Contributors to Volume 4, Number 3

Alan Aldridge, University of Nottingham

Alan Aldridge is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Nottingham. His research interests are in the sociology of religion, consumerism, and personal financial services. He is the author of Religion in the Contemporary World: a Sociological Introduction, to be published by Polity Press.

Reidar Almas, Centre for Rural Research in Norway.

Dr Reidar Almas currently the Director (since 1982) at the Centre for Rural Research in Norway. His research experience includes;Research Fellow, Norwegian Research Council for Science and the Humanities (1975-78), Researcher, Agricultural Research Council of Norway, at the University of Trondheim (1979-90) and Professor of applied sociology since 1986 at the Department of Sociology, University of Trondheim. He is also a member of Governmental Values Commission, (1998-2001) E)mail: Reidar.Almas@allforsk.ntnu.no

Huw Beynon, University of Manchester

Huw Beynon is Professor of Sociology at the University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester.

Katy Bennet, University of Durham

Katy Bennett is a Research Associate in the Department of Geography at the University of Durham, Stockton Road, Durham.

Fred Buttel, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Frederick H. Buttel is Professor and Chair of the Department of Rural Sociology and Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He also serves as Associate Director of the Program on Agricultural Technology Studies at the University of Wisconsin. He is Past President of the Rural Sociological Society and the Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society, and is currently President of the Environment and Society Research Committee of the International Sociological Association. He has had long-standing interests in the sociology of agricultural science and technology and in theories of environment and society. He is co-editor of three forthcoming books: Environmental Sociology and Global Modernity, Sociological Theory and the Environment, and Hungry for Profit.

Peter Chen, Australian National University,

Peter Chen is a final year PhD student in the Department of Political Science at the Australian National University. His research is focused on Australian approaches to Internet censorship and the application of analytical models to the study of interest groups in public policy development. He has published a number of articles on Internet regulation legislation in Australia in both hardcopy and electronic form. Peter holds a Batchelor of Commerce degree (honours) from Griffith University with majors in Public Policy and Marketing and a Diploma of Market Research.

David Clarke, University of Nottingham

David Clarke is Professor of Psychology at the School of Psychology, Nottingham University. His research concerns the processes controlling the serial organisation of behaviour,including conversation. He uses sequence analysis and a range of related techniques to study various psychological problems and processes. Recent projects have looked at machine-learning techniques for data analysis, language change, road accidents, and HCI.

Geoff Cooper, University of Surrey

Geoff Cooper is lecturer in sociology at the University of Surrey, UK. His interests lie within science and technology studies and social theory, and he is currently engaged in research into the social dimensions of mobile telecommunications.

Robert Dingwall, University of Nottingham

Robert Dingwall is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Genetics and Society Unit at the University of Nottingham. He has researched and published widely across the sociologies of medicine and law, with particular interests in professions, work, language and social interaction. This paper comes out of a new programme work examining social, legal and ethical aspects of new genetic science and technologies.

Andrew Finlay, Trinity College Dublin

Andrew Finlay <arfinlay@tcd.ie> studied social anthropology at University College London and now lectures in sociology at Trinity college, Dublin. He has researched and written about various health and social 'problems'. Living in Dublin has rekindled his interest in debates about Irishness.

Les Gofton, University of Newcastle

Les Gofton is Lecturer in Behavioural Science at the University of Newcastle. His main research interests are consumer culture and sociological approaches to food drink and drugs. He has researched and published in this area since 1980. Recent publications include "Marketing Messages" (1999) Blackhall, Dublin, and (with Ritson and Kuznesov) "Consumer Attitudes to GM Food with Special Reference to Farmed Salmon" (1998) EC, Brussels. He is presently working on a book concerned with changes in alcohol and drug use on post industrial Tyneside.

Erica Haimes, University of Newcastle

Erica Haimes is Professor of Sociology in the Department of Social Policy at the University of Newcastle and Deputy Chair of the Genetics in the Community Policy and Ethics Research Institute ( a joint venture between the universities of Newcastle and Durham, and the International Centre for Life). Her main research interests are (i) the relationships between the state, medicine and the family, with particular reference to assisted conception; (ii) the sociology of genetics; (iii) the sociology of identity. She has recently co-edited (with Ken Daniels) 'Donor Insemination: International Social Science Perspectives' (Cambridge University Press, 1998). She has also published (with Robin Williams) 'Social constructionism and the new technologies of reproduction' in Velody and Williams, ed The Politics of Constructionism (Sage, 1998) and is a multiple contributor to Burfoot, A ed (1999) Encyclopedia of Reproductive Technologies (Westview Press).

