Surviving Society

What do people mean when they talk about the 'smart city', and can the smart city ever be inclusive? In our second episode recorded in collaboration with The Sociological Review, Chantelle, Tissot and Saskia talk to Dr Ayona Datta about her work on urban transformations in Indian cities. Ayona argues that we need to be skeptical about whether smart cities can really address deep-rooted inequalities - smart water meters are useless if there's no infrastructure for clean running water. Tissot tells us about the creative uses of smart technology by homeless people living in London's financial district, showing that, although digital divides run across class lines, smart technology can change our cities in unplanned and exciting ways. Warning: This episode contains some academic jargon. Edited by Art of Podcast Recorded in Gateshead at The Sociological Review conference, June 2018 Special thanks to Michaela Benson and everyone at The Sociological Review

In the first of our collaborations with The Sociological Review, Professor Satnam Virdee talks to Tissot, Chantelle and Saskia about the importance of ‘race’ when it comes to understanding class and capitalism. Satnam argues that, looking at the last three centuries of capitalism in Britain and its empire, we can see that ‘‘race’ and nation, when it comes to thinking about Britain, run hand in hand’. As informative about the current political moment as he is about histories of capitalism, we especially love Satnam’s challenge to the idea that Britain was ever a ‘white’ nation, and the hope he offers about the role migrants can and have played in the democratisation of our society. Warning: This episode contains some academic jargon. Edited by Art of Podcast Recorded in Gateshead at The Sociological Review conference, June 2018 Special thanks to Michaela Benson and everyone at The Sociological Review

Why does culture matter when it comes to racism? Does having people of colour on TV make a difference to people’s lives? This week, we talk to Goldsmiths’ very own Dr Anamik Saha about his book, Race and the Cultural Industries, which deals with these very questions and much more. Anamik gives us his theory on the representation of people of colour in pop culture, we discuss what we all thought of Spike Lee’s BlacKKKlansman, and Anamik brilliantly breaks down the relationship between culture, racism and capitalism. There is some ranting, some swearing, some outrageous laughter, and many, many spoilers – happy listening!

As we celebrate one year of Surviving Society, we treat you to a bonus episode in which Tissot reflects on Europe’s post-Brexit shift to the right, Saskia gets to grips with being a person of colour, and Chantelle reminds us of austerity’s death toll. The political picture hasn’t improved much since we started last September, but by thinking and raging and taking action together, we can have some hope that we will survive society. Thank you so much for being with us for our first birthday, and here’s to many more!

We’re back! In our first episode of the academic year and third Alternative to Woman’s Hour, Chantelle discusses her experiences of partial privilege whilst her partner was receiving cancer treatment in private hospitals, Saskia shares some questionable fashion finds during her trip to Paris, and we end with a good old rant about the state of UK TV dramas and their obsession with white middle-class women with short brown hair and weird families. Ranting, swearing and laughing, we’re ready for another year of thinking sociologically as we attempt to survive society!

What does it mean to be a Black woman in the English education system? Special guest April-Louise Pennant talks about why she is researching the educational experiences of Black women, how those women have negotiated racism and sexism in schools and universities, and why it is important that those experiences are heard. Chantelle tells us about her activist work on getting more Black students to do PhDs, and we pull apart the reasons behind the media obsession with 'grade inflation'. As usual, we're ranty, we're sweary, and we're having a good time!

In the lead-up to the World Cup, Chantelle is pissed off with the constant stream of racism directed at Raheem Sterling, and Tissot talks about the white supremacist Tommy Robinson, and why locking him up could turn him into a martyr for the far-right. Fresh from her holiday in Finland, Saskia tells us about her experiences of the country, perceptions of Brexit from the Eastern border of Europe, and whether it’s a safe place to visit if you’re a person of colour. As usual, you can expect us to be a little ranty, a little sweary, and full of laughter and biting sociological analysis.

In this very special episode, Chantelle and Tissot chat to Dr Priyamvada Gopal, English lecturer at the University of Cambridge and brilliant anti-racist activist. Between the three of us, we pull apart racism and representation in universities, colonialism and its collaborators and the abuse that comes with anti-racist activism. There might be a few swear words in there, but mainly it's an essential conversation that gives context to the struggles people of colour continue to face in UK higher education.

How middle class are middle class people of colour? This week we’re joined by Rima Saini, a PhD student who is researching South Asian middle classes in the UK. She unpacks how complicated being middle class can be for people of South Asian origin due to the racisms they face on a daily basis, and how they manage the clash between privilege and prejudice. We also talk about whether Meghan Markle can be an activist and a royal, how theorists of race and class are competing with each other when it comes to explaining Brexit, and why ‘race’ and class can never truly be separated. In an episode which sometimes strays into academic jargon (sorry!), we unravel issues of essentialism, respectability, tokenism, and whether you can ever really escape the ‘race’ and class other people see you as. As usual, there’s a lot of laughing, a bit of ranting, and some strong language!

