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About Dave O'Brien

Dave O'Brien is Professor of Cultural and Creative Industries, at the University of Sheffield

Dave O'Brien is Professor of Cultural and Creative Industries, at the University of Sheffield.

NBN Episodes hosted by Dave:

Critical Theory June 4, 2023

Digital Futures for Learning

Speculative Methods and Pedagogies

Jen Ross

Hosted by Dave O'Brien
Listen:
What is the future of education? In Digital Futures for Learning: Speculative Methods and Pedagogies (Routledge, 2022), Jen Ross, a senior lecturer in digital education at the University of Edinburgh, analyses …
Critical Theory May 28, 2023

The Cultural Sociology of Art and Music

New Directions and New Discoveries

Lisa McCormick

Hosted by Dave O'Brien
How can sociology help us understand art and music? In The Cultural Sociology of Art and Music: New Directions and New Discoveries (Palgrave MacMillan, 2022), the editor Lisa McCormick, a …
Critical Theory May 21, 2023

Contemporary Art from Nigeria in the Global Markets

Trending in the Margins

Jonathan Adeyemi

Hosted by Dave O'Brien
How does the art market work? In Contemporary Art from Nigeria in the Global Markets: Trending in the Margins (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022), Jonathan Adeyemi, who holds a PhD from, and was formerly …
Critical Theory May 13, 2023

Secret Cinema and the Immersive Experience Industry

Sarah Atkinson and Helen W. Kennedy

Hosted by Dave O'Brien
What is the future of media? In Secret Cinema and the Immersive Experience Industry (Manchester UP, 2022), Sarah Atkinson, a Professor of Screen Media at Kings College London, and Helen …
Critical Theory May 6, 2023

Work and Alienation in the Platform Economy

Amazon and the Power of Organization

Sarrah Kassem

Hosted by Dave O'Brien
How have platforms transforming the world of work? In Work and Alienation in the Platform Economy: Amazon and the Power of Organisation (Bristol UP, 2023), Sarrah Kassem, a Lecturer and Research …
Critical Theory May 1, 2023

Left Feminisms

Conversations on the Personal and Political

Jo Littler

Hosted by Dave O'Brien
What is the history and future of feminism? In Left Feminisms: Conversations on the Personal and Political (Lawrence Wishart, 2023), Jo Littler, Professor of Social Analysis and Cultural Politics at City, University …
Critical Theory April 27, 2023

Oil Beach

How Toxic Infrastructure Threatens Life in the Ports of Los Angeles and Beyond

Christina Dunbar-Hester

Hosted by Dave O'Brien
How can we stop infrastructure from damaging the planet? In Oil Beach: How Toxic Infrastructure Threatens Life in the Ports of Los Angeles and Beyond (U Chicago Press, 2023), Christina Dunbar-Hester …
Critical Theory April 12, 2023

Are We Rich Yet?

The Rise of Mass Investment Culture in Contemporary Britain

Amy Edwards

Hosted by Dave O'Brien
How did British society become financialised? In Are We Rich Yet? The Rise of Mass Investment Culture in Contemporary Britain (U California Press, 2022), Dr Amy Edwards, a senior lecturer …
Critical Theory April 5, 2023

The Archaeology of Foucault

Stuart Elden

Hosted by Dave O'Brien
How did Foucault’s thought develop in the 1960s? In The Archaeology of Foucault (Polity, 2022) Stuart Elden, a professor of Political Theory and Geography at the University of Warwick, completes the series …
Critical Theory March 5, 2023

The Racial Code

Tales of Resistance and Survival

Nicola Rollock

Hosted by Dave O'Brien
Why do racial inequalities persist? In The Racial Code: Tales of Resistance and Survival (Penguin, 2023), Nicola Rollock, a Professor of Social Policy & Race at King’s College London, examines the often …
Critical Theory February 27, 2023

Global Perspectives on Youth Arts Programs

How and Why the Arts Can Make a Difference

Frances Howard

Hosted by Dave O'Brien
How can the arts make the world a better place? In Global Perspectives on Youth Arts Programs: How and Why the Arts Can Make a Difference (Policy Press, 2022), Frances Howard …
Critical Theory February 8, 2023

Humanitarian Journalists

Covering Crises from a Boundary Zone

Martin Scott and Kate Wright

Hosted by Dave O'Brien
How can the news better reflect important global issues? In Humanitarian Journalists Covering Crises from a Boundary Zone (Routledge, 2022), Drs Martin Scott, an Associate Professor in Media & Development …
Critical Theory February 5, 2023

Trade Winds

A Voyage to a Sustainable Future for Shipping

Christiaan De Beukelaer

Hosted by Dave O'Brien
How can we build greener infrastructure in the face of the global climate emergency? In Trade Winds: A Voyage to a Sustainable Future for Shipping (Manchester UP, 2023), Christiaan De Beukelaer, a …
Critical Theory January 15, 2023

Creativities

The What, How, Where, Who and Why of the Creative Process

Chris Bilton, Stephen Cummings, and dt ogilvie

Hosted by Dave O'Brien
How does creativity work? In Creativities: The What, How, Where, Who and Why of the Creative Process (Edward Elgar, 2022), Chris Bilton, a Reader at University of Warwick’s Centre for Cultural and …
Critical Theory December 18, 2022

Back to the Stone Age

Race and Prehistory in Contemporary Culture

Ben Pitcher

Hosted by Dave O'Brien
What does Prehistory mean to us now? In Back to the Stone Age: Race and Prehistory in Contemporary Culture (McGill-Queen's UP, 2022), Ben Pitcher, a Reader in Sociology at the …
Critical Theory November 17, 2022

Highly Discriminating

Why the City Isn't Fair and Diversity Doesn't Work

Louise Ashley

Hosted by Dave O'Brien
Can we make the finance industry fair? In Highly Discriminating: Why the City Isn’t Fair and Diversity Doesn’t Work (Bristol UP, 2022), Louise Ashley, Associate Professor and IHSS Fellow at Queen Mary …
Critical Theory November 8, 2022

Women Negotiating Feminism and Science Fiction Fandom

The Case of the "Good" Fan

Neta Yodovich

Hosted by Dave O'Brien
How do women balance feminist identities whilst being science fiction fans? In Women Negotiating Feminism and Science Fiction Fandom: The Case of the “Good” Fan (Palgrave MacMillan, 2022), Neta Yodovich …
Critical Theory October 26, 2022

British Muslim Women in the Cultural and Creative Industries

Saskia Warren

Hosted by Dave O'Brien
Why is religion important in understanding creative industries? In British Muslim Women in the Cultural and Creative Industries (Edinburgh University Press, 2022), Saskia Warren, a Senior Lecturer in Human Geography …
Critical Theory October 6, 2022

State Sponsored Literature

Britain and Cultural Diversity After 1945

Asha Rogers

Hosted by Dave O'Brien
How does the state support writers? In State Sponsored Literature: Britain and Cultural Diversity after 1945 (Oxford UP, 2020), Asha Rogers, Senior Lecturer in Contemporary Postcolonial Literature at the University of …
Critical Theory September 26, 2022

The Quantified Scholar

How Research Evaluations Transformed the British Social Sciences

Juan Pablo Pardo-Guerra

Hosted by Dave O'Brien
How do metrics and quantification shape social science? In The Quantified Scholar: How Research Evaluations Transformed the British Social Sciences (Columbia UP, 2022), Juan Pablo Pardo-Guerra, an Associate Professor in …
Critical Theory September 22, 2022

Creating Worlds Otherwise

Art, Collective Action, And (Post)Extractivism

Paula Serafini

Hosted by Dave O'Brien
How are art and social justice intertwined? In Creating Worlds Otherwise: Art, Collective Action, and (Post)Extractivism Paula Serafini, a Lecturer in Creative and Cultural Industries at Queen Mary University of …
Critical Theory September 13, 2022

True Story

What Reality TV Says About Us

Danielle J. Lindemann

Hosted by Dave O'Brien
Why is reality TV important? In True Story: What Reality TV Says About Us (FSG, 2022), Danielle J. Lindemann, an Associate Professor of Sociology at Lehigh University, uses a sociological …
Critical Theory August 18, 2022

Access, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Cultural Organizations

Insights from the Careers of Executive Opera Managers of Color in the US

Antonio C. Cuyler

Hosted by Dave O'Brien
Where are the success stories for people of color in opera? In Access, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Cultural Organizations: Insights from the Careers of Executive Opera Managers of Color …
Critical Theory August 8, 2022

The Cruel Optimism of Racial Justice

Nasar Meer

Hosted by Dave O'Brien
Why are societies still not offering racial equality? In The Cruel Optimism of Racial Justice (Policy Press, 2022), Nasar Meer, a professor of Race, Identity and Citizenship in the School of …