ESRC Centre for Sociodigital Futures

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Publications and outputs

Find below a list of publications relating to the work of the Centre.

Briefing papers

2025

2024

2023

Journal articles and related

2024

2023

  • Evans, D & Gregson N. (2023) Money, Debt and Finance: Reclaiming the Conditions of Possibility in Consumption Research. Sociology 10.1177/00380385231156339
  • Facer, K. (2023) Possibility and the Temporal Imagination. Journal of Social and Cultural Possibilities
  • Halford, S & Southerton, D. (Eds) 2023. Sociologies of the Future and the Future of Sociology. Sociology (special edition) 57 (2)
  • Halford, S & Southerton, D. (2023) What Future for the Sociology of Futures? Visions, Concepts and Methods. Sociology 57 (2)
  • Parker, M; Brown, J; Jusu-Sheriff, H; Manley, J. (2023) Social infrastructure platforms: the case of Asking Bristol. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy.
  • Yates, E; Charnock, G; Pitts, F H; Johns, J; Bozkurt, Ö. (2023). From coworking to competing? Business models and strategies of UK coworking spaces beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Competition & Change, (1), doi: 10.1177/10245294231197798
  • Southerton, D; Whillans, J. (2023). Time use surveys, social practice theory, and activity connections. The British journal of sociology, doi: 10.1111/1468-4446.13073
  • Parker, M. (2023). The university without walls Space, time and capacities. Learning and Teaching, (2), doi: 10.3167/latiss.2023.160202
  • Pitts, F H. (2023). Organising the self-employed: combining community unionism, coworking and cooperativism across contexts. Open Research doi.org/10.12688/openreseurope.15798.1
  • Burger, K; Parker, M. (2023). Leveraging the Sustainable Development Goals as a boundary object in the City of Bristol. Global Social Challenges Journal, (2), doi: 10.1332/bbzq5931
  • Komljenovic, J; Williamson, B; Eynon, R; Davies, H. (2023). When public policy ‘fails’ and venture capital ‘saves’ education: Edtech investors as economic and political actors. Globalisation, Societies and Education, doi: 10.1080/14767724.2023.2272134

2022

Books and book chapters

2023

  • Facer K. (2023) ‘Negation, imagination and organisation’. Haste - The slow politics of climate urgency (pp. 63-72). UCL Press
  • Southerton, D; Warde, A. (2023) Towards Sustainable Consumption: Reflections on the Concepts of Social Loading, Excess and Idle Capacity. In Consumption, Sustainability and Everyday Life (pp. 339-361). Springer International Publishing https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-11069-6
  • Milivojevic, S; Singler S. (2023). The technopolitics of crimmigration control. Targeting bodies and scaling borders. Handbook on Border Criminology. Borders as Infrastructure: The Technopolitics of Border Control
  • Milivojevic, S. (2023). Artificial Intelligence, COVID-19, and Crime: Charting the Origins and Expansion of Dystopian and Utopian Narratives. In Smith, R, Sarre R, Chang L, Lau L. (Ed.), Cybercrime in the Pandemic Digital Age and Beyond (pp. 233–252). Palgrave Macmillan.

2022

Reports 

2023

2022

  • Facer, K. (2022) The University and the Social Imagination. The Centre for Global Higher Education, Department of Education, University of Oxford. working-paper-82.pdf (researchcghe.org)
  • Altbach, P; Álvarez, F; Amoroso, J; Audretsch, D; Audy, J, Azman... Facer, K. (2022) Global University Network for Innovation Higher Education in the World Report, Special Issue: Higher Education to 2050. Global University Network for Innovation

Conference proceedings

2023

  • Czech, E; Soubutts, E; Eardley, R; O’Kane, A. (2023) Independence for Whom? Critical Discourse Analysis of the Onboarding of a Home Health Monitoring System for Older Adult Care. ACM CHI https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3544548.3580733
  • Deighan, M;  Ayobi, A; O’Kane, A. (2023) Social Virtual Reality as a Mental Health Tool: How People Use VRChat to Support Social Connectedness and Wellbeing. ACM CHI https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3544548.3581103
  • Soubutts, E; Czech, E; Ayobi, A; Eardley, R; Cater, K and O’Kane, A. (2023) The Shifting Sands of Labour: Changes in Shared Care Work with a Smart Home Health System. ACM CHI https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3544548.3581546
  • Lopez Burst, E; Ciolfi Felice, M; O'Kane, A. (2024). Using and Appropriating Technology to Support The Menopause Journey in the UK. CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).
  • Milivojevic, S; Baber, C; Waterson, P; Maynard, S; Hunt, E; Yusuf; S. (2023). Incorporating a ‘ladder of trust’ into dynamic Allocation of Function in Human-Autonomous Agent Collectives. ODAM 2023. 
  • Milivojevic, S; Sobhani, M; Yusuf, S; Musolesi, M; Waterson, P; Maynard, S. (2024). Steps Towards Satisficing Distributed Dynamic Team Trust. AAAI Symposium Series.

