Why should we be very worried about the US government messing with health databases? What do we know so far: Pausing of data U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) databases seemed to have “unexplained pauses” and ceased or delayed updates - 38 (46% of datasets) were paused.

The UK Home Secretary #shabanamahmood is never shy of a photo opportunity. Here she is posing in a martial Greg Bovino–style coat at a removal centre in #Copenhagen; just a few days later we find her again on the front pages announcing a #visa ban for countries that “abuse our generosity”. #asylum

Could not agree more - further work is needed to understand how national moves and economic opportunities change anti-immigrant sentiment. This is a brilliant paper! www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Poets from Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya will read and discuss their work in conversation with those contributing to the Africa Migration Report Poetry Anthology Series. The poets will also take part in a Q&A session.

My research indicates that in a increasingly politically polarised online and real-life environments, urban food growing projects have the potential to bridge divides. They can help integrate newcomers to the neighbourhood, providing opportunities for volunteers to talk across spheres of life. 👇

Nourishing the neighbourhood: Urban food projects create a "sense of place", boosting mental health while donating fresh organic produce to local food banks. A thought-provoking piece by Prof Neli Demireva ⤵️ @eastangliabylines.co.uk @demirevaneli.bsky.social

New book has arrived! 🎉🎉🎉 I am delighted about the publication of "Stories, Imaginations and Sociology; Essays in Honour of Ken Plummer", Routledge. It was a real privilege to edit the book with my co-editors and with plethora of interesting contributors. I cherished every moment.

Please support University of Essex staff. Please, sign the petition below. lnkd.in/eY4BJEPm

A brilliant exhibition on food production! Closing this Sunday! firstsite.uk/event/into-t... crapes.wordpress.com

A further dimension that should be considered is socio-economic disadvantage. First in their family graduates and graduates from disadvantaged backgrounds might not have the social connections that guarantee a high salary post graduation.

😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

Postdoc alert! I'm looking to appoint a Postdoctoral Fellow in International Relations (2 years) to work on my historically focused ARC project, “Humane Exclusion: How States Justify Excluding Refugees." Please share widely. jobs.anu.edu.au/cw/en/job/56...

🧩 The results reveal two sides of the same "social closure coin". Occupational elitism increases the size of the pie (raising average occupational earnings through collective rent generation), yet working-class entrants who overcome access barriers still receive smaller slices of those rents.

Really good piece. The falling graduate premium is a consequence more than a cause of low growth ‘Is university still worth it?’ is the wrong question - giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... via @jburnmurdoch.ft.com

When representation and reality clash 💣 This paper shows that: "#migration in movies is often portrayed as crisis-driven, irregular, dangerous, and overwhelmingly as movement toward the Global North. While "in reality, most migration is regular, safe, and orderly". academic.oup.com/migration/ar...

A very cold day to be on strike but solidarity kept us warm! No to job cuts at Essex!

The recently published report from the national snapshot survey of the State of Geography in UK HE should be a wake up call to all the Social Sciences, and I would welcome a similar survey for sociology, and the social science in general.

📢 Migration Scholars IOM is seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified and experienced individuals to undertake a consultancy to reimagine, revamp, expand and assist with developing content which will be used for conceiving a digitalized World Migration Fact-Checkers' Toolkit.

The protective effect of ethnic enclaves. This paper finds "that South Asian minority ethnic groups appear to be more insulated against negative neighbourhood effects relative to the White British majority". www-sciencedirect-com.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/science/arti...

I am in awe of Lindsey Vonn!! "Don’t feel sad. The ride was worth the fall." www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/f...

The Climate Fiction Prize Long List has just been announced and it contains some amazing titles! I loved loved Awake in the Floating City and will share my thoughts on it soon. Can't wait to read the rest! climatefictionprize.co.uk

My political science friends will be excused for spending their weekends delving deeper into Edward Stourton’s “Made in America: the dark history that led to Donald Trump” traces in a very way how the US has embraced, weaponized the notion of its ‘manifest destiny’ from inception to present day.

Are you able to offer a STEM Research Placement and Experience in 2026? Stem Learning is initiative supporting young people: www.stem.org.uk The 2026 placements will take place between Monday 20 July and Friday 28 August 2026.

Assistant Professor in International Migration: jobs.lse.ac.uk/Vacancies/W/...

🤯 From the FT: "UK drops target for international student recruitment" 🤯 Not once does this new strategy mention 'academic freedom' although there is one single fleeting reference to "the UK promotes shared values of freedom, equality and inclusion".

I just read Hu Anyan's "I deliver parcels in Beijing" and I shall be recommending the book to my sociology students. On its jacket surface, this book is about Hu Anyan's existence in the gig economy in Beijing. In a moving and profound way, however, it is about the gig economy everywhere.

this is the same reason that we created an ongoing special issue with the BJS on 'Scholarship as Struggle' to address some of these same issues. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/page/journal...

Sociology Under Threat is the theme of the latest issue of the BSA Network Magazine! Social scientists do not scroll away! More here: www.britsoc.co.uk/publications...

Crispy mornings with the Essex uni towers in the distance

Stats matter. Contrary to perceptions, London is now one of the safest cities in the world. In 2025, the Metropolitan police recorded 97 homicides in London, down from 153 in 2019, and down from 109 in 2024.

Storm Goretti is about to hit the UK and it really is cold out there. Do consider supporting a Big issue vendor: shop.bigissue.dsb-fly.net/the-big-issu...

The study found that lower-income countries, particularly those in Africa, Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, were persistently under-represented in the literature. 49% of African countries and 40% of Asian countries were under-represented. www.sociology.ox.ac.uk/article/lowe...

These ten lessons are delightful and at the heart of all learning! Stay curious, seek inspiration outside your head/house, don't be disheartened by mistakes, don't procrastinate, if you can help it :) www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

This is wonderful news! UK will rejoin EU's Erasmus student exchange programme in 2027! A much needed, important symbolic 'yes' to the crucial exchange of research ideas, learning, teaching practices, and cultural understanding across Europe! 👏 👏 👏 www.bbc.com/news/live/c4...

This important study shows that: 1. Most respondents significantly overestimated the share of irregular migrants within the UK’s foreign-born population. Current estimates are 10–13% of the foreign-born, yet more than half of respondents placed the figure far higher.

So lovely for the Minories to host a Colchester against racism community supper!! Wonderful for our community: university and local organisations to come together! A signal of hope!

Much need to embrace morality and integrity again as our core values. The 2025 Reith lectures are here: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Super interesting!

My new book, The Division of Rationalized Labor, is now shipping! A brief summary of the argument to follow…

The new Ken Burns documentary, the American revolution is just so good. What an example of how to weave and craft complex story: www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

It is great to see my local public library well stocked on classics.

If you care about academic freedom, Professor Laura Murphy urges the British government to "heed the University and College Union’s call to restore public funding to higher education." In the Economist: lnkd.in/e7BjvXTi

November Essex sky

Spooky Essex!

Countering negativity and stereotypes about the U.S.-Mexico border one recipe at a time with curiosity and determination - La Frontera with Pati Jinich on PBS is excellent!! lnkd.in/eDdQXhXG Past episodes are available on youtube as well. 👏 👏 👏

Let's Protect Good Data! The PAA is convening this letter rejecting USDA's decision to halt data collection and release of food security reports, and to support restoring funding for the Food Security Supplement in the Current Population Survey. The deadline is Wednesday 22 October.

How do we square Resilience, Resistance and Community? Today I discussed these important intersections with students and colleagues at the Sorbonne and feel very nurtured by the depth and breadth of our conversations.

Announcing a new book series from @emeraldpublishing.bsky.social 🎉 'Emerald Studies in Migration Research, Policy and Practice' Co-founded by series editors @demirevaneli.bsky.social and @migratorymel.bsky.social 👏 Read more here: lnkd.in/edU9gwEJ

Job Opportunity (come and work with our team): We are looking to hire a Research Associate for 30 months to assist in a Knowledge Transfer Partnership between the University of Essex and Girlguiding. vacancies.essex.ac.uk/tlive_webrec...