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Departmental Seminar - British Sociology Today: Trends and Challenges

9 January 2025 at 3:00:00 am

The Browne Review in 2010, followed by the government’s White Paper in 2011, marked the most significant reform in British higher education since the Further and Higher Education Act of 1992. Primarily focused on increasing tuition fees, this reform brought about profound changes across Britain’s higher educational landscape. This presentation examines recent trends that have reshaped both the teaching and scholarship of sociology in Britain since the Review. Key factors include marketisation, the growing emphasis on student voices, the decolonisation of curricula, industrial action, the court ruling in University of Bristol v. Abrahart, fluctuations in international student enrollment, the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023. Together, these developments have posed unique challenges to sociology, a discipline grounded in critical thought. In conclusion, this presentation draws on recent studies by Baudry Rocquin (2019) and John Scott (2020), who historicize the development of British sociology, and argue that the discipline has consistently been shaped by competing ideas about what sociology should be. Sociology as a discipline will adapt to meet these challenges.


About the Speaker:


Gary Wong is a lecturer (teaching and scholarship) in the School of Sociology and Social Policy of the University of Leeds. He  specialises in experiential learning with research interests in Hong Kong’s cultural history and public housing. His books were awarded and shortlisted for the British Book and Design Awards, the Creative Communication Awards, the International Book Awards and Hong Kong Book Prize.


Departmental Seminar - British Sociology Today: Trends and Challenges

Date: 9 January 2025

Time: 11:00am - 12:00pm

Venue: CJT-9.29

Speaker: Prof. Gary Pui-fung Wong

Registration: https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?ueid=97940

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