Brendan Halpin, University of Essex

Brendan Halpin is a Chief Research Officer at the Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex. His research interests include stratification and social mobility, computer simulation of social processes, and methods for the analysis of longitudinal data. Contact: Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex, Colchester CO4 3SQ; +1206 873790; mailto:brendan@essex.ac.uk.

Martyn Hammersley, Open University

Martyn Hammersley is professor of educational and social research at The Open University. His main field of research and teaching is the sociology of education, but much of his work has focused on methodological issues. He has published many articles and books in this field, most recently Taking Sides in Social Research (Routledge 1999).

Mark Harvey, University of Manchester

Mark Harvey is currently a Senior Research Fellow at the ESRC Centre for Research in Innovation and Competition at the University of Manchester and UMIST. An economic sociologist, he is currently undertaking comparative research in markets (particularly food retail), competition, and regulatory environments. He is also UK partner in a European research network on the social construction of employment

S.M. Hinton, Latrobe University

S.M. Hinton S.M Hinton is a PhD candidate in the Department of Media Studies at Latrobe University in Melbourne, Australia. His main area of research is the impact of new communications technologies upon the structure of the mass media, advertising and marketing industries. He holds a Batchelor of Arts degree in Professional Writing from the University of Canberra, and graduated from an MA Prelim at La Trobe University with First Class Honours. Mr Hinton has developed technical computing experience through his strong interest in the technology and through work experience as a technical writer for an Australian computing company, and most recently as the web master for the Australian National University. He has been a member of the Australian Federal Government's editorial committee for the development of an official Federal Government online style guide and is a member of the Internet Society of Australia.

Emma Hollywood, Edinburgh Napier University

Emma Hollywood is a Research Fellow at Edinburgh Napier University, Craig House Campus, Craig House Road, Edinburgh, EH10 5LG. emma.hollywood@napier.ac.uk

William Housley, University of Wales, Cardiff

William Housley Ph.D. (Wales) is currently a Lecturer in Sociology at the Cardiff School of Social Sciences. His Doctoral research (sponsored by the ESRC) was concerned with multidisciplinary team practice within social / health care work settings. He carried out this research under the supervision of Dr. Stephen Hester at the Department of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Wales, Bangor. The thesis examined issues surrounding decision making practices, social epistemology, lay and professional expertise and the local organisation of professional interaction within multidisciplinary social / health care contexts. A number of publications are currently being published that derive from this study. He is currently utilising themes and principles developed during the course of this research and applying them to the investigation of multidisciplinary primary health care teams. In addition to this, he is also conducting research into issues surrounding language, interaction and identity within regional, national and European contexts. His main interests lie in contemporary social theory, language and identity, conversation analysis, ethnomethodology, ethnography and innovative approaches to the examination of public and social policy themes, issues and practices.

Ray Hudson, University of Durham

Ray Hudson is a Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Durham, Stockton Road, Durham.

Stevi Jackson, University of York

Stevi Jackson is Professor of Women's Studies and Director of the Centre for Women's Studies at the University of York. She is the author of, Christine Delphy (Sage 1996) and Heterosexuality in Question (Sage 1999). She has co-edited Women's Studies: A Reader (Harvester Wheatsheaf 1993), The Politics of Domestic Consumption: Critical Readings (Prentice Hall/Harvester Wheatsheaf 1995), Feminism and Sexuality (Edinburgh University Press 1996) and Contemporary Feminist Theories (Edinburgh University Press 1998). She has also published a number of articles on romance, sexuality and family relationships and is currently working with Sue Scott, Kathryn Milburn and Jennifer Harden researching the impact of risk and adult risk anxiety on the everyday world of children.

Email: sfj3@york.ac.uk

Alana Lentin, European University Institute, Florence

Alana Lentin is a doctoral student at the European University Institute, Florence researching anti-racism movements in Europe. She has previously worked in anti-racism at both local and international levels.

Tim May, University of Salford

Tim May is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Salford. Following his Ph.D. (1990) he taught at the Universities of Plymouth and Durham, before moving to Salford in August 1999. He has published books on organisational change (1991), social theory (1996), philosophy and social research (1996) and social research (1993; 1997) and co-edited books on ethnography (1993), work with offenders (1996) and philosophy, social theory and methodology (1998). His current work includes editing a book series and an international collection on qualitative research, writing a book on sociology, reflexivity and social life, preparing a new edition of a book on social research and continuing his research interests on power, management, identity and organisational transformation.

