm 📍 University House, Leeds 📧 Sign up via email: mediaresearchsupport@leeds.ac.uk (limited spaces) More info: ahc.leeds.ac.uk/events/event...

Making Sense of Progress and its Discontents: A Symposium on Jeffrey Alexander’s new book, Frontlash/Backlash (Polity, 2025)

This symposium on Prof. Jeffrey Alexander’s new book, Frontlash/Backlash (Polity, 2025), will explore why movements for democratic inclusion so often provoke backlash and fuel political polarization.

ahc.leeds.ac.uk

We recently marked #WorldMSDay (30 May) by spotlighting vital research on multiple sclerosis and domestic abuse. Read more: essl.leeds.ac.uk/sociology/ne...

Marking World MS Day: vital research into domestic abuse and MS

To mark World MS Day, the School of Sociology and Social Policy are showcasing the vital work of colleagues relating to Multiple Sclerosis and Domestic Abuse and Violence (DVA).

essl.leeds.ac.uk

Our colleague Dr Tom Campbell has recently published his new book, Disablement in the Age of Ambivalence 📚 In a new article, Tom shares insights into the thinking behind the book and the key ideas it explores. Find out more: essl.leeds.ac.uk/sociology/ne...

Disablement in the Age of Ambivalence: New Insights from Dr Tom Campbell

Dr Tom Campbell has recently published his new book ‘Disablement in the Age of Ambivalence: A Social Theory Perspective on Disability in Solid and Liquid Modernity’.

essl.leeds.ac.uk

Big congratulations to Dr Patricio Simonetto on the winning the Society for Latin American Studies 2026 Research Development Award! 🎉 The project on Trans/Travesti community archiving and material culture in Argentina, is a collaboration with Victoria Macioci & Biblioteca Claudia Pía Baudracco.

Dr Katy Wright & Prof Sarah Irwin were recently named 2026 Sage Prize winners for Innovation/Excellence🎉 We took a closer look at their paper ‘Not Talking about Climate Change: Everyday Interactions, Relational Work and Climate Silences’. Read more ⬇️ essl.leeds.ac.uk/sociology/ne... 🔗

Sociology academics awarded 2026 Sage Prize for Innovation and Excellence

A paper by Dr Katy Wright and Professor Sarah Irwin has been awarded the prestigious Sage Prize for Innovation and Excellence.

essl.leeds.ac.uk

Our latest article explores Ableism as Violence, the new book by Prof Angharad Beckett & Dr Miro Griffiths. Described as bold, timely and invaluable, it offers key insights into how ableism operates today. 🔗 Read more: essl.leeds.ac.uk/sociology/ne... @angharadbeckett.bsky.social

Understanding ‘Ableism as Violence’: new book published by sociology scholars

New publication by Prof. Angharad Beckett and Dr Miro Griffiths maps how harm to disabled people is produced, normalised and legitimised across hate crime, institutions, assisted dying and COVID-19.

essl.leeds.ac.uk

“A timely and persuasive analysis…” Isabel Sykes (Brunel) has recently reviewed our Dr Jessica Martin’s 'Feminisms and Domesticity in Times of Crisis'. Read the review: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... Check out the book: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/feminisms...

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

journals.sagepub.com

Research Spotlight Episode 6 🎥 In this research spotlight, Dr Roxana Barbulescu and Dr Dr Bethany Robertson discuss their research on the vital roles of seasonal migrant workers in supporting our food system. Video available: youtu.be/7GgnFIi8NuY?... #migration #research

Roxana Barbulescu & Bethany Robertson-Feeding the nation-seasonal migrant workers and food security

YouTube video by University of Leeds

youtu.be

What does it look like when academic research feeds directly into policy conversations? Read Dr Roxana Barbulescu's written evidence published by Parliament on immigration, addressing three key questions shaping current policy debates. 🔗 committees.parliament.uk/writtenevide... #immigration

🎓 Highlights from our Taught Postgraduate (TPG) Conference Such a great day bringing together current TPG students, alumni and staff from our School. From student research presentations, alumni insights, and a brilliant keynote from George Ferguson CBE, it was a real celebration of our community.

Dr Patricio Simonetto and Dr Megan Robertson have been invited to deliver a workshop on 'Queer History, Memory and Liberation in Argentina & South Africa'. Wednesday 6th May 7pm-9pm. The Bookish Type, Leeds Tickets are free but booking is required ⬇️ thebookishtype.co.uk/products/let...

Queer History Club: Memory and Liberation in Argentina and South Afric

Let it go? Queer histories, memory and liberation in Argentina and South Africa. What does it mean to be told to move on from a history that is still shaping your life? This workshop brings together h...

thebookishtype.co.uk

📘 Dr Shuang Qiu’s new article looks at gender, life stage, and living apart together in China, and what this means for independence and commitment. Read here ⬇️ journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... #AcademicResearch #NewPublication #CurrentSociology

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

journals.sagepub.com

Following the launch of the L‑earning: Rethinking Young Women’s Working Lives final report, we have brought together reflections from speakers and attendees at the event. Read about the impact of this research ⬇️ essl.leeds.ac.uk/sociology/ne... #ResearchImpact

Gendered futures: how early work shapes young women’s lives

At the end of 2025, The ‘L-earning: Rethinking Young Women’s Working Lives’ research team launched their final report from a 3-year study exploring young women’s earliest experiences of work.

essl.leeds.ac.uk

Join Dr Patricio Simonetto for 'Fatness, Thinness & Embodiment: Interdisciplinary Perspectives', at University College London (UCL). 📅 Tuesday 24th April ⏲️ 16:30-18:30 📍 Hybrid - Online or In Person 🔗 More info & sign up: www.ucl.ac.uk/social-histo...

Celebrating Sociology Alumni 🎉 BA Sociology alum, Loïc Chave, has been named a British Council Alumni Award Finalist in the Social Impact Award category in France. Huge Congratulations! Read the full story: essl.leeds.ac.uk/sociology/ne... #ForeverLeeds #Sociology

Sociology alum honoured by the British Council Alumni for their work in LGBT+ rights

We are thrilled to congratulate Loïc Chave for their recognition by the British Council on their positive contribution to improving the lives of LGBT+ people.

essl.leeds.ac.uk

Winners for Innovation/Excellence 🎉 Congratulations Dr Katy Wright and Prof. Sarah Irwin!

British Sociological Association@britsoci.bsky.social · 4mo ago

We are very happy to announce the winning paper of the Sociology Sage Prize for Innovation and/or Excellence! Not Talking about Climate Change: Everyday Interactions, Relational Work and Climate Silences, explores self-silencing and the meanings attached to climate talk: doi.org/10.1177/0038...

Many victims who experience sexual violence do not realise it straight away. In this article for The Conversation, Associate Professor Andrea Hollomotz explores why this can be the case, drawing on her research. Available to read ➡️ https://ow.ly/9yGJ50YFC9I

Why so many victims don’t realise they have been raped until later

Failing to recognise when one has been raped contributes to miscarriages of justice for thousands of victims each year.

ow.ly