Thinking Allowed

The Anti Psychiatry movement of the 1960s, pioneered by R.D. Laing, asserted that societal ills were at the root of mental illness. Insanity was therefore a sane response to a repressive and unjust world. Michael Staub, Professor of English and author of 'Madness is Civilisation', talks to Laurie Taylor about the once popular, now discredited, theories of anti psychiatry. Also, new research uncovers the hidden history of psychoanalysis. Professor of Jung History, Sonu Shamdasani, suggests that psychoanalysis achieved its cultural power only by re-scripting history in its own image. He's joined by Stephen Frosh, Professor of Psychology. Producer: Jayne Egerton.

Laurie Taylor explores the idea of the Tipping Point using a multidisciplinary project at Durham University as a springboard to examine what tipping points are, how they happen and what effect they have. Professor Tim Clark and Professor Pat Waugh from Durham University and Professor Alex Bentley from Bristol University are all involved in the Durham Tipping Points project and they are joined by Dr Shahidha Bari from Queen Mary, London to discuss the idea of the tipping point and what it might tell us about ourselves and our environment - and how, perhaps, we can use our understanding of it to prevent significant problems in areas as diverse as banking and sociology. Producer: Chris Wilson.

Laurie Taylor examines research into the advice offered to parents with Judith Suissa from the Institute of Education and Frank Furedi from Kent University and looks at comparative research in America and Holland into teenage sex in the parental home with sociologist Amy Schalet from the University of Massachusetts. Producer: Chris Wilson.

Laurie Taylor explores opera fanatics at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires and compares them to fans in Cardiff, with Professor Claudio Benzecry from the University of Connecticut and Professor Paul Atkinson from Cardiff University. And he explores the popularly held notion that grammar schools aid social mobility with Dr Adam Swift from the University of Oxford. Producer Chris Wilson.

Protests against art and culture occur every day across America. Conservatives object to artworks deemed blasphemous or obscene; liberals rally against depictions they see as racist or misogynist. But why do some parts of the United States see more such controversies than others? Why so many protests in Atlanta and so few in West Palm Beach? The US sociologist, Steven Tepper, talks to Laurie Taylor about his new book 'Not Here, Not Now, Not That..Protest over Art and Culture in America'. They're joined by Jo Glanville, the editor of Index on Censorship. Also, Dr Kip Jones from Bournemouth University discusses the challenges faced by older gay men and lesbians who live in rural areas of The South West of England and Wales. His paper, 'Gay and Pleasant Land?' uses first hand evidence to explore the attitudes of both older gay countryside dwellers and the communities they live in. Producer: Jayne Egerton.

Laurie Taylor examines the limits of science and the machine age with writer Bryan Appleyard and philosopher John Gray and asks whether we are in danger of losing the essence of what it is to be human. And, kiss me quick hats, fortune tellers and buckets and spades. The cliched pleasures of the English seaside. But are those delights equally available to all? The seaside is traditionally inhabited by majority white populations, many of whom are older and retired. And although increasing numbers of ethnic minorities visit and reside by the coast, it remains stubbornly white in our collective imagination. New research by Dr Daniel Burdsey claims that our nation's identity is bound up with monocultural images of coastal resorts. Producer: Chris Wilson.

Laurie Taylor explores new research examining the motives of middle class parents who deliberately send their children to failing or under-performing schools.'White, Middle Class Identities in Urban Schools' is discussed by the paper's author Diane Reay, Professor of Education at Cambridge University and journalist Melissa Benn.Laurie also talks to Dr Lee Miller, Department of Sociology, Sam Houston State University in Texas, about her paper 'Hazards of Neo-Liberalism: Delayed Electric Power Restoration after Hurricane Ike'.Producer Chris Wilson Presenter LAURIE TAYLOR.