Michael Peters, University of Auckland

Michael Peters is Associate Professor in the School of Education, University of Auckland (http://www.auckland.ac.nz/), New Zealand (http://www.govt.nz/nz.info/index.html). His research interests are in the areas of philosophy, education and policy studies. He is the author of a number of books in Bergin and Garvey's Critical Studies in Education and Culture series (http://info.greenwood.com/series/ser50000026.html) including: After the Disciplines: The Emergence of Cultural Studies (Ed.) (1999); Wittgenstein: Philosophy, Postmodernism, Pedagogy (1999), with James Marshall; Naming the Multiple: Poststructuralism and Education (Ed.) (1998); Poststructuralism, Politics and Education (1996); and Education and the Postmodern Condition, with Foreword By Jean-François Lyotard (Ed.) (1995/97). He is author of over 75 articles for internationallt refereed journals in the fields of education, philosophy, cultural studies, media studies, sociology, public administration, anthropology and politics. He has written a number of other books including: Individualism and Community: Education and Social Policy in the Postmodern Condition, with James Marshall (London, Falmer Press, 1996); Counternarratives, with Henry Giroux, Peter McLaren and Colin Lankshear (London & New York, Routledge); Critical Theory, Poststructuralism and the Social Context (Eds.) (Palmerston North, NZ, Dunmore Press, 1996); Cultural Politics and the University (Ed.) (Dunmore Press, 1997); Virtual Technologies and Tertiary Education (Ed.s) (Dunmore Press,1998) and University Futures and the Politics of Reform, with Peter Roberts (Dunmore Press, 1999). He has been actively involved in union affairs: he was Academic Vice-President for the New Zealand Association of University Staff (http://ww.aus.ac.nz) in 1997 and Vice-President of the branch at the University of Auckland during the first half of 1998. He is currently Executive Editor of the journal Educational Philosophy and Theory (http://www.carfax.co.uk/ept-ad.htm) and Co-Editor of the on-line Encyclopedia of Philosophy of Education (http://www.educacao.pro.br/).

Anne Murcott, South Bank University

Anne Murcott MA PhD FRSA was Director of the Economic & Social Research Council (UK) Research Programme 'The Nation's Diet' (1992-98). She is author of books, articles and papers in sociology on various aspects of health, and on diet and culture. From 1982-1987 she was editor of Sociology of Health & Illness and from, 1995-1997, one of the co-executive editor of Appetite and is a board member of the new journal Gastronomica due for launch in 2000. Having taught both sociology, other social sciences and medical/health professional under- and post-graduates in the University of Wales (Cardiff) for more than 20 years, she now holds a holds a research post as Professor of the Sociology of Health, at South Bank University, London.

Brigitte Nerlich, University of Nottingham

Brigitte Nerlich studied French, philosophy and sociology in Germany. She wrote her thesis on the history of French linguistics in 1985. From 1985 to 1988 she was a Junior Research Fellow in General Linguistics at Wolfson College, Oxford. Since then she has worked at the University of Nottingham, first at the Department of Linguistics, then at the School of Psychology, where she is a Research Fellow. She has published widely in the fields of the history of the social sciences, historical semantics and cognitive semantics. She is interested in the cognitive and social conditions of semantic change and in the cognitive and communicative strategies adults and children use to convey novel meanings and to understand words with multiple meanings. More recently she has been involved with the Genetics & Society Unit at the School of Sociology and Social Policy, where she began her study of the public understanding of cloning and genetic engineering.

Roberta Sassatelli, University of East Anglia

Roberta Sassatelli is lecturer at the School of Economic and Social Studies, University of East Anglia, Norwich. E-mail R.Sassatelli@uea.ac.uk

Alison Shaw, University of Bristol

Alison Shaw is a PhD student at the School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol. She is currently undertaking research on public understandings of food risks, and is therefore particularly interested in sociological theory and research on food, risk and the public understanding of science. Methodologically, she enjoys working from an interpretative perspective, employing qualitative sociological methods. She has also undertaken research relating to the sociology of 'The Body', and has recently co-edited a collection of papers entitled "The Body in Qualitative Research" (Avebury) with John Richards at the University of Wales, Cardiff.

Tim Strangleman, University of Nottingham

Tim Strangleman is a Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Nottingham, School of Sociology and Social Policy, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK. tim.strangleman@nottingham.ac.uk

Philip Sutton, University of Leeds

Philip Sutton teaches Sociology at the University of Leeds. His book, Explaining Environmentalism: in search of a new social movement, will be published early next year by Avebury Press.