Posts appear in reverse chronological order.
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HOTTE #3: What we talk about when we talk about biology
A reflection on humans, animals, and disciplinary distinctions, in homage to Ted Benton. What we talk about when we talk about biology 2.0 Go back to the Hanging On To The Edges homepage.
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HOTTE #2: Why inequality is bad
The second essay in the Hanging On To The Edges series. A meditation on Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett’s The Spirit Level, the ecological fallacy, and the complexities of being an academic. Download: Why inequality is bad 1.0 (PDF) Go back to the Hanging On To The Edges homepage.
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HOTTE #1: The mill that grinds young people old
This is the first essay in the Hanging On To The Edges series. A meditation in an English urban graveyard, with a slight nod of the head to Thomas Gray, another to Tony Harrison, and a guest appearance by Charles Dickens. Download: The mill that grinds young people old 1.0 (PDF) Go back to the…
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Blue/Orange to play Durham
We are delighted to announce that Blue/Orange will play in Durham on Tuesday March 21st 2017, at 19:30pm, at the Empty Shop HQ in Framwellgate Bridge, DH1 4SJ. Tickets are available from here. This simple space is going to be wonderful for the piece. I like productions where I can carry the set down with me on the…
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And this little birdie got none……
We’ve just published a new paper on the effects of early-life adversity in starlings. We are particularly interested in how early adversity affects the shortening of telomeres. Telomeres are the protective DNA caps on the ends of our (and their) chromosomes, whose length is often used as a marker of biological age. We have found…
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The behavioural constellation of deprivation
We are used to the idea that the poor behave in a certain way- living for the day, devil may care, fatalistic, impulsive, enjoying life while they can- whilst the rich are more future-oriented, self-controlled and cautious. Just read the novels of Zola, for example, for vivid descriptions the appeal of present consumption over savings…
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Hitting the Wall & Blue/Orange
I am very excited about our imminent production of Matthew Warburton’s Hitting the Wall at Northern Stage on November 30th. In 2012, Wayne Soutter, a middle-aged father of two, attempted to swim the as-yet unconquered sea-channel between the Mull of Kintyre and Ireland. Hitting The Wall is a theatrical recreation of that extraordinary endeavour. Cold…
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When methods meet
The Scottish Graduate School of Social Science has made some interesting short films about the different methods available to social scientists, and in particular, whether they can fruitfully be brought together. In one of the films, the ethnographer Sam Hillyard and I discussed classic ethnography and experiments; can they be brought together, how are they…