Session One: building cohesive societies in a changing world
Dominic Abrams is Professor of Social Psychology and the Director of the Centre for the Study of Group Processes in the School of Psychology at the University of Kent. His research examines all aspects of relations between different social groups and the behaviour of groups in general.Dominic is also Vice-President for Social Sciences at the British Academy.During this webinar, Dominic will discuss the British Academy’s programme of work on Cohesive Societies. This cross-cutting programme draws on academic and policy expertise to answer questions about how societies can remain cohesive in the face of rapid political, social, economic and technological change.
Speaker: Professor Dominic Abrams, University of Kent
Wednesday 13th May 1300 – 1400
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Session Two: the perils of perception
Bobby Duffy is the Director of the Policy Institute at King’s College London and was formerly Managing Director of Public Affairs for Ipsos MORI. In this webinar, Bobby will discuss the work he has done on ‘The Perils of Perception –why we’re wrong about nearly everything’ which draws on a set of global studies on how people misperceive key social realities. He will explore the gap between people’s perceptions and reality to help us understand how extreme and incorrect views can emerge which fuel disconnection and polarisation.
Speaker: Professor Bobby Duffy, King’s College London
Wednesday 20th May 1230 – 1330
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Session Three: an ethnographic case study on linking with left behind communities
Professor Hilary Pilkington is Professor of Sociology at the University of Manchester and author of ‘Loud and Proud: Passion and Politics in the English Defence League’. Hilary has been working for a number of years with people who become active in a range of movements and groups that are referred to as ‘the far right’. In this webinar, she will explore the importance of understanding the spectrum of views and people involved in such groups in order to work effectively with ‘left behind’ communities.She will explore how her findings can support practitioners and policy makers in overcoming some of the most challenging community tensions in local areas.
Speaker: Professor Hilary Pilkington, University of Manchester
Wednesday 27th May 1300 – 1400
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Chatham House rules will apply. Standard and Advanced Belong members can sign up to the series for free as part of their membership package and will be given priority. As part of Belong’s offer to members during the current crisis, Associate Members will also be able to sign-up for free to the webinar series at a later date. It is not possible to purchase tickets for individual webinars. Deadline for series sign up is 1st May 2020.