About Us

The Birkbeck Institute for Social Research (BISR) is a cross-Faculty interdisciplinary research centre that acts as a hub for a wide variety of social research taking place at Birkbeck and beyond. The term social research is being used here to encompass work in social theory, psychosocial studies and sociology in the critical tradition for which Birkbeck is known; it connects researchers in social psychology, social policy, human geography, law, gender studies, politics and sociology and makes links with colleagues in other areas of the humanities and social sciences.

The BISR takes an active role in promoting social research and in providing commentaries on social issues. It works to promote cross-disciplinary debate, discussion, thinking and research on social issues. Its activities include seminars, conferences, symposia, reading groups and other academic events related to members' core interests, as well as providing an electronic resource that draws together social research carried out at Birkbeck. It promotes the research of its individual members as well as collaborative research programmes between its members and other institutions. It offers facilities for the supervision of research (MPhil/PhD) students with a strong emphasis on interdisciplinarity.

The BISR aims to:

• promote theoretical and empirical work in social research at Birkbeck;
• foster and promote a climate of collaboration among academics and researchers involved in social research at Birkbeck;
• engage with important social issues in the public sphere through lectures, seminars and conferences;
• promote new ideas and forms of understanding in social research areas;
• provide a base for scholars in social research interested in visiting Birkbeck;
• investigate prospects for, and where appropriate encourage, the development of postgraduate and possibly undergraduate programmes in social theory, social research, sociology and psychosocial studies.