Laurie Taylor explores Professor Steven Pinker's notion of a decline in human violence with Anthony O'Hear, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Buckingham. Laurie also examines an apparent rise in heterosexual men kissing other men, with Professor Eric Anderson from the University of Winchester.Producer. Chris Wilson.

Is tradition under threat from capitalism, or are we overly negative about the cultural impact of globalisation? Henrietta Moore challenges what she sees as despair about the impact of international capitalism and new technology and claims that globalisation is just as likely to improve the human experience. She tells Laurie Taylor that her new theory about how we create culture, rejects the notion that it is ever 'imposed' from abroad. Also, there's an absence of visible Muslim female sportswomen. Islamic rules on gender segregation and dress codes can create limitations on women's ability to be athletes. And the secular world of sport doesn't always welcome women who don't wear shorts and swimsuits. But new research suggests that the picture is changing as women find ways to play sport which don't conflict with their faith. The sociologist, Dr Sam Farooq, tells Laurie about the young British Muslim women who see no contradiction between basketball and religious belief.Producer: Charlie Taylor.

Laurie Taylor explores impartiality in TV political interviewing and he examines how the colour 'yellow' became applied to people of Asian origin. Professsor Ian Hutchby from the University of Leicester discusses a recent seminar 'Going Ballistic: Non-neutrality in the Televised Hybrid Political Interview'. In it, he outlines the structures of a new form of televised political journalism, the Hybrid Political Interview (HPI), which combines standard forms of interview technique with much more tendentious, opinionated, and even argumentative reporting. Laurie and Ian are joined by the Director of Broadcasting at City University, Lis Howell. Laurie also discusses a new book called 'Becoming Yellow: A short history of racial thinking'. Professor Michael Keevak from The National Taiwan University explores how the notion of the colour yellow became attached to people of Asian origin.Producer: Chris Wilson.

Laurie Taylor explores new research that resonates in society. In the recent Arab Spring a Syrian singer has his vocal chords cut after singing at protest rallies. Forty years ago the Chilean musician Victor Jara had his hands chopped off before being murdered by government forces. In both cases, music was seen as challenging the power of a dictatorship. Thinking Allowed explores popular music as a threat to national security.John Street, Professor of Politics at the University of East Anglia joins Laurie to discuss a paper on the subject written by Thierry Cote, Research Associate at the York Center for International and Security Studies in Toronto, CanadaLaurie also looks at a new book co-authored by economist Professor Ian Goldin, a former Vice President of the World Bank, which examines the history, present and future of immigration and argues that, overall, immigration is essential for economic and cultural prosperity.Producer. Chris Wilson.

Laurie Taylor talks to Marc DiPaolo and Matthew Sweet about the relationship between war, politics and comic strip superheroes. He also examines the importance of surnames, especially for children, exploring a new article by Dr Hayley Davies from Kings College London. Producer Chris Wilson.

New research compares income distribution in the UK with a multi storey apartment building in which the poorest dwell in the basement, the richest occupy the penthouse and most of us still live on the floors in between the two extremes. The economist, Professor Stephen Jenkins discusses income mobility and the dynamics of poverty with Laurie Taylor. They're also joined by the sociologist, Professor John Holmwood. Also, the raucous sidewalk culture of New York Tour Guides. The sociologist Jonathan R. Wynn introduces us to the eccentrics, educators and radicals who provide introductions to New York's dizzying array of attractions. Producer: Jayne Egerton.

Laurie Taylor explores the latest research into how society works. He examines a new book seeking to understand suicide and talks to a sociologist about family secrets. Ben Fincham is a Lecturer in Sociology at Sussex University and his book 'Understanding Suicide: A Sociological Autopsy' assesses sociological work in this area and explores what can be known about the motivation and lives of suicidal people. He's joined by Dr Mike Shiner, a Senior Research Fellow in the Mannheim Centre for Criminology at London School of Economics. Laurie also talks to Professor Carol Smart from the University of Manchester about her paper exploring family secrets and memories. Producer Chris Wilson.

