The Backstage Academic

Anton Roberts

I'm a sociology/criminology researcher at Manchester Metropolitan University, that blackmails numerous smart folk into doing podcasts on a whole host of academic subjects. I cover everything within the social sciences and believe in the free distribution of knowledge. In addition, I also produce regular book reviews/interviews with researchers and occasionally interview book authors about their recent publications. Researchers seeking to be on the show can reach me on Twitter @Social_Nomad

  1. 04/09/2024

    The Art of Writing - The Do's and Don'ts and Everything in Between

    Have you ever wondered what is means to be a great writer? Well wonder no longer. In this episode we tackle a whole host of topics from; the biggest challenges for writers, the importance of including you in your work, key difference between fiction and non fiction writing, growing author diversity and bringing lived experienced into your work, how to overcome writers block, the importance of why in what you write, examples of different writing systems/techniques etc and much much more. Helping us answer these questions is special guest Dipika (Di-pi-kuh) Mummery - a British Asian digital content editor from Bolton, now living in Manchester. She has written short stories and flash fiction across sci-fi, fantasy, realist fiction and horror. Her work has been published by Comma Press, Arachne Press, Fox & Windmill, Tasavvur, and Fly on the Wall Press. Dipika has an MA in Creative Writing from The University of Manchester. She is currently working on her first novel, and can be found on Instagram and Threads at @dipikamummery.

    1hr 11min
  2. Cults and Coercive Relationships - Janja Lalich

    10/06/2024

    Cults and Coercive Relationships - Janja Lalich

    This time we are peering into the world of cultic groups and thought reforms ideologies of all kinds, with sociologist Janja's Lalich and her amazing book 'TAKE BACK YOUR LIFE: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships. Learn all about the techniques of cult leaders, fascinating case studies and the complex reasons victims stay for so long. You can find her book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Take-Back-Your-Life-Relationships/dp/0972002154 Find more info about her here: https://janjalalich.com/

    39 min
  3. Adam Nicolson's 'The Mighty Dead: Why Homer Matters' - Book Review

    20/03/2024

    Adam Nicolson's 'The Mighty Dead: Why Homer Matters' - Book Review

    This time we are exploring the surprisingly sociological book, The Mighty Dead: Why Homer Matters. As usual we cover a lot of ground, from poetry, writing style, oral history, to the urban and the rural, the origins of violence/gangs. There even some reflections around masculinity and intimacy in war.

    57 min
  4. 'You're ALL Talk' - Book Review + Author Interview

    06/12/2023

    'You're ALL Talk' - Book Review + Author Interview

    Join me and my co host Saiqa as we explore the wonderful world of language and accents for this fascinating book review 'Your All Talk: why we are what we speak'. We discuss class, identity, inequality, prejudice around accents, history of speech, and share plenty of our personal experiences on the subject. In the second part of the episode I am also joined by Rob Drummond himself (author) to give us the low down on his book, the challenges of writing, and some great advice around how to write one too. About the Author: Rob Drummond is Professor of Sociolinguistics at Manchester Metropolitan University, where he researches and teaches about the relationship between how we speak and who we are. He recently completed a large project exploring the accents and dialects of Greater Manchester, touring the region in his Accent Van. He appears regularly on radio and TV talking about language-related issues and spent some time as ‘resident linguist’ on BBC Radio 3’s The Verb, as well as appearing on the BBC Breakfast sofa. More info can be found here: https://scribepublications.co.uk/books-authors/books/youare-all-talk-9781914484285 You can order his book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Youre-All-Talk-what-speak/dp/1914484282

    1hr 11min
  5. Oliver Burkeman's 'Time Management for Mortals' - Book Review

    31/10/2023

    Oliver Burkeman's 'Time Management for Mortals' - Book Review

    Myself and Saiqa delve into the world of time management and the broader societal obsession with ever greater productivity and efficiency. We review Oliver's great book Four Thousand Weeks, Time Management or Mortals - packed full of useful tips on how to regain control of our stressful busy lives.

    54 min
  6. Fire in the Belly: On Being a Man by Sam Keen - Book Review

    19/09/2023

    Fire in the Belly: On Being a Man by Sam Keen - Book Review

    In this thought provoking review I am joined by my comrade in arms Saiqa Butt, a performing poet and fiction writer. We delve into Sam Keen's classic - a personal journey into masculinity, where he explores notions of male potency, strength, insecurity, personal development, violence and their relationship to women. There is so much here, we touched on war, class, sexual assault, folk lore/mythology, patriarchy, anthropology, and even a bit of psychoanalysis as I recall.

    1hr 9min

  7. 17/08/2023

    How To Survive (And Dare I Say It Flourish) On Your PhD With Prof Steve Miles

    Professor Steve Miles is a sociologist at Manchester Metropolitan University based in the Postgraduate Arts and Humanities Centre (PAHC). His area of expertise is in consumption and he is the Head of Faculty Research Degrees here at MMU. Steve completed his PhD in 1996 from the University of Huddersfield - his thesis is titled 'You just wear what you want don't yer'? An empirical examination of the relationship between youth consumption and the construction of identity.' Join us as we discuss the challenges and opportunities that come with a PhD and a further career in academic research. We naturally touch on a variety of other topics such as social mobility, class, gender, race, discourse, identity and working cultures. It's packed full of useful tips for any post grad or early career researcher.

    47 min

  8. 04/05/2023

    The Challenge Of County Lines With DI Gary Stratton And Zoe Macdonald

    County Lines is a form of criminal activity that utilises/exploits vulnerable people such as children, to create networks for the supply of illegal substances. The vulnerable individuals are exploited by gangs in a range of ways, from illegal transport, storing substances at their residences and even used in the selling itself. We are joined by Gary Stratton D/Insp County Lines Investigation, INV Syndicate County Lines Investigation. Along with colleague Zoe MacDonald, a DI in charge of the county lines task force within GMP who has been in the police for 25 years, working all over the force in various different roles and rank and headed up the County Lines team since July 2022. Both will discuss the risks, the warning signs to look at for and how they combat this criminality in their work.

    44 min
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About

I'm a sociology/criminology researcher at Manchester Metropolitan University, that blackmails numerous smart folk into doing podcasts on a whole host of academic subjects. I cover everything within the social sciences and believe in the free distribution of knowledge. In addition, I also produce regular book reviews/interviews with researchers and occasionally interview book authors about their recent publications. Researchers seeking to be on the show can reach me on Twitter @Social_Nomad

Information

  • Creator
    Anton Roberts
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2024
  • Episodes
    48
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Anton Roberts
  • Show Website
    The Backstage Academic