Tony Bennett honoured by Academy of Social Sciences

The Research Director at the Institute for Culture and Society, Professor Tony Bennett, has been elected to the position of Academician in the Academy of Social Sciences in the UK.  

Professor Bennett’s election reflects his contributions to social science, particularly in cultural sociology, a field in which he has conducted major studies in the sociology of consumption, the sociology of art and literature, and the sociology of museums.  

It also acknowledges the leadership roles he has played in directing research centres, particularly his role as a Director of the ESRC Centre for Research on Socio-cultural Change.  

Professor Bennett has also made distinguished contributions to the teaching of sociology through the open learning courses he has directed for the Open University in the UK, and for the Open Learning Agency of Australia.   

The election is further confirmation of the UWS Institute for Culture and Society’s research strength, underlined by ‘5’ rating in the field of Cultural Studies in the 2010 Excellence for Research in Australia (ERA) audit.

This audit result judges ICS as ‘well above world standard’, placing it as one of the leading research nodes in Australia and internationally in this area.