Louise Folkes
@louisemfolkes.bsky.social
Sociologist working in HE policy, first gen academic. Social mobility, HE & class inequalities, poverty, community & place-making, qual approaches ✨Views my own
Jeeez, it's been a while 😅 Anybody still here? The sociologist/academic in me is stirring after some suppression- send ideas for engagement please, I'd love to help ya'll!
June 7, 2025 at 8:58 AM
Jeeez, it's been a while 😅 Anybody still here? The sociologist/academic in me is stirring after some suppression- send ideas for engagement please, I'd love to help ya'll!
Hello new followers 👋 I'm a working-class academic with interests in place, community, social class, social mobility and ethnographic approaches. Currently working in the HE policy space (alt pathways through HE), but open to supporting ECRs in the areas above ☝️✨
January 3, 2025 at 10:55 AM
Hello new followers 👋 I'm a working-class academic with interests in place, community, social class, social mobility and ethnographic approaches. Currently working in the HE policy space (alt pathways through HE), but open to supporting ECRs in the areas above ☝️✨
I LOVE Claire's work on pubs, so important in understanding the role pubs play in everyday life 🍻✨
Trying to get some traction on Bluesky as I move from X any reposts of my pub research /work much appreciated @matthew-wright.bsky.social
I don’t drink alcohol so why am I passionate about #ukpubs. The answer is because they provide communities with unique social spaces. They are economically, socially and culturally important. They are sites of our national and local history and heritage
January 3, 2025 at 10:48 AM
I LOVE Claire's work on pubs, so important in understanding the role pubs play in everyday life 🍻✨
Did my first volunteering shift today for giveusashout.org 🗣️ V challenging but so rewarding. Shout is a free, confidential and 24/7 text messaging service for anyone in the UK who needs support. Text 'shout' to 85258 for #mentalhealth support 👥✨
December 22, 2024 at 6:33 PM
Did my first volunteering shift today for giveusashout.org 🗣️ V challenging but so rewarding. Shout is a free, confidential and 24/7 text messaging service for anyone in the UK who needs support. Text 'shout' to 85258 for #mentalhealth support 👥✨
Reposted by Louise Folkes
Great interview with my colleague Sarah Kerr about her new book on ‘wealtherty’. Please share!
blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofb...
blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofb...
Q&A with Sarah Kerr on Wealth, Poverty and Enduring Inequality
In this interview with Anna D’Alton, Sarah Kerr discusses her new book, Wealth, Poverty and Enduring Inequality: Let’s Talk Wealtherty. The book argues that to tackle inequality today, resear…
blogs.lse.ac.uk
December 16, 2024 at 6:16 PM
Great interview with my colleague Sarah Kerr about her new book on ‘wealtherty’. Please share!
blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofb...
blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofb...
@wealtherty.bsky.social I found you! Hello! 👋 (sorry, hope that doesn't sound weird 😂)
December 13, 2024 at 7:45 PM
@wealtherty.bsky.social I found you! Hello! 👋 (sorry, hope that doesn't sound weird 😂)
This was my hunch in my last HE role when a new subsidiary was introduced. They claim your pension is safe, and it'll only affect new staff (hooray for a two-tier system...). But it's inevitable that the below will happen in times of economic hardship
The news coming out of Coventry is 🤯
Fire-and-Rehire: numerous staff are pushed onto teaching-only contracts via a subsidiary. They're made to re-interview for roles that will increase teaching and move them onto a different pension scheme: from TPS to AVIVA, with far lower employer contributions.
Fire-and-Rehire: numerous staff are pushed onto teaching-only contracts via a subsidiary. They're made to re-interview for roles that will increase teaching and move them onto a different pension scheme: from TPS to AVIVA, with far lower employer contributions.
