It’s a pleasure to be back at Imperial Wharf for Alcohol Explorations, an event which brings us back to the BSA Meeting Rooms where we held a conference in March 2012 and a symposium in December 2012. In the three and a half years I’ve been involved with the BSA Sociology of Alcohol Study Group…
Oliver Smith will be speaking at the BSA Alcohol Study Group “Alcohol Explorations: A Research Methods Workshop” on 27th February 2015. Here are his thoughts on the upcoming event, and some insight into his experience of qualitative interviews in alcohol research… I am very excited to have been invited to contribute to the latest…
Are you interested in becoming a BSA Alcohol Study Group Convenor? The BSA Alcohol Study Group are interested from hearing from anyone who might be interested in becoming a co-convenor for the group. This is a great opportunity for academics to gain valuable experience and to boost their CV – particularly for early career candidates. The…
My first thought when I read the title of this year’s alcohol study group conference – (drinking) dilemmas – was, like Emily’s, ‘Wow’ – this is what my female research participants face every time they go out! The question in the title may seem strange, but for many of the young women, aged 18-24, in…
It has only been two months since I started working towards a PhD that will explore the interconnections between fatherhood, masculinities and alcohol (mis)use. Being a father myself, it is a fascinating topic. I can relate to much of the literature I have read to date; although I should insert a caveat that my initial…
I’m delighted to have the opportunity to present in Cardiff some thoughts about young people and alcohol drawn from my PhD research which is exploring the usefulness of theories of ‘social exclusion’ and ‘resilience’ to describe contemporary youth transition experiences in Pilton, a disadvantaged neighbourhood of Edinburgh. My fieldwork was conducted between July 2012 and…
This month the editors of the Oxford English Dictionaries announced that their word of the year was ‘selfie’ – ‘a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website’. Given the rise of smartphones and social networking sites it is no surprise…
About Robert Hollands Robert Hollands is a Professor of Sociology at Newcastle University (UK), and is a former graduate of Queen’s University (Canada) and the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS), at the University of Birmingham (UK). His research interests include urban nightlife, youth cultures and transitions, smart/creative cities, the egalitarian arts, alternative urban cultures,…
I have recently completed my PhD in Human Geography at University College London (UCL). The title of my thesis is Drinking Bordeaux in the ‘new’ Hong Kong: Exploring changing identities through alcohol consumption. My research uses alcohol consumption as a lens to explore Hong Kong’s complex notions of identity. Hong Kong is a fascinating city…
‘What on earth is she drinking?!’– Beverage Choice and (In)appropriate Femininity on a Night Out in the North-East of England The title of this year’s BSA Alcohol Study Group conference (‘Drinking Dilemmas’) spoke to me and my PhD research instantly; the word ‘dilemmas’ sums up exactly what my own research is all about. Speaking to…
“Shame it’s not your field isn’t it? It would be nice to go to a conference together.” I share an office with Emily Nicholls so we spend a lot of time talking, it just so happens that that days professional chit chat was about disseminating our work, amongst other things. “Alcohol, eh?” I mused, “Sounds…
Hello Everyone! My name is Gabby Riches, a second year PhD student in the Research Institute for Sport, Physical Activity and Leisure at Leeds Metropolitan University. In this blog piece I’ll be outlining the paper I’ll be presenting at the conference, a brief snapshot of my doctoral research and particular papers that I’m looking forward…
Every drinking researcher is confronted at some point by the tensions between conceiving drinking as a pleasurable act whilst also recognizing the social and physical harms that alcohol can cause. In my paper for the Drinking Dilemmas Conference, I am interested in exploring how tackling these tensions head-on can be productive in developing researchers’ thinking…
This post is really a reflection on the research process. I had planned to simply summarise my arguments, but the past couple of weeks have reminded me of how unpredictable research can be – which is very welcome, as otherwise life work would be far more boring. My paper for Drinking Dilemmas is about how…
Do young people’s attitudes to alcohol make them more likely to be violent when drinking alcohol? by Dr Carly Lightowlers The connection between drinking and disorder in Britain has long been established as a problem. But why is it that only some people behave violently when they drink? In fact, many people drink and cause…
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