Blog articles

The CenSoF team and our collaborators have written a number of blog articles related to our interdisciplinary work:

2024

2023

You can read all our blog articles here: CenSoF blog.

In addition, you may also interested to read the following:

Podcasts

2024

2023

2022

Research

Find out about our ambitious research programme.

International conferences

2024

  • Halford, S . Keynote on "Sociodigital Futures? An agenda for sociological research and practice" at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University Federico II, Naples, Italy. 2024
  • McQuillan, D. Resisting AI: from reemergent eugenics to prefigurative technopolitics... Associated with the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS), Paris. https://cis.cnrs.fr/critique-de-l-intelligence-artificielle/ January 2024

2023

  • Pykett, J. Data for Impact Series: Promoting Data Ethics and Trust.  Canada School of Public Service, Canada (June 2023)
  • Hauert, S. (Keynote) Swarms for People. Human Robot Interactions, Stockholm (March 2023)
  • Hauert, S. (Keynote) Swarms for People. OOP Munchen (February 2023)
  • Atkins, E. (CenSoF PhD Student). Poster and lightening talk. Sustainable Food Symposium, Bristol. Spring 2023
  • Atkins, E. (CenSoF PhD Student). Presented PhD research at SWDTP conference 2023.
  • Atkins, E. (CenSoF PhD Student). Presented poster at Royal Geographical Society conference. September 2023
  • Halford, S. Keynote at the Launch of the Southern Centre for Digital Innovation, Dept of Social Sciences, University Federico II, Naples, Italy. 2023
  • Liu, W. Keynote on AI and Cyber Security at the ABCP 2023 Annual Conference. July 2023 https://abcp.org.uk/abcp2023-ai-cybersecurity/#day2
  • Liu, W. Panel discussion on Trustworthy and responsible AI. ABCO 2023 conference. July 2023
  • Liu, W. Data-driven autonomous systems and explainable AI. Sun Yat Sen University. November 2023
  • Liu, W. Data-driven autonomous systems and explainable AI. Sun Yat South China Normal University. November 2023
  • Liu, W. Conference member and presentation. 1st world conference on XAI, Lisbon. 26-28/07/23
  • Liu, W. LV=GI and UoB workshop: Human Machine teaming. October 2023
  • McQuillan, D. Panel on critical and indigenous responses to AI in NZ/Aotearoa. Making the connection between AI and ecolonial struggle. May 2023
  • Manchester, H. Keynote at Ageing in Data (AiD) conference meeting, ACT Lab Concordia University, Montreal. 2023
  • Manchester, H. Technofutures of ageing: re-imagining care and connectivity in later life. Age and Care conference, University of Graz. September 2023
  • Milivojevic, S. Digital technologies, time, and re-scaling border control. Talk at Border Criminologies: The First Ten Years. 2 day workshop. Presented to researchers engaged in the field of border criminologies at the Bonavero Institute for Human rights, University of Oxford  https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/content/event/border-criminologies-first-ten-years-0 September 2024
  • Van Isacker, T. Border Struggles and migrant solidarity in the Channel region. Presentation at Maritime Solidarities: past and present. International Institute of social history, Amsterdam, Netherlands, https://iisg.amsterdam/en/events/maritime-solidarity  September 2023
  • Williamson, B. AI Futures in Education. Presentation at the Centre for Global Higher Education, University of Oxford, drawing on key issues from CenSoF Briefing paper on Learning Futures. 2023
  • Williamson, B. "Algorithmic futuring". Sharing research findings with academic peers. European Conference on Educational Research. August 2023
  • Williamson, B. Keynote on ‘Critical perspectives on AI in education’ at NORRAG policy and practice event on AI and Education, co-organised by CenSoF ‘ https://www.norrag.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/20230927_AIandDigitalInequitiesSummit_Agenda.pdf July 2023 

