Chris Rojek
Professor of Sociology and Culture
Sociology and Communications
Brunel University
Uxbridge, UB8 3PH
United Kingdom
Biography
Qualifications
- BA (Social Science) University of Leicester (1976)
- MPhil (Sociology) University of Leicester (1979)
- PGCE University of Leicester (1979)
- PhD University of Glasgow (1992)
Personal Biography
My career background is based in academic life and publishing.
1981 - 1982: Lecturer in Sociology, College of St Mark and St John, Plymouth
1982 - 1986: Lecturer in Sociology, The Queen’s College, Glasgow (Now Caledonian University)
1986 - 1994: Senior Editor in Sociology, Routledge Publishers, London
1994 - 1996: Professor and Head of Department, Staffordshire University
1996 - 2006: Professor of Sociology and Culture at the Theory, Culture and Society Research Centre, Department of English, Nottingham Trent University
2006 - : Professor of Sociology and Culture, Brunel University
Research
Research Overview
My research interests are eclectic, although based in questions of culture and society. I have written extensively on the fascination with fame, the political economy of pop music, leisure and British nationality. I have written on the thought of Stuart Hall and its relation to British Cultural Studies and I have also written a cultural biography of Frank Sinatra.
In all I have, to date, authored 14 solo authored books, 2 jointly authored books and edited/co-edited 14. Together with Bryan Turner (CUNY) and Craig Calhoun (New York) I edited The Handbook of Sociology which sought to provide a route map and critical guide to Western sociology. I have also written 50 refereed articles.
Current Projects
I have just completed a book on Global Event Management (Live Aid, Live Earth, Live 8 etc) and I am editing a four volume companion set which brings together the key writings in the field.
I am currently writing on two parallel areas:
The para-social economy (relations of presumed intimacy) and invisible government.
In 2011 I gave plenaries to the SESC in Minas Gerais, Brazil, the University of Queensland and the annual Leisure and Recreation Studies conference of the Australian and New Zealand Leisure Association in Otago.
Recently Completed Projects
Leisure and Emotional Intelligence
Is Marx Still Relevant to Leisure Studies?
The Labour of Leisure
Pop Music, Pop Culture
Fame Attack: The Inflation of Celebrity and its Consequences
Event Invasion: How Global Events Manipulate
Celebrity
Leisure Studies
Popular Culture
Popular Music
PhD Supervision
Russell Fleming: Leisure and Aging; 2007 -
Erin Dermody: Thanatological Thoughts: A Cross Examination of Emotion in Tourists Travelling to and Visiting Dark Tourism Sites; April 2012 –
Teaching
Undergraduate Programmes
Module contributor
- Crime, Deviance and Addiction (Level 3)
- Popular Music and Popular Culture (Level 3)
- Television Studies (Level 3)
- Introduction to Social Inquiry (Level 1)
Postgraduate Programmes
Module contributor
- MSc Media and Communications modules
External Activity
- External Examiner in Sociology at City University, London
- External Examiner in Sociology at the Open University
Publications
Publications
Journal Papers
(2012) Rojek, C., Norbert Elias and Figurational Research: Processual Thinking in Sociology, SOCIOLOGICAL REVIEW 60 (2) : 383- 385
(2012) Rojek, C., Global Event Management: A Critique, Leisure Studies
(2010) Rojek, C., Leisure and Emotional Intelligence, World Leisure Journal 52 (4) : 240- 252
(2010) Rojek, C., Leisure and Emotional Intelligence: A Reply to My Commentators,, World Leisure Journal 52 (4) : 274- 279
(2007) Rojek, C., George Ritzer and the crisis of the public intellectual, Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies 29 (1) : 3- 21
(2006) Rojek, C., Sports celebrity and the civilizing process, Sport in Society 9 (4) : 674- 690
(2005) Rojek, C., An outline of the action approach to leisure studies, Leisure Studies 24 (1) : 13- 25
(2005) Rojek, C., On a rant by a little musketeer: A reply to Bill Schwarz, International Journal of Cultural Studies 8 (4) : 486- 503
(2005) Rojek, C., P2P leisure exchange: Net banditry and the policing of intellectual property, Leisure Studies 24 (4) : 357- 369
(2004) Rojek, C., Leisure life: Myth, masculinity and modernity., JOURNAL OF LEISURE RESEARCH 36 (1) : 128- 130
(2004) Rojek, C., The consumerist syndrome in contemporary society: An interview with Zygmunt Bauman, Journal of Consumer Culture 4 (3) : 291- 312
(2002) Rojek, C., Civil labour, leisure and post work society, LOISIR & SOCIETE-SOCIETY AND LEISURE 25 (1) : 21- 35
(2002) Rojek, C., The post-auratic president, AMERICAN BEHAVIORAL SCIENTIST 46 (4) : 487- 500
(2000) Rojek, C. and Turner, B., Decorative sociology: towards a critique of the cultural turn, SOCIOLOGICAL REVIEW 48 (4) : 629- 648
(2000) Rojek, C., Leisure and the rich today: Veblen's thesis after a century, Leisure Studies 19 (1) : 1- 15
(1999) Pronovost, G. and Rojek, C., Introduction - Heritage and challenges to the sociology of leisure, LOISIR & SOCIETE-SOCIETY AND LEISURE 22 (1) : 15- 17
(1998) Rojek, C., Stuart hall and the antinomian tradition, International Journal of Cultural Studies 1 (1) : 45- 65
(1997) Rojek, C., A wonderful world + The modern tourist, an excerpt from 'Ways of Escape', REVISTA DE OCCIDENTE (193) : 56- 69
(1997) Rojek, C., Not at home: The suppression of domesticity in modern art and architecture - Reed,C, THEORY CULTURE & SOCIETY 14 (2) : 151- 152
(1997) Rojek, C., Virtual geography: Living with global media events - Wark,M, THEORY CULTURE & SOCIETY 14 (2) : 151- 152
(1997) Rojek, C., 'Leisure' in the writings of Walter Benjamin, Leisure Studies 16 (3) : 155- 171
(1997) Rojek, C., Leisure theory: Retrospect and prospect, LOISIR & SOCIETE-SOCIETY AND LEISURE 20 (2) : 383- 400
(1993) Rojek, C., THE SHAPE OF CULTURE - A STUDY OF CONTEMPORARY CULTURAL-PATTERNS IN THE UNITED-STATES - BLAU,JR, THEORY CULTURE & SOCIETY 10 (1) : 168- 168
(1990) Rojek, C., Baudrillard and leisure, Leisure Studies 9 (1) : 7- 20
(1988) Rojek, C. and Collins, S., CONTRACT OR CON TRICK REVISITED - COMMENTS, BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WORK 18 (6) : 611- 622
(1988) Rojek, C. and Collins, S., Contract or con trick revisited: Comments on the reply by corden and preston-shoot, British Journal of Social Work 18 (6) : 611- 622
(1988) Rojek, C., The convoy of pollution, Leisure Studies 7 (1) : 21- 31
(1987) Rojek, C. and Collins, SA., CONTRACT OR CON TRICK, BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WORK 17 (2) : 199- 211
(1987) Rojek, C. and Wilson, DC., WORKERS SELF-MANAGEMENT IN THE WORLD SYSTEM - THE YUGOSLAV CASE, ORGANIZATION STUDIES 8 (4) : 297- 308
(1986) Rojek, C., PROBLEMS OF INVOLVEMENT AND DETACHMENT IN THE WRITINGS OF ELIAS,NORBERT, BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY 37 (4) : 584- 596
(1986) Rojek, C., TALCOTT PARSONS AND THE CAPITALIST NATION-STATE - BUXTON,W, SOCIAL SCIENCE QUARTERLY 67 (3) : 653- 653
(1986) Rojek, C., THE SUBJECT IN SOCIAL-WORK, BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WORK 16 (1) : 65- 77
(1986) Rojek, C., CONVERGENCE, DIVERGENCE AND THE STUDY OF ORGANIZATIONS, ORGANIZATION STUDIES 7 (1) : 25- 36
(1984) Rojek, C., Did Marx have a theory of leisure?, Leisure Studies 3 (2) : 163- 174
(1984) Rojek, C., TYPOLOGIES OF EDUCATION AND THE CAPITALIST WORLD SYSTEM, BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION 5 (3) : 213- 225
(1983) Rojek, C., Emancipation and demoralization: contrasting approaches in the sociology of leisure., Leisure Studies 2 (1) : 83- 96
(Accepted) Rojek, C., Is Marx Still Relevant to Leisure Studies?, Leisure Studies
Conference Papers
(2001) Rojek, C., Leisure and life politics, Annual Meeting of the American-Sociological-Association, LEISURE SCIENCES (23) : 115- 125
(1999) Rojek, C., Abnormal leisure: Invasive, mephitic and wild forms, 14th World Congress of Sociology, LOISIR & SOCIETE-SOCIETY AND LEISURE (22) : 21- 37
Books
(2011) Rojek, C., Pop music, pop culture. Polity Press
(2010) Various., Celebrity, 4-Vol. Set.
(2010) Various., Leisure Studies. Sage Publications Ltd
(2009) Rojek, C., The Labour of Leisure. SAGE Publications Ltd
(2005) Rojek, C., Leisure theory: principles and practice. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
(2004) Rojek, C., Frank Sinatra. Cambridge: Polity
(2003) Rojek, C., Stuart Hall. Cambridge: Polity
(2001) Rojek, C., Celebrity. London: Reaktion
