Why ‘a book’ is resistant to change, and other thoughts from our Editorial Director for Social Science books at Palgrave

Academic Book Week (#AcBookWeek) is a week-long celebration of the diversity, variety and influence of academic books throughout history run by the Booksellers Association, returning for a fourth year from 4-9 March 2019. This week, we are recognizing the important role of academic books, including how they engage critical audiences such as the media and policy-makers, as well as reflecting on their evolution and what the future might hold for this research format. We asked Tamsine O’Riordan, Editorial Director, Social Science books for Palgrave Macmillan (as part of Springer Nature), to give us her thoughts on the value and future … Read more…

Author Profile: Carol Smart CBE on her Work in the Social Sciences

Having recently been awarded a CBE for services to the Social Sciences in the 2017 New Year’s Honours list, we spoke to Professor Carol Smart about her career in academia, the impact of the social sciences, and why they’re so important as we appear to enter a post-truth period of ‘alternative facts’. Can you give us an overview of your work in academia to date? My first degree was in sociology but my master’s degree was in criminology and my PhD was in the field of socio-legal studies. This means that throughout my academic career I’ve been able to shift … Read more…