The Open University

Acting together in isolation: the “paradox” of life in the pandemic

15 April 2020

Dr Cristina Chimisso considers the constraints placed on all of us across the world to live in isolation and confinement and keep a social distance, yet the paradox philosophically of needing to act together. She draws on the writings of Hannah Arendt in discussing what it might mean today to ‘act in concert’ and the […]

Love in a time of Covid-19: families and couple relationships

30 March 2020

The necessary restrictions imposed during the Coronavirus pandemic are likely to put pressure on our relationships and family life. Professor Jacqui Gabb, who has researched and written extensively on relationships, discusses some of the issues and offers practical thoughts on what is important. Professor Gabb is co-author of Enduring Love. Her research centres on intimacy […]

Why misogyny and hate crime reforms need more than slick campaigns

27 March 2020

Wolf-whistling, catcalling and groping make up just some of the intimidating behaviour that women experience every day from men. But there is an attempt underway in the UK parliament that seeks to protect women from this kind of “acceptable” misogyny. On March 9, Wera Hobhouse, the MP for Bath in south-west England, presented her Hate […]

OU research supports police safe driving campaign

10 March 2020

Research by an OU psychology academic has helped produce a toolkit of resources for police forces to use in a campaign for safer driving. The social media toolkit is to educate and enforce the law against mobile phone use by drivers. Dr Gemma Briggs, senior lecturer in psychology, provided evidence based on her research on […]

How you can tell Emmanuel Macron is actually a populist – and why it matters

5 March 2020

Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, came to power in 2017 in the wake of the election of Donald Trump in the US and the Brexit referendum – widely seen as a period of crisis that pitted populism against liberal democracy. At the time, Macron presented himself as a defender of liberalism against the dangers […]

Interior of Imam Mosque at Naqhsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan, Iran

Cultural sites and war crimes, explaining the connection

20 January 2020

As tensions between Iran and the US continue, the OU’s Professor Derek Matravers takes a closer look at at why criticism was levelled at President Trump earlier this month, for his threats to Iran’s cultural sites. Derek Matravers is Professor of Philosphy at The Open University and his research activity includes his involvement in directing […]

Veganism has always been more about living an ethical life than just avoiding meat and dairy

7 January 2020

Dr Matthew Cole, Lecturer in Criminology at The Open University joins Dr Kate Stewart from Nottingham Trent University to write for The Conversation about the origins of Veganism being more than just diet. “Ethical veganism” has been ruled to be a philosophical belief in the UK in an employment tribunal. During a case brought by […]

Sixty years ago: Stuart Hall arrives to renew the Left

3 January 2020

Alan Shipman looks back to 1960 when the late Stuart Hall (former Professor of Sociology at the OU) first emerged as a leading Left thinker and pioneering social scientist. January 1960 began with a fresh challenge for Stuart Hall, a young teacher from Jamaica still adjusting to London life after finishing his English Literature studies. […]

No Brexit boost for affordable housing

28 December 2019

The Open University’s Alan Shipman, Lecturer in Economics, takes a look ahead to how the housing market will fare in the coming year. House price forecasts remain relatively optimistic for 2020, for those who regard their four walls as an investment and not just a place to live. After an average increase of just 0.7% […]

Bargain hunters: how shops make us buy

27 December 2019

The post-Christmas sales are in full swing but how do shops persuade us to spend? Have some fund finding out more about what shops do to make us buy with the interactive tool below developed by our sociologists. And if you’ve enjoyed eating your way through the Christmas holidays and and want to know more […]

OU News

Category: Society and politics