In our second Surviving Society Alternative to Woman's hour we are breaking down intersectionality! Special guest Brenda talks us through her role as a children's counsellor, arguing that women and children who have been victims of domestic abuse suffer further violence at the hands of the state due to cuts to vital services, Saskia discusses one of the ultimate feminist conundrums of body image, and Chantelle wants early career researchers to recognise that, despite shitty contracts and precarity, to work in academia is to be in a position of privilege. Throughout the episode, we try to bear in mind the ways in which oppressions can intersect along the lines of gender, class, 'race', migration status and perceived body size. Expect the usual strong language, ranting and laughter!

In Saskia's talk from a Royal Geographical Society conference in April (her first time speaking at an academic conference!), she looks at how Englishness, 'race' and class have played out in debates around Brexit. Taking David Goodhart's book 'The Road to Somewhere' as an influential example, she discusses how the division the British media has made between the Northern 'white working-class' and the London 'metropolitan elite' plays into racist nationalism by positioning white people as English and people of colour as 'other'. Saskia argues that we need to challenge these racialised understandings of Englishness, in part by reimagining the English North-South divide and questioning the dominance England's capital plays in national life. Warning: As it's at an academic conference, not all the jargon will be explained in the talk, but all the texts Saskia references are available on our website!

This week Chantelle is pissed off with the homogenisation of black people and people of colour in Britain. Drawing on the media depictions of knife crime in London and how different 'communities' 'need' to respond, Chantelle is urging for Sociology to dispel myths and to look more critically at the role of racism and whiteness. Tissot talks us through his developing PhD, focusing on the role of tech giants, the internet as a social space and the need for us to behave like digital citizens online. Expect the usual ranting, laughter and strong language.

Surviving Society is proud to present our first ever live podcast! Recorded at our #USSStrikes teachout at Goldsmiths College on 15 March 2018, we look at the government’s obsession with ‘value for money’ in higher education and the part racism plays in university life. Expect the usual ranting, laughing and swearing, but this time with a live audience!

Why is everyone obsessed with free speech on university campuses? And who is it that makes The Daily Mail so toxic? Saskia takes the Free Speech University Rankings to task, Chantelle decries Paul Dacre, and Tissot reminds us that social media and the far right are changing political conversations. As usual, we are a bit sweary, a bit ranty, and always ready to challenge the status quo ✊

What's it like to be an EU migrant in Brexit Britain? We talk to special guest Alex Bulat, PhD researcher and activist, about her work on attitudes towards EU migration in Clacton and West Ham, and her fight for EU citizens' rights with the 3million. Saskia contemplates the betrayals of the New Labour and Coalition governments, and Tissot reminds us how important it is to listen to opposing views. Expect the usual laughter, ranting and strong language.

This week Chantelle and Saskia launch the first Surviving Society Alternative to Woman’s Hour! Beginning with the comments made by Catherine Deneuve about the #metoo campaign, in this episode we challenge commentators who think experiences of sexual harassment and assault are up for debate and talk about why we should avoid silencing different experiences. We discuss the missing aspects of these conversations like ‘race’, class and trans issues, our own journeys with feminism, and why we need to have a more fluid understanding of what it means to be a woman in contemporary society. Expect the usual strong language, laughter and ranting throughout.

What's wrong with the way we talk about Africa? Who cares if Meghan Markle is 'mixed race'? And why do British citizenship tests matter? We tackle all this and more in this episode on how 'race', gender and Britain's former colonies are portrayed in the media. With some swearing and plenty of historical insights from Tissot.

Chantelle gets angry about the politics of hair, Saskia challenges the myth of meritocracy, and Tissot asks what flat earthers say about truth. We're a little bit sweary but always charming as we pull apart the social forces of gender, 'race' and class, and look at the influence they have on our everyday lives.

Brace yourselves, people: this week, we're tackling Brexit. We talk about racism in the UK, how Jo Cox's murderer was motivated by the far-right, and what it means to feel like a migrant since the referendum. With strong language that some may find offensive, and laughter that some may find too loud, we explain why Brexit makes us angry, and how the Leave result has affected our lives.

This week Chantelle, Tissot and Saskia rant about the exploitation of gym workers, Harvey Weinstein and the patriachy, and the regulation of the internet. There is a bit of swearing, and a lot of frustration at the gig economy, sexism, and our inability to police ourselves online.