Being beautiful apparently brings big dividends: "The total effect of facial attractiveness on income is roughly equal to that of educational qualifications or self-confidence", claims Catherine Hakim in her new book Honey Money. Perhaps it's time to give up on exams and spend more time at the spa because Laurie also hears from the U.S. economist Daniel Hamermesh that being beautiful can greatly inflate your pay packet. Also on the programme, Louise Westmarland talks about some of the extraordinary experiences that criminologists have faced whilst researching crime. Producer: Charlie Taylor.

Thinking Allowed explores the changing nature of home in a 3 part summer series recorded in the homes of our listeners. Who do we live with, how do our homes operate and what do they say about us and about the dramatic social transformations of the last century and the century to come? By invitation, in each edition a new type of home is invaded, analysed and explained by Laurie Taylor and a panel of two sociologists round the kitchen table.Much political debate still revolves around the assumption that most of us live in conventional family homes. However research suggests that in 20 years time only 2 out of 5 people will be in marriages and married couples will be outnumbered by other types of household. Behind closed doors, Britain is changing: single living has increased by 30% in 10 years but at the same time financial pressures are fuelling a growth in extended families - people sharing bills, childcare and mucking-in in a way which makes private life far less private.After invitations from a host of Th

Thinking Allowed explores the changing nature of home in a 3 part summer series recorded in the homes of our listeners. Who do we live with, how do our homes operate and what do they say about us and about the dramatic social transformations of the last century and the century to come? By invitation, in each edition a new type of home is invaded, analysed and explained by Laurie Taylor and a panel of two sociologists round the kitchen table.Much political debate still revolves around the assumption that most of us live in conventional family homes. However research suggests that in 20 years time only 2 out of 5 people will be in marriages and married couples will be outnumbered by other types of household. Behind closed doors, Britain is changing: Single living has increased by 30% in 10 years but at the same time financial pressures are fuelling a growth in extended families - people sharing bills, childcare and mucking-in in a way which makes private life far less private.After invitations from a host of Th

Thinking Allowed explores the changing nature of home in a 3 part summer series recorded in the homes of our listeners. Who do we live with, how do our homes operate and what do they say about us and about the dramatic social transformations of the last century and the century to come? By invitation, in each edition a new type of home is invaded, analysed and explained by Laurie Taylor and a panel of two sociologists round the kitchen table.Much political debate still revolves around the assumption that most of us live in conventional family homes. However research suggests that in 20 years time only 2 out of 5 people will be in marriages and married couples will be outnumbered by other types of household. Behind closed doors, Britain is changing: Single living has increased by 30% in 10 years but at the same time financial pressures are fuelling a growth in extended families - people sharing bills, childcare and mucking-in in a way which makes private life far less private.After generous invitations from Thi

Are we right to blame the parents? Is there anything they could do? Laurie Taylor speaks to two researchers behind a massive investigation into the families of British gang members. Judith Aldridge and Jon Shute tell him what they discovered about the lives and experience of families with children in gangs and whether it is possible to intervene. Also, Gordon Mathews, the author of a book about Chungking Mansions, the cheapest accommodation in Hong Kong, describes its multifarious residents. This ramshackle building in the heart of the tourist district is home to a polyethnic melting pot of people - from Pakistani phone stall operators to American backpackers and Indonesian sex workers.Producer: Charlie Taylor.

What role does the mobile phone have in showing off, hooking up and getting dumped? Laurie talks to Emma Bond about her new study into how young people use mobile phones in their intimate sexual relationships. Also on the programme the historian Teofilo Ruiz talks about the radical thesis of his book the Terrors of History: Is our struggle to find rational solutions to the fearful events of history entirely in vain? Is the idea of progress nothing more than a sweet lie? David Byrne also joins them to discuss whether anything can be done to address the cruel vicissitudes that history makes us suffer. Producer: Charlie Taylor.