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This article discusses findings from a qualitative study designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) awareness-raising programme targeted at young people. Drawing on data from in-depth interviews with practitioners involved in a multi-agency team established to reduce vulnerability to CSE, we elucidate that, in addition to being directed by professional codes, practitioners' perceptions and judgements were also influenced by gendered assumptions and underlying anxieties about childhood sexuality. The empirical data presented suggest that attitudes towards young people and intervention decisions are partially steered by cultural values that connect not only to personal morals but also influence decisions made in conjunction with professional risk analytic frameworks. Our analysis indicates that broader investigation of the commingling of personal and professional values in safeguarding contexts is required, alongside the creation of protected spaces for professional reflection and dialogue amongst practitioners to support decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article draws on data collected from a qualitative study designed to assess the effectiveness of an early intervention programme aimed to raise awareness of Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) among young people. The programme was implemented by a large police force area, referred to as Shireland. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with practitioners implementing safeguarding policies within the police service, youth and social welfare work designed to support young people, we focus on the mobilisation of perceptions of risk and vulnerability as they translate in professional practice via a specific preventative initiative. More specifically, we wish to examine the extent to which blurring occurs between constructions of 'risk' and 'vulnerability' in relation to practitioners' understandings of the dangerousness of young people's behaviour. In our analysis, we draw attention to a palpable tension apparent in the interview narratives of those involved in delivering the programme, between expressed understandings which on the one hand universalise vulnerability and, on the other, extricate specific risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports findings from a qualitative study investigating the efficacy and the effects of a child sexual exploitation awareness raising intervention with young people. Drawing on in-depth interviews with members of a multi-agency team set up to prevent child sexual exploitation, we elucidate the way in which practitioners communicate the problem of child sexual exploitation and how risk registers are deployed to assess the dangerousness of young people's behaviours. In examining practitioners' understandings of child sexual exploitation, we illuminate the ways in which educative interventions in this domain are informed by a confluence of policy guidelines and personal/experiential perceptions. Unravelling the tensions arising between these two frames of interpretation, we illustrate that – despite routine recourse to embedded professional knowledge – underlying moral and cultural assumptions alongside anxieties about childhood sexuality influence practitioners' understandings of the nature of risk, who is at risk and the context in which risks manifest themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The risk society thesis proposed by Ulrich Beck in the 1990s is re-examined to evaluate its merits in terms of everyday cultural processes and practices in contemporary society.

German sociologist Ulrich Beck maintains that economic, technological and environmental transitions have radically reshaped employment relations in Western Europe. Whilst theories of employment transformation are historically ubiquitous, Beck's contribution is rather unique. Utilising risk as a lens through which subterranean shifts in employment, the economy and society can be visualised, Beck's work has been heralded as a significant theoretical landmark. The risk society perspective emphasizes the diffusion of two interlinked macro-social processes. Firstly, Beck identifies a sweeping process of individualization which recursively generates personal insecurity and reflexive decision-making. Secondly, changes in the relationship between capital and labour are said to have facilitated an underlying shift in the pattern of social distribution. This paper scrutinises Beck's understanding of these two processes, as a means of developing a broader critique of the risk society perspective. Theoretically, it will be argued that Beck deploys unsophisticated and artificial categories, amalgamates disparate forms of risk and compacts together diverse employment experiences. Empirically, the paper demonstrates that far from being directed by a universal axis of risk--labour market inequalities follow the grooves etched by traditional forms of stratification.

The process of risk regulation is crucial across a range of institutions, sectors and industries. Regulatory bodies worldwide are confronted with a plethora of challenges in managing risks and uncertainties. The precise sources of these challenges are diverse, but are commonly associated with the degree of confidence in predicting and quantifying risks. When the level of confidence is high, regulators tend to specify the outputs and take quantitatively informed preventive measures. However, when levels of confidence are lower, regulators may favour an inflection toward more qualitative considerations of risks to inform resilience building and absorption of adverse consequences. As part of an ongoing research project designed to explore the potentialities of developing a holistic framework for risk assessment which blends qualitative and quantitative methods, this article maps out the key challenges involved in evaluation and decision-making within risk regulatory bodies. In defining the problems and issues faced both by organizations in general and practitioners involved in everyday assessment and management of risk, we have developed a heuristic designed to assist in understanding, categorising and evaluating risk. It is anticipated that the development of knowledge in this area can contribute toward progressive process modifications, improved decision-making at senior management level, and enhance risk management practices amongst regulatory agencies. The project involved semi-structured interviews with practitioners working in risk regulatory bodies from the UK, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and New Zealand. In coalescing the findings of empirical studies, the sources of these challenges were discussed as being related to rational, technical and expert factors. The main areas of analysis focused on in this article revolve around the process of evaluation, organisational strategies, structural factors and expert perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In terms of the evolution of sociological theory, it is difficult to overstate the impact of Risk Society: Towards a New Modernity. Aside from achieving voluminous sales and mass citations, the book is one of few academic monographs that can lay claim to transforming the ways in which people understand the world and their own experiences within it. The major hypothesis of author Ulrich Beck is that a fundamental shift has occurred in capitalist economies from a focus on the material production of goods to avoidance of "bads." Crucially, while social science thinkers had previously sought to understand the foundational dynamics of society with recourse to established categories—such as class, gender, economy, and power—Beck postulated that the key contours of the modern age were best understood through the prism of risk. Despite revolving around the concept of risk, Beck's work has not influenced the field of risk research as heavily as one might expect. In line with the ambitions of this special issue, this article contextualizes and situates the contribution made by Beck and connects his thesis to the broader evolution of risk theory over the last four decades. In documenting both catalytic effects and elisions, an appeal is made for reconsideration of the utility of the risk society perspective for future work in risk studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This e-special issue of Theory, Culture & Society showcases work published in the journal by and about the late German sociologist Ulrich Beck (1944–2015). Beck became known as a pioneering and inventive thinker, continuously engaged in a quest to capture the essence of the modern age, whilst simultaneously wrestling with the upcoming horizons of the future. During his career, he was responsible for developing some of the defining sociological concepts of the late 20th and early 21st century, including risk, reflexive modernization, individualization and cosmopolitanism. He published many articles in Theory, Culture & Society, inspiring acolytes to mobilize his ideas and provoking critics to dispute them. Complementing articles written by Beck, this collection also includes critical commentaries, applications of his work, a selection of interviews and several reflective pieces which consider his legacy. The key aspiration of this special issue is to encourage contemplation on both the richness and the range of Ulrich Beck's academic contribution. The contents stimulate reflection on the intricacies of Beck's method of inquiry and flag up ways in which his work can influence the future trajectory of social theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers the effects of an educational intervention with young people designed to reduce the risk of child sexual exploitation (CSE). Drawing on findings from a qualitative study, we consider processes of engagement with the initiative, the relevance of the strategy adopted by the delivery team and the impacts on the perspectives of young people targeted. Focusing on mutually constitutive problems of context sensitivity, recognition of ambiguity and the silencing of alternative narratives, we raise several critical caveats that should be considered in the design and implementation of future CSE awareness raising initiatives. Overall, we aver that an unstinting focus on individual behaviour management unduly responsibilizes young people and draws inflexible demarcation lines between appropriate and inappropriate sexual conduct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews the German sociologist Ulrich Beck's final contribution, The Metamorphosis of the World (2016). The drivers of the process of metamorphosis are appraised and the approach adopted by Beck is considered within the broader context of his oeuvre. Continuities with previous work are illuminated and novel developments identified. In order to provide a critical but sympathetic assessment of the theory of metamorphosis, Beck's epistemological position and his sociological modus operandi are considered. It is argued that, despite elisions, the theory of metamorphosis breaks new ground in social theory and offers valuable opportunities for future empirical investigation and conceptual debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This interview with Ulrich Beck was undertaken in late August 2014. At this juncture Beck was preparing what was to be his final book, The Metamorphosis of the World (2016). The conversation is reflective of Beck's thinking around the theory of metamorphosis at that time and represents his views on the underlying dynamics of social transformation and the mobilizing power of global risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ulrich Beck is considered to be one of the most innovative and provocative social science thinkers of the last 50 years. His landmark contribution, Risk Society: Toward a New Modernity, sought to capture the underlying dynamics of the late twentieth century, drawing attention to the anthropogenic dangers generated by capitalist modernization. First published in Germany in 1986 under the title Risikogesellschaft, the best-selling book was translated into several languages and thrust Beck into the academic spotlight. The social and institutional critique presented in Risk Society caused ripples that spread way beyond academia, with the risk society thesis becoming the subject of widespread debate. However, in the field of risk research, Beck's work has received a mixed reception. While some scholars have contested the foundational claims made in the risk society thesis, others have actively deployed the framework to analyze various incidents, processes and transitions. Rather than seeking to cast judgment on the value of Beck's overall contribution to studies of risk in the social sciences, this article seeks to actively deploy three concepts developed by Beck over the course of his career: staging; organized irresponsibility and emancipatory catastrophism. In order to elucidate the explanatory capacity of these concepts, the phenomenon of terrorism is used as a touchstone for discussion. Following on from this and as a means of extending appreciation of Beck's work in risk studies-key areas worthy of further excavation are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special issue on the legacy of Ulrich Beck is aimed to stimulate reflection both on the specific uses to which Beck's conceptual and theoretical apparatus can be put within risk studies and the wider significance of his academic project for the social sciences. In this end-piece, we draw out the key themes which surface in the different contributions relating to five particular areas: the nature of risk; advancements in methods; issues of non-knowledge and uncertainty; the development of cosmopolitan risk communities and the situated character of individualization. We discuss the implications of the accounts contained in this special issue and reflect on the impact and influence of Beck's sustained engagement with colleagues around the globe, concluding that the concepts and methods that Beck bequeathed the social sciences are set to live on and thrive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to this special issue the Journal of Risk Research, based on the translation of the book "Risikogesellschaft," by Ulrich Beck into English as "Risk Society: Towards a New Modernity," and its impact on social sciences, is presented.

In the last 15 years the concept of radicalisation has come to prominence as a means of explaining the process by which individuals become attracted to extremist ideology and endorse the actions of terrorist groups. Post 9/11, radicalisation has gained traction in policy, political and media circles in Britain, being commonly connected to the threat of 'home-grown' terrorism. In this article, we critique the understanding of radicalisation outlined in the UK Government's PREVENT strategy. We focus specifically on how particular understandings of radicalisation are constructed, evidenced and operationalised in PREVENT and the way in which these understandings align with party political worldviews. It is posited that an unremitting focus on the role of religious ideology in the process of radicalisation within PREVENT mutes recognition of otherwise important material grievances expressed by individuals involved in violent extremism. At a broader level, our analysis adds to growing concerns around the deleterious impacts of the securitisation of social policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent academic and policy preoccupations with ‘Black Swans’ underscore the predicament of capturing and communicating risk events when information is absent, partial, incomplete or contingent. In this article, we wish to articulate some key thematic and theoretical points of concurrence around which academic and practitioner interests in risk communication under conditions of ‘high uncertainty’ intersect. We outline the historical context and recent debate concerning the limits to ‘risk thinking’ spurred by Black Swans, and in particular how this calls for a more holistic approach to risk communication. In order to support a more critical foresight agenda, we suggest incorporating ‘adaptive governance’ principles to decentre focal risk communication concerns on the mitigation of short-term security threats, which critics argue can also lead to other unforeseen dangers. Finally, we welcome further interdisciplinary inquiry into the constitution and use of risk communication under high uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the rise of third sector agencies as key criminal justice providers within the context of the marketization of probation and other crime management responses. We posit that the ‘rehabilitation revolution’ has significant implications for the voluntary and community sector in particular and criminal justice provision in general. Pointing towards incremental colonization of the third sector by criminal justice concerns, we trace the creeping discourse of economic risk, exemplified by the commodification of provision, increased contractualization of services and the application of cost–benefit measures. We argue that government policy is being driven by a behavioural economics of risk that attempts to ‘nudge’ the sector in discrete directions through the use of incentivization, market competition and steers toward entrepreneurship. In such a context, the position of marginal groups with high needs but potentially poorer outcomes may be perilous, consigning high risk and ‘at-risk’ groups to further exclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article offers a critical appraisal of Ulrich Beck’s A God of One’s Own. Connecting the trajectory of the book with the conceptual anchors set down in preceding work on reflexive modernization and cosmopolitanism, areas of empirical imprecision are identified and obstacles to the widespread adoption of personalized forms of faith are considered. Concentrating on issues around configurations of power, the formation of identity and filters of cultural difference, points of critique are developed and areas ripe for future investigation are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the light of the coalition government's plans to enshrine the tenets of the military covenant in law this article addresses the issue of the human rights of soldiers in the British Armed Forces. Over the last decade an increasing number of active and ex-service personnel, alongside families of soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq, have sought legal redress with recourse to human rights legislation. Drawing upon a qualitative study involving veterans of the Iraq conflict, we present experiential accounts of structural and institutional deficiencies which indicate that the British state has placed military personnel at unnecessary risk and violated the military covenant. In conclusion, we argue that continuing to cast soldiers as ‘exceptional actors’ under the auspices of the covenant serves to conceal institutional negligence and compromises their fundamental human rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines some of the detrimental consequences of post-9/11 counterterrorism and security policies on Muslim minority groups in the United Kingdom. Drawing on empirical data from a qualitative study conducted in the north-west of England involving young British Pakistanis, it is argued that both political discourses and specific security policies have unjustly targeted Muslims and fuelled a wider public climate of suspicion and hostility. Three focal issues raised by participants in the study are prioritised. First, we discuss the process of collective attribution through which Muslims are generically treated as a suspect community. Second, a series of experiential ‘safety gaps’ – resulting in part from the pre-emptive turn in counterterrorism regulation – are considered. Third, critical ‘speech gaps’, which have important ramifications for future policy-making, are elucidated. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article addresses the rising policy and academic concern with resilience. We trace the etymology of resilience and go on to focus on three academic narratives that have emerged: the psychological, the sociological and the whole-life. Comparing academic views on various states of resilience with policy narratives, we home in on the mobilisation of resilience in the area of counter terrorism. Highlighting an uncomfortable fit between academic and policy narratives, we posit that contemporary forms of neo-liberal governance do not simply attest to a search for resilience, but are indicative of the quest to develop a resilient State that attempts to compel individuals, communities and voluntary agencies to perform security on its behalf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last decade the issue of identity has been prevalent in discussions about British Muslims, with the events of 9/11 serving as a touchstone for media debates about religious, national and cultural affiliations. The 7/7 terrorist attacks in the UK led to young British Pakistanis being subjected to intense public and institutional scrutiny and wider political concerns being expressed about the failure of multiculturalism. Young British Pakistanis have thus had to negotiate and maintain their identities in an environment in which they have been defined as a threat to national security whilst simultaneously being pressurized to align with 'core British values'. Within this context, we convey the findings of a qualitative study involving British Pakistanis living in the North-west of England. In presenting the experiences and perspectives of participants, three interconnected processes salient to the maintenance of identity are delineated: solidity, elasticity and resilience. Having unpacked these processes, we draw upon Bhabha's third space thesis to explore the political potentiality of and the limits to hybridic identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article looks at the state of cultural victimology through the repatriation of deceased British troops at Wootton Bassett who had served in the Afghan War on Terror since 2001. It explores 3 cultural trends that described the British Royal Air Force base in Afghanistan including an integration of private and public grief, gothicism, and images of resistance. The repatriation was documented by photographer Stuart Griffiths, which described the deceased soldiers as war victims.

The central purpose of this article is to trace the conflicting co-existence of three narratives in relation to the ‘risk society’ and the practices that it engenders. The first of these narratives is theoretical: the problems and possibilities of the risk society thesis. The second is practical: how the concept of risk has been translated into policy and practice in the form of risk assessment tools for both ‘at risk’ offenders and ‘at risk’ victims. The focus in this narrative will be on criminal justice responses to violence in general with particular emphasis on responses to partner violence. The third narrative focuses on ‘real lives’: the experiential. Here attention will be paid to what is it that is, or is not, captured by the first two narratives. The concern will be to illustrate the extent to which the discordance that can be found between these three narratives reveals much about the risks of politics and the politics of risk. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Western media outlets are increasingly drawing upon public footage and citizen accounts of risk incidents. Contemporaneously, technological advances have enabled members of the public to create and disseminate independent media products. The growth in 'citizen journalism' has been facilitated by technological convergence and the development of an interactive media environment in which citizens are not simply sources of information and/or audiences, but also recorders and creators of news. Despite fundamental changes in news production, the impact of citizen journalism on the reporting of risk remains an undeveloped area. This article maps out the range of effects that citizen journalism has on the production and presentation of risk information. From a constructive angle, we consider the extent to which citizen journalism adds to the plurality of risk discourses, democratises news flows and sets alternate news values. This positive account is counterbalanced by an analysis of the limits of citizen journalism, including the problem of distortion, issues of unequal access and the embedding of populist forms of news presentation. In the light of this analysis, the article concludes by illuminating salient research gaps and identifying areas ripe for empirical investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue that includes analysis of risk communication under high uncertainty conditions, concerns regarding risk assessment in corporate sector and usage of professional expertise for management of uncertainty.

This article engages with issues of identity construction and maintenance as expressed by a group of young British Pakistanis living in the North-West of England. Drawing on primary data from a qualitative study, we examine the ways in which Muslim identities are maintained, negotiated, and protected in relation to everyday situated cultural experiences. Nested within a context in which Islamophobia is pervasive, we discuss four salient processes of identity management articulated by participants: cherry picking; strategic adaption; ambassadorship and active resistance. Whilst these processes are to be considered as porous rather than mutually exclusive, our analysis elucidates evidence of both nimble and creative individual identity management and also an entrenchment of collective pride. We posit that, for the participants in this study, such practices constitute a grounded, pragmatic response to living in an environment in which their religious beliefs, political values and cultural commitments are frequently questioned within public life, the media and the political sphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]