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Thinking Allowed

Winner of 2018 BSA/Thinking Allowed Ethnography Award

Thinking Allowed

BBC

Society & Culture, Science

4.4997 Ratings

🗓️ 18 April 2018

⏱️ 29 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The winner of the 2018 BSA/Thinking Allowed Ethnography award. Laurie Taylor talks to Anna Lora-Wainwright, Associate Professor in the Human Geography of China at the University of Oxford, and author of 'Resigned Activism: Living with Pollution in Rural China' . Her study revealed the health consequences of drinking tainted water and breathing visibly dirty air in villages effected by phosphorous mining & fertiliser production, lead and zinc mining and electronic waste production. Residents suffered a range of ailments, from arthritis to nosebleeds, in areas with a high incidence of cancer. Her extensive fieldwork found that villagers often felt powerless to challenge the 'slow violence' and human costs of rapid industrialisation - their activism was tempered by resignation. Isabel Hilton, international journalist and broadcaster joins the discussion. Isabel is the founder and editor of chinadialogue.net, an online publication that focuses on the environment and climate change. She was awarded the OBE for her work in raising environmental awareness in China.

Producer: Jayne Egerton.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Take some time for yourself with soothing classical music from the mindful mix, the Science of

0:07.0

Happiness Podcast.

0:08.0

For the last 20 years I've dedicated my career to exploring the science of living a happier more meaningful life and I want

0:14.4

to share that science with you.

0:16.1

And just one thing, deep calm with Michael Mosley.

0:19.4

I want to help you tap in to your hidden relaxation response system and open the door to that

0:25.5

calmer place within. Listen on BBC Sounds.

0:31.5

This is a Thinking Loud Podcast from the BBC and for more details in our terms of use and

0:37.0

much, much more about thinking aloud.

0:39.4

Go to our website at BBC.co. UK.

0:43.0

Who has won this year's BBC BSA Ethnography Prize?

0:48.0

Discover the exciting answer.

0:50.0

Hello. You know, I've always suspected that regular conference gers are special sorts of people.

0:57.0

You know, people who positively like to carry around a logoed satchel containing the 150-page digest of the conference proceedings as they

1:06.3

search desperately among anonymous university buildings for the room in which a

1:11.0

pedestrian speaker is about to present the results of their research to a small

1:16.2

and largely indifferent audience. You know I remember attending one such session that was the main speaker

1:21.8

who was a delightfully ironic American, he

1:24.2

congratulated all those present upon their ability to restrain their enthusiasm.

1:30.8

But there was absolutely no shortage of enthusiasm at the plenary session I attended at

1:35.5

last week's British Sociological Association Conference at Northumbria University.

1:40.3

Everyone present seemed only too eager to celebrate this year's winner of the BBC BSA Ethography Award.

...

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