Five global challenges: how might Hizmet respond?
Hizmet, the social movement inspired by the neo-Sufi thinker Fetullah Gülen, is currently being dismembered by the autocratic president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He accuses Gülen of ordering a coup attempt on 15th July 2016, saying it was was led by Hizmet members in the army. This is strenuously denied by Gülen and Hizmet, […]
Islamism, terrorism & the West: a better response?
These are the slides I used at my talk for the excellent Big BookEnd festival in Leeds, UK, during June 2015. I’m very grateful to Fiona Gell and her team for the invitation to speak. The talk is based on this chapter in my co-edited collection of essays Islam in the West: Key Issues in […]
Chapeltown: where is it and what does it do? (7 June 2014)
Fiona Gell is the driving force behind the marvellous Big BookEnd festival of authors and books in Leeds and when she asked me to contribute a talk I jumped at the offer. I’m giving this talk on Saturday 7th June 2014 at the Leeds Central Library (2.30pm). Fiona’s an assiduous organiser and brilliant user of […]
Photography > Sensuous sociology
Professor Ben Carrington invited me to Austin to give a lecture and a workshop on visual sociology at the University of Texas Sociology Department (in March 2014). Such a great experience. Preparing for the lecture made me read properly Susan Sontag, Roland Barthes and John Berger on photography. I also read Prof Les Back‘s great […]