Social science

Mapping queer spaces is revealing, but ghettos are also places of the mind, says Sally R. Munt

Tallis enters a crowded arena when he asks what the arts mean nowadays, says Fred Inglis

Irene Glendinning evaluates a rare study of the effectiveness of STEM widening-participation schemes

Rachel Hoffman on a reconceptualisation of conspiracy theory and its role in the modern world

Steve Redhead on a discussion of play as a means of interacting with the world around us

Dale Cooper on the methods of philanthropy in universities and how the UK has learned from the US tradition

Now in his ninth decade, sociologist Howard Becker has produced a classic, writes Les Gofton

Farzana Shaikh on a retread of a historian’s former work on Pakistan

E. Stina Lyon admires a hybrid of personal memoir and post-war English social history

Richard Williams on Hugh Hefner’s attention to the enhancement of pleasure through erotic design

Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman on an intricate history of the role of America on the global stage

Isabelle Szmigin on how ‘pleasure engineers’ have affected our physical and social well-being

Thomas Docherty on the fundamental tension between professional duties and civil engagement

Chris Knight on the history of humanity and the myths that shape our civilisations

Mary Evans on a study of the US feminist movement from the 19th century

Jonathan Mirsky on the unfairness and exploitation rife in modern Chinese society

Lynne Segal on an Israeli scholar’s persuasive arguments against his country’s myths of identity

Dick Hobbs on an ethnographic study exploring the resilience of youths whose lives have been marred by violence

Roger Morgan on an exploration of the current state of our political institutions

To share the wealth we must challenge attitudes that perpetuate the great divide, finds Mary Evans

Joanna Williams reviews the latest commentary on the commercialisation of higher education

Vladimir Tismaneanu on a book that argues against the self-righteousness of neoliberalism

Sarah Hackett on a timely study that merits a place at the heart of current policy debates

Resisting sexual temptation is one thing, forgoing sweets another. Natalie Gold on a study of restraint

Sally R. Munt lauds an ethnographic study of men who are ‘out’ about their weight

A study of immigration removal centres reveals their dehumanising effect, says Lucy Williams

Shahidha Bari savours a celebration of our relationship with food across genres and cultures

Geoffrey Galt Harpham on a timely reminder of the common root of modern human sciences

Christina Hellmich on an examination of the enduring nature of the Taliban

Joy Hendry hopes for insights that look beyond stereotypes in this study of a nation in flux

Conor Gearty on why the United Nations is successful at developing and promoting human rights but fails in protecting them

Cary Cooper on a rebuttal of the idea that performance-related pay for business leaders improves corporate performance

Corruption is rife and legal among those who hold the power in the UK, says Danny Dorling

Sharon Wheeler on an ambitious investigation of crime fiction and its relation to modern society

Angelia Wilson on a national narrative that distorts reality with its boundless optimism

Farzana Shaikh on a study of a region that lies at the heart of a geopolitical storm

Ellen Carol DuBois extols a study of a scientific theory’s impact on the pursuit of empowerment

A lack of disciplinary expertise in digital cultures undermines this study, finds Tara Brabazon

Leslie Gofton finds this fusion of memoir and essay blending academic learning, popular culture and politics fails to fully satisfy

An examination of viewing habits illuminates the lives of Arabic people who have made their home in Europe, finds Zahera Harb

Tim Hall review an exploration of the placing overseas of work, tax, leisure, waste and security

Niamh Gallagher on the women who challenged the consensus of who could serve at the front

Jörg Michael Dostal on how the NSS has enabled the US to attain technological leadership to serve its geopolitical objectives

Does formal teaching of jazz contradict the improvisation that is at its core? Trevor Herbert examines the evidence

Ivor Gaber lauds an analysis of the New Labour hierarchy and its culture of command and control

Howard Davies seeks a coherent link between the economic crisis and the economics of energy

An enjoyable assortment of media hoaxes that would benefit from some theoretical analysis, says Chris Knight

Jonathan Mirsky on how Mao unwittingly helped to stir up and then crushed a longing for democracy and equality among millions of young people

A study of pioneering women collates stories that might otherwise be lost, writes Ruth Woodfield

Social dynamics that affect elite US students are indicative of a broader trend, finds Julie J. Park

Alexander du Toit lauds a detailed account of a bizarre 20th-century political experiment

Simon Underdown on a meticulously researched analysis of two camps’ opposing arguments over Darwin’s work

Steven Yearley on the economic and ethical reasons for why attempts to prevent climate change have failed

Tara Brabazon on a study of the interface between education and technology

Vera Troeger on a persuasive, if gloomy, look at the dangerous paradoxes at the heart of neoliberalism

Kitty Stewart on the reality of suffering caused by the coalition’s reductions of the welfare state

Caroline Osella on the causes behind the astonishingly high rate of suicide in the southwestern Indian state of Kerala

Juliet Sorensen is inspired by a call to action for lawyers and legal scholars to work towards the goal of health for all

Tracey Warr on a myth-busting examination of the mass production of oil paintings in Dafen village

Clare Griffiths appraises a century of untold tales about life on the bottom rung of the social ladder