2022

  • Facer, K. (Keynote) Transforming International Education for a Sustainable Future. CANIE Climate Action Week (2022)
  • Facer, K. (Plenary panel speaker) Futures of Higher Education. World Higher Education conference, UNESCO, Barcelona (2022)
  • Pykett, J. (Invited presentation and panel member) Future(s) of GDP. Dubai Future Foundation, Dubai, UAE (October 2022)
  • Pykett, J. Invited meeting with Sustainability Advisor to the Executive Council, Dubai, UAE (October 2022)
  • Hauert, S. (Keynote) Swarms for People. International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Sytems (IROS), Kyoto (22-23 October 2022)
  • Hauert, S. Swarms for People. SAB, Paris (Sept 2022)
  • Hauert, S. (Invited talk) Swarms for People. NASA, JPL (2022)
  • Hauert, S. The role of industry in robotics research. Robotics Debates ICRA, Pennsylvania (May 2022)
  • McQuillan, D. (Keynote) Resisting AI: An Anti-fascist approach to Artificial Intelligence. DOKU-TECH, Kosovo (2022)
  • Pykett, J. The ethical and political-economic aspects of digital emotion sensing in cities. Transient Spaces and Societies research group, University of Innsbruck, Austria (29 Nov 2022)
  • Williamson, B. (Keynote). UNESCO Forum on AI and education (2022)
  • Williamson, B. (Keynote). Council of Europe working conference on the future of artificial intelligence in education (2022)

UK conferences

2024

  • Halford, S. Digital Good Network Annual Conference. Plenary keynote. January 2024
  • McQuillan, D. Talk to School of Computing and Communications, Open University. February 2024

2023

  • Pykett, J. Opening speeches and panellist for Birmingham Settlement Neighbourhood Futures Festival, Birmingham, UK (June 2023)
  • Facer, K. Future of futures workshop; the next 10 years. School of Advanced Studies, London (2023) 
  • Gutierrez, M. and Halford, S. (with Fahimi, M, Poechhacker, N and Kinder-Kurlander, K) Reframing AI Explainability. BSA conference, UK (April 2023)
  • Watson, D. and May Thomas, L. Moving beyond the ‘VR empathy machine': speculative potentials and pitfalls for immersive technologies in social research BSA 2023 conf presentation_CenSoF_2 (PDF, 1,101kB). BSA conference (April 2023)‌
  • McQuillan, D. Technomoral Futures. Seminar for PhD students at Edinburgh Centre for Technomoral Futures. November 2023
  • Milivojevic, S. Is the future of justice in technology co-creation? Talk within Digital Society and Economy Interdisciplinary Research Theme (IRT) event. University of Glasgow. May 2023. https://www.gla.ac.uk/media/Media_972400_smxx.pdf
  • Pitts, F H. Invited discussant at launch of Marketization: How Capitalist Exchange Disciplines Workers and Subverts Democracy, Greenwich Business School. May 2023
  • Southerton, D. and Schatzki, T. ‘Digitality’. Keynote at the International Practice Theory Network Conference on ‘Large Phenomena’. November 2023
  • Southerton, D. Keynote, reflecting on the development of the sociology of consumption at a symposium to mark the academic contribution of Alan Warde. 2023
  • Thomas, L. and Jewitt, C. "Unlocking Touch: exploring somatic participation in remote performance with binaural technology". The 6th International Dance and Somatic Practices Conference 2023 https://sites.google.com/view/dspconference2023/guide July 2023
  • Van Isacker, T. Doing IPS PhD Seminar – King's Department of War Studies. Discussant for Silvester Schlebruegge’s (Warwick) paper titled “Countercurrents: The aesthetics of subversion and the (im)possibilities of dissensus in the ‘Channel migrant crisis”. November 2023
  • Van Isacker, T. Border Environments Design Studio: MA City Design programme at the Studio at the Royal College of Art. June 2023
  • Watson, D. Moving Beyond the ‘VR Empathy Machine’: Engaging Young People at Risk in Alternative Realities. British Sociological Association conference- digital sociology stream. https://www.britsoc.co.uk/media/26100/ac2023_abstr act_book_day2.pdf April 2023.
  • Watson, D and Thomas, L. Situated Ecologies of Care: sticking with the dance, caring over time. Presented at the Architectural Humanities Research Association (AHRA) International Conference: Situated Ecologies of Care. https://ahra2023.org/ October 2023.‌

2022

  • Pykett, J. Educating the imagination through immersive experiences. Institute of Education, London, UK (Dec 2022)
  • Facer, K. (Keynote). Centre for Social Futures, Lancaster Stories4Policy Conference (2022)
  • Hauert, S. (Invited talk) Swarms for People. Robotics Interoperability Workshop, RCA (2022)
  • Parker, M. Asking Bristol (webinar). Social Infrastructure and City Systems, Schumacher Institute (2022)
  • Parker, M. and McQuillan, D. Book launch for McQuillan’s Resisting AI, University of Bristol (17 Nov 2022)
  • Pykett, J. (Keynote) Educating the imagination through immersive experiences. Institute of Education, UCL (13 Dec 2022)

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