Although Medical Sociology is the largest
research grouping within the Department (see below), the research activity
of the sociology group covers many aspects of contemporary cultural and
social life, with much work having a comparative or historical dimension.
Dr Colin Gibson has a particular interest in socio-legal studies
and law and the family and has recently published a major book on divorce.
Dr Raymond Lee has recently published extensively on
research methodology, particularly on researching sensitive topics, the
use of computers in qualitative research and the sociological implications
of new information technologies. He also has research interests in labour
markets and redundancy and the sociology of religion.
Bernice Martin has an international reputation for her work
in the sociology of culture. She is, at present, engaged on collaborative
studies of pentecostalism in Latin America and of new class values in
Europe and North America.
Dr John Mattausch has published widely on the sociology of
peace movements and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. He is now
engaged on a historical study of the Gujarati community in Gujarat, East
Africa and Britain.
Dr Richard Smith has particular interests in the sociology
of rural economic life and environmental issues. He is currently studying
the concept of sustainability in British agriculture.
Dr Ralph Schroeder (incomplete)
N Fielding and R M Lee (eds) Using Computers in Qualitative Research, Sage, 1992. (Revised edition)
C Gibson 'Wealth, inheritance and adultery', in A Van der Wonde (ed) The Role of the State and Public Opinion on Sexual Attitudes and Demographic Behaviour, International Commission of Historical Demography, Madrid, 1990.
C Gibson Dissolving Wedlock, Routledge, 1993.
R M Lee Doing Research on Sensitive Topics, Sage, 1993.
B Martin 'Qualitative market research: a profession at the edge of postmodernity' in F Heuberger and H Kellner (eds) Hidden Technocrats: The "New Class", Transaction Press, 1991.
B Martin 'Whose soul is it anyway? Domestic violence and the suffocated soul' in R K Fenn and D Capps (eds) Lost Souls, New York City University Press, 1994.
J Mattausch A Commitment to Campaign: A Sociological Study of CND, Manchester University Press, 1989.
J Mattausch The Gujaratis and the British, CEMS Occasional Papers No. 1. 1993.
Publications by Ralph Schroeder
R Smith 'Farm household strategies and pluriactivity in Upland Scotland', Journal of Agricultural Economics, vol.42, 1991. (with M Shucksmith)
R Smith 'On the margins: uneven development and rural restructuring in the Highlands of Scotland', in T Marsden et al. (eds) Labour and Locality. David Fulton, 1992.
Medical sociology and health related research is a well-established specialization of the Department.
Professor George Brown is a member of the MRC's external
Scientific Staff and leads a research team investigating the role of
social factors in the aetiology of affective disorders, particularly
depression. In recent years, the research has been extended to other
psychiatric and physical disorders and to studies of intervention schemes.
The team's work is internationally known for its development of new
interviewer-based measures of psychosocial and psychiatric phenomena. This
work is based at the College's central London base in Bloomsbury.
Professor Michael Bury has researched and published widely
in medical sociology, especially in the fields of quality of life
assessment, chronic illness and ageing. Professor Bury is also continuing
work with Dr Jonathan Gabe on the influence of the media on
health, health beliefs and behaviour. This work has recently been extended
to cover health promotion in mental health generally. He is also engaged
with Dr Mary Ann Elston, on a research project on the role of
friendship and informal support in the care of the dying. Dr Elston's
other research interests are in the history and organization of medical
care and biomedical science and in social movements related to health such
as the women's health movement. She has written extensively on the medical
profession, especially on the position of women, and on the relationship
between the anti-vivisection movement and biomedical research.
Lynda Stevens is engaged in collaborative research into the
impact of diabetes, particularly on young people.
G W Brown and T Harris (eds) Life Events and Illness, Guilford Press, 1989.
G W Brown and T Harris 'Aetiology of anxiety and depressive disorders in an inner city population: I Early adversity and II Comorbidity', Psychological Medicine, vol 23, 1993.
M R Bury and A Holme Life after Ninety, Routledge, 1991.
M R Bury and J Gabe 'Television and medicine: medical dominance or trial by media?' in J. Gabe et al (eds) Challenging Medicine, 1994.
M A Elston 'Women doctors in a changing profession: the case of Britain', in E. Riska and K. Wegar (eds) Gender, Work and Medicine, Sage, 1993.
M A Elston 'The anti-vivisectionist movement and the science of medicine', in J Gabe et al (eds) Challenging Medicine, 1994.
L K Stevens and J H Fuller 'Hypertriglyceridaemia and its relationship to mortality in diabetic patients', Diabetes, vol 42, Suppl 1, 30a, 1993.
N. Robinson and L.K. Stevens et al 'Education and employment in young diabetic patients', Diabetic Medicine, vol 10, 1993.
[Papers to be added by Jonathan Gabe]
Last modified: 20.09.95