Another speaker, a local Methodist minister I think, commenting on the recent riots in Northern Ireland following the violent attack by a Somali individual, noted that he had spoken to a fifteen-year-old youth involved in the riots. This youth had apparently told him that he was rioting because ‘they are slitting our throats and nobodyContinue reading “Listening and Learning?”
Category Archives: Society
What do we need Government/Community for?
I heard something on the radio over the weekend that got me thinking. A woman from Northern Ireland was speaking about the network of people who, connected by WhatsApp, had rescued and supported numerous immigrant families during the recent riots. It was difficult listening. It was also inspiring, seeing what is possible when social mediaContinue reading “What do we need Government/Community for?”
Habitus and Discourse
This is the second of my blogs on Bourdieu and aims to try and make sense of the concept of habitus. There has been an incredible amount written about habitus, and the general view is that it can pretty much mean whatever you want it to mean in any specific context. That is probably unfair,Continue reading “Habitus and Discourse”
Constructing and Controlling Common Sense
This is the first of what I hope will be a series of blogs that comes from my reading of Pierre Bourdieu. Others will deal more explicitly with some of his key themes. In this first blog, however, I want to address what he offers as a kind of throw away remark. A remark thatContinue reading “Constructing and Controlling Common Sense”
Is it Time to Abandon Decolonisation?
The concept of decolonisation seems to have been particularly prominent in my mind over the last month or so. Or, rather, the language of decolonisation has been prominent. The more I have heard the word, the less I feel that I understand what it is about. Is it, therefore, time to abandon the term? DecolonisationContinue reading “Is it Time to Abandon Decolonisation?”
Leo: What’s in a Name?
When I was much younger, merely a child, I collected lions. They might be small sculptures, toys, pictures, whatever. It was one of those things that meant that my many aunts never had to decide what to buy me for Christmas, or a birthday. They simply found a lion, or sent me a card withContinue reading “Leo: What’s in a Name?”
The Re-Emergence of Class
Reflecting on the local elections last week I have felt – for the first time in my adult life, that is since the late nineteen seventies – the need for an analysis based on class. What might we mean by ‘class’ in 2025? It will be very different from the structures of class smashed byContinue reading “The Re-Emergence of Class”
Would the Fairies like Elon Musk?
As I was reading round material about myth, fairy stories and the use of story in religion I came across a comment that suggested one of the purposes of fairy stories was to ridicule the rich and powerful. One particular butt of the stories was the traditional figure of the miser. This is a character,Continue reading “Would the Fairies like Elon Musk?”
Facing a ‘Pandemic’ of Sexual Abuse
A speaker on the radio earlier last week, discussing the recent review of child sexual abuse across the UK and the recommendations contained in the report, claimed that we are facing a pandemic of sexual abuse. I was horrified by this statement, not because of the situation it purported to describe, but because of theContinue reading “Facing a ‘Pandemic’ of Sexual Abuse”
Charisma, Abuse and Learning from Second Century Christians.
There were two stories that struck me from last Sunday’s BBC Sunday programme. The first, almost inevitable given recent events, was a piece on the Archbishop of Canterbury’s resignation. The programme chose to ask whether there was something specifically about evangelical theology and practice that allowed John Smyth to get away with his abusive behaviourContinue reading “Charisma, Abuse and Learning from Second Century Christians.”
Martin Stringer Quartet 