Celebrities have a great deal of social capital. How they use it can be critical and the consequences far-reaching. This post reflects on a paper by Abidin, C., Brockington, D., Goodman, M. K., Mostafanezhad, M., & Richey, L. A. (2020). The tropes of celebrity environmentalism. Annual review of environment and resources, 45(1), 387-410. The paperContinue reading “Celebrity advocacy: who benefits, and does it matter?”
Author Archives: Caroline McCalman
Green places
Those places where nature is more vitally present have been the happiest places.
Joy, and Joyness
What is good about having a pet? We adopted a cat about a week before my father died this year. It wasn’t really the right time, because of course I then spent some time away with my mother and a new feline addition to the household needs stability. But, frankly, if you wait for theContinue reading “Joy, and Joyness”
Begin it Now
Begin it Now
Nations & nationalities are not inherent categories
What’s something you believe everyone should know. They’re constructions of approximately the last 200 years. Much of the conflict we see globally can be traced back to entirely arbitrary geographical boundaries being drawn up by what are now former imperial powers. Of course humans naturally form groups, communities and societies, but the nation states ofContinue reading “Nations & nationalities are not inherent categories”
Happy Accomplice or Hapless Stooge? Research Independence in the UK
I was recently challenged by a participant with regards to research integrity and my capability (real or imagined) of publishing “awkward” findings. I have some thoughts.
Prophecy, failure, and [covert] surveillance
Great data does not make up for a lack of research ethics…
Surviving First Contact (aka., beginning data collection)
Many moons ago, my thesis supervisor uttered words of great wisdom, which I have carried with me and shall endeavor to pass on to any unsuspecting research student who doesn’t run away fast enough. “No plan survives first contact with the enemy.” He was speaking in the aftermath of my first foray into data collection.Continue reading “Surviving First Contact (aka., beginning data collection)”
Achieving Personal Coherence
One of the first things a sociology or human geography student will be taught is that none of us have just one identity: we have many.
Moving the Overton Window
Who was Overton? What is his window? Why and how does it move? I came across the concept of the ‘Overton Window’ when I was in the early stages of my PhD. At the time, it didn’t seem to have much ‘traction’ in the academic circles I was, well, circling and no-one else seemed atContinue reading “Moving the Overton Window”
