(Apologies for cross posting)

SOCIAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION (SRA) ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2006 " CHALLENGING 
MYTHS, RESEARCHING REALITY - THE ROLE OF SOCIAL RESEARCH"

Dear all,

Please find below details of the SRA Annual Conference being held on 
Wednesday 6th December 2006, at the Brunei Gallery, SOAS, University of 
London, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H OXG.

Please book as soon as possible as places are going quickly. You can either 
print and mail to the office the attached PDF programme, or you can fill 
out the attached electronic booking form (word doc) and email the form to: 
[log in to unmask] (or print and mail this form).

The booking form can be found here:
www.the-sra.org.uk/documents/word/sra_annual_conference_booking_form_2006.do
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The theme for this year's conference is " Challenging myths, researching 
reality  the role of social research".

BACKGROUND TO THE CONFERENCE:

Understanding and explaining the society we live in is a key task for 
social researchers. This year the SRA's annual conference "Challenging 
myths, researching reality  the role of social research" provides an 
opportunity to focus on some of the problems faced by social research when 
investigating and presenting complex social issues.

Through key note speakers and eight workshop sessions, the conference aims 
to promote discussions about the nature of social research and the role it 
plays in informing the research and policy community as well as the general 
public.

In the morning, Ian Diamond will examine the capacity of social research to 
challenge misconceptions of social issues, whilst John Curtice and Greg 
Philo will address the issue of how social and political attitudes, 
perceptions and actions are formed, including examining the role social 
research and the media plays in shaping people's understanding of "reality".

In the afternoon, eight workshops delivered by research experts from 
academia, government and the private sector will provide opportunities to 
examine robust evidence on headline (and often myth laden) topics such as 
community cohesion, user involvement in health services and attitudes to 
poverty and rural disadvantage. Other workshops will identify and discuss 
some of the methodologies, analytical tools and technologies that can be 
used to enhance our understanding of the world.

Finally a panel of expert users of social research including the Director 
of the European Parliament's UK Office, the Head of UK and International 
Policy at the Refugee Council and the Chair of the Treasury Select 
Committee will discuss their use of social research to combat some of the 
common myths and misperceptions in their policy fields.

OUTLINE OF THE DAY

Registration: From 9.30