So compulsory redundancies are happening / have happened at:
⚠️ Goldsmiths
⚠️ Huddersfield
⚠️ Hull
⚠️ Keele
⚠️ Kent
⚠️ UCLan
⚠️ Brookes
⚠️ Arts University Plymouth
⚠️ Plymouth
⚠️ Sheffield Hallam
⚠️ York
And threatened in many others. Did we miss anyone? Or any that were avoided in the end? #UKHE
⚠️ Goldsmiths
⚠️ Huddersfield
⚠️ Hull
⚠️ Keele
⚠️ Kent
⚠️ UCLan
⚠️ Brookes
⚠️ Arts University Plymouth
⚠️ Plymouth
⚠️ Sheffield Hallam
⚠️ York
And threatened in many others. Did we miss anyone? Or any that were avoided in the end? #UKHE
December 12, 2024 at 11:24 PM
This was my hunch in my last HE role when a new subsidiary was introduced. They claim your pension is safe, and it'll only affect new staff (hooray for a two-tier system...). But it's inevitable that the below will happen in times of economic hardship
If I was 18 now, I wouldn't be going to uni. My maintenance grant/loan barely covered my accommodation back in 2011-14. Uni is not an option for people without the bank of mum & dad #HE #inequality
High living costs, alongside below inflation increases in maintenance levels and freezing of parental income thresholds, is making university life hard for lots of students.
Read our policy briefing to see various options for reform of the maintenance system ⬇️
https://buff.ly/43pvRQ5
Read our policy briefing to see various options for reform of the maintenance system ⬇️
https://buff.ly/43pvRQ5
December 10, 2024 at 9:14 PM
If I was 18 now, I wouldn't be going to uni. My maintenance grant/loan barely covered my accommodation back in 2011-14. Uni is not an option for people without the bank of mum & dad #HE #inequality
Anyone here do research on alternative HE pathways? Widening access, level 4/5 quals, degree apprenticeships etc. Let me know! 👇✨🎓📚
December 10, 2024 at 9:10 PM
Anyone here do research on alternative HE pathways? Widening access, level 4/5 quals, degree apprenticeships etc. Let me know! 👇✨🎓📚
V interesting read about death administration and the painful process of dealing with a deceased loved one's affairs #bureaucracy #death #sociology
How does it feel to navigate bureaucracy in times of bereavement? What impact does this have on our processes of grieving?
Kate Reed and Anna Balazs on the violence of bureaucracy and death administration.
#OpenAccess buff.ly/3OAZXtq
Kate Reed and Anna Balazs on the violence of bureaucracy and death administration.
#OpenAccess buff.ly/3OAZXtq
December 9, 2024 at 12:39 PM
V interesting read about death administration and the painful process of dealing with a deceased loved one's affairs #bureaucracy #death #sociology
Reposted by Louise Folkes
I was interviewed for @thetimes.com podcast today on Born to Rule 🎧
open.spotify.com/episode/12LV...
open.spotify.com/episode/12LV...
Who really runs Britain?
The Story · Episode
open.spotify.com
November 29, 2024 at 8:39 AM
I was interviewed for @thetimes.com podcast today on Born to Rule 🎧
open.spotify.com/episode/12LV...
open.spotify.com/episode/12LV...
V interesting read RE enacting the socio-economic duty as part of the Equality Act 2010: bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journal... #class #inequality #discrimination
bristoluniversitypressdigital.com
November 27, 2024 at 3:46 PM
V interesting read RE enacting the socio-economic duty as part of the Equality Act 2010: bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journal... #class #inequality #discrimination
Reposted by Louise Folkes
With Leeds Trinity and Loughborough we're now actually at 83, or exactly half of the 166 universities @timeshighered.bsky.social counts.
HALF OF OUR UNIVERSITIES ARE SHEDDING STAFF. In a normal timeline, politicians would care about this and try to do *something*, *anything*, right?
HALF OF OUR UNIVERSITIES ARE SHEDDING STAFF. In a normal timeline, politicians would care about this and try to do *something*, *anything*, right?
UK HE shrinking
This is a live page of all the redundancies, restructures, reorganisations, and closures taking place across the sector at the moment. Solidarity to all. This sector is vital to the country’s…
qmucu.org
November 26, 2024 at 9:32 PM
With Leeds Trinity and Loughborough we're now actually at 83, or exactly half of the 166 universities @timeshighered.bsky.social counts.
HALF OF OUR UNIVERSITIES ARE SHEDDING STAFF. In a normal timeline, politicians would care about this and try to do *something*, *anything*, right?
HALF OF OUR UNIVERSITIES ARE SHEDDING STAFF. In a normal timeline, politicians would care about this and try to do *something*, *anything*, right?
Reposted by Louise Folkes
Academic exodus.
A study of >400,000 scientists finds that many quit science within five years of authoring their first paper.
Women were around 12% more likely than men to have left science.
#science #academicsky
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
A study of >400,000 scientists finds that many quit science within five years of authoring their first paper.
Women were around 12% more likely than men to have left science.
#science #academicsky
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
November 26, 2024 at 11:38 AM
Academic exodus.
A study of >400,000 scientists finds that many quit science within five years of authoring their first paper.
Women were around 12% more likely than men to have left science.
#science #academicsky
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
A study of >400,000 scientists finds that many quit science within five years of authoring their first paper.
Women were around 12% more likely than men to have left science.
#science #academicsky
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Louise Folkes
Absolutely delighted to see this open access article out which has never felt more timely - me and Maddy Power reflecting on hope, participatory research & policymaking drawing on the work we do together on Changing Realities
“It is possible the change we imagine embodies a cruel optimism, in which participants are given hope for a future that is difficult to achieve.”
Maddy Power and @ruthpatrick0.bsky.social (University of York) on the ethics of hope in participatory research.
#OpenAccess buff.ly/4eFJCxV
Maddy Power and @ruthpatrick0.bsky.social (University of York) on the ethics of hope in participatory research.
#OpenAccess buff.ly/4eFJCxV
November 21, 2024 at 6:27 PM
Absolutely delighted to see this open access article out which has never felt more timely - me and Maddy Power reflecting on hope, participatory research & policymaking drawing on the work we do together on Changing Realities
Reposted by Louise Folkes
You can read more about our cold spots maps for SHAPE disciplines in this piece on @wonkhe.bsky.social by Ruairi Cullen from @britishacademy.bsky.social
wonkhe.com/blogs/there-...
wonkhe.com/blogs/there-...
There are cold spots in arts, humanities, and social sciences provision
New British Academy interactive maps reveal cold spots in social sciences, humanities and arts in UK higher education – especially affecting disadvantaged students. Ruairi Cullen explains
wonkhe.com
November 20, 2024 at 8:39 AM
You can read more about our cold spots maps for SHAPE disciplines in this piece on @wonkhe.bsky.social by Ruairi Cullen from @britishacademy.bsky.social
wonkhe.com/blogs/there-...
wonkhe.com/blogs/there-...
Reposted by Louise Folkes
Worth reading this in the context of last week’s @suttontrust.bsky.social report on unequal access to creative HE. Place + social class means widening participation policy will struggle, even as the government prioritises both WP & the civic role of Unis
With university departmental closures are we seeing the emergence of geographical 'cold spots' for social science/humanities/arts (SHAPE) subjects? We've developed a new beta mapping tool using HESA data to enable you to explore the situation by subject www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/policy-and-r...
Mapping SHAPE provision in UK higher education
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk
November 20, 2024 at 10:28 AM
Worth reading this in the context of last week’s @suttontrust.bsky.social report on unequal access to creative HE. Place + social class means widening participation policy will struggle, even as the government prioritises both WP & the civic role of Unis
Reposted by Louise Folkes
WRITE ON: The Sociological Review magazine is seeking reviewers for 11 sociologically rich new books on subjects ranging from psychedelics to parental leave, class and poetry to food and taste, public opinion to protest camps.
View the list and make a pitch!
buff.ly/3h7XLZM
View the list and make a pitch!
buff.ly/3h7XLZM
November 19, 2024 at 3:54 PM
WRITE ON: The Sociological Review magazine is seeking reviewers for 11 sociologically rich new books on subjects ranging from psychedelics to parental leave, class and poetry to food and taste, public opinion to protest camps.
View the list and make a pitch!
buff.ly/3h7XLZM
View the list and make a pitch!
buff.ly/3h7XLZM
Hello everyone 👋 I'm new here, but join me for a frustrated sociologist's thoughts on #class #inequality #HE and #poverty if you're interested!
November 16, 2024 at 11:31 AM
Hello everyone 👋 I'm new here, but join me for a frustrated sociologist's thoughts on #class #inequality #HE and #poverty if you're interested!