Laurie Taylor (sociologist)

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Laurence "Laurie" Taylor (born August 1, 1936) is a British sociologist and radio presenter from Liverpool.

Contents

[edit] Early life

After attending Catholic schools including the independent St Mary's College in Crosby, Taylor first trained as an actor at Rose Bruford College, being associated with Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop in Stratford East and also worked as a teacher at a comprehensive school.

[edit] Academic career

After earning degrees in sociology and psychology, as a mature student, at Birkbeck College and the University of Leicester, he joined the department of sociology at York University, becoming a professor at that institution. He has now retired from this position.

He has a particular interest in criminology and was one of the founder members of the National Deviancy Conference.[1] Perhaps his best known early work was the book co-written with Stanley Cohen: Escape Attempts: The Theory and Practice of Resistance to Everyday Life. The book arose from research into the wellbeing of long term prisoners. He has also collaborated on research with the bank robber John McVicar.

In 1991 Taylor, along with McVicar, participated in ‘Flesh and Blood’, a documentary about London ganglords Ron and Reggie Kray.

In it, his scholarship on criminal history was called into doubt when he erroneously listed Burke and Hare among notorious East End villains such as Jack Spot, Billy Hill, and Jack the Ripper; referring to Burke and Hare as ‘those other notorious East End villains’ (Burke and Hare’s murders took place in 1820’s Edinburgh)

Taylor is still sometimes thought to be the model for Howard Kirk in Malcolm Bradbury's novel The History Man [2] although Bradbury and Taylor had not met at the time the book was written. Taylor was a member of the Trotskyist International Socialists [3], the kind of group that Kirk might have supported.

[edit] Media

Taylor has had an extensive broadcasting career on BBC Radio 4. For many years he was a regular participant on Robert Robinson's fiercely competitive talking programme Stop the Week, later presented The Radio Programme and took on The Afternoon Shift, a re-branding of the ill-fated programme presented by Gerry Anderson.

His media associates have included Tom Baker[1] and Victor Lewis-Smith.

Today, he regularly presents the sociological discussion programme Thinking Allowed on BBC Radio 4. In addition, he is well known in academic circles for his long-running column in the Times Higher Education as well as for New Humanist magazine and being a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association.

He was awarded an honorary DLitt by the University of Leicester on July 14 2007.

[edit] Private life

Laurie Taylor's current wife (his third whom he married in December 1988 in Camden) is the radio producer Cathie Mahoney who works on Loose Ends on BBC Radio Four. He was previously married to the Guardian journalist Anna Coote, who has also been associated with various public organisations. He is the father of Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of Royal Society of Arts. Both his son and his second wife have had directorships of the left-leaning Institute for Public Policy Research.

[edit] Publications and Articles

Taylor, Laurie & Taylor, Matthew (2001), “What Are Children For?”, ISBN 9781904095255 

Taylor, Laurie & Walton, P. (1971), “Industrial Sabotage: Motives and Meanings”, in Cohen, Stanley, Images Of Deviance, Harmondsworth: Penguin 

Taylor, Laurie (1972). "The Significance And Interpretations Of Replies To Motivational Questions: The Case Of Sex Offenders". Sociology 6 (1): 23–40. doi:10.1177/003803857200600102. 

Taylor, Laurie & Cohen, Stanley (1972), Psychological Survival: the Experience of Long Term Imprisonment, Harmondworth: Penguin 

Taylor, Laurie & Taylor, I. (1972), Politics And Deviance (Eds), Penguin 

[edit] References

  1. ^ van Swaaningen, R. (1997) Critical Criminology: Visions from Europe, London: SAGE pg.78
  2. ^ BBC NEWS | UK | The 'History Man' on Sir Malcolm Bradbury
  3. ^ New Humanist Magazine (Rationalist Association)

[edit] External links