Social science plays an important part in all our lives. It shows that science is not just test tubes and technology but involves people and society too.
It helps us to make sense of the key issues in the changing world around us such as the implications of global financial crisis, climate change, nuclear power or nanotechnology; or the implications of social issues such as ageing, immigration and population change.
Running from Friday 6th March to Sunday 15th March the ESRC Festival of Social Science, organised by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), will celebrate some of the very best British social science research, highlighting the ways in which it makes a difference to all our lives.
More than 30 UK towns and cities, from Glasgow to Brighton, Belfast to Swansea as well as many places in between, are hosting events during the Festival. Over 100 events are being organised during the Festival ranging from conferences to workshops and debates, exhibitions, film screenings, policy briefings and much more. Plus if you can't make it, there are even virtual events taking place across the week online.
Whether it is school children tramping through the Peak District on a 'Moorland Walk' or getting to grips with the implications of the current financial crisis for business and individuals; discovering the social life of plants or exploring whether teenage behaviour is biological in origin, this Festival has something to capture everyone's interest.
Broadly speaking, social scientists study society, how we behave and our impact on the world around us.
Professor Ian Diamond, Chief Executive of the Economic and Social Research Council points out that: "Year on year, the ESRC funds world class research into areas of national and international importance, such as the economy, crime, health, and the environment. The Festival is an opportunity not just to showcase our research but for people to find out more about the vital role of social science in our everyday lives."
The events during the Festival will touch on many issues affecting Britain today such as:
- The "credit crunch": consequences for UK households
- Exploring food, connecting communities
- Rural England in the 21st Century
- Lincoln and Darwin: live for one night only
- What's social about sport?
- Street arts: people and places at play
- Natural burial: do we need a headstone?
- Grandparenting: the challenge of "being there" and "not interfering"
- Talent and autism
- The social life of plants
- Feeding the future city
- The 2008 crash and the future of the global economy
Further information on the full range of events can be found at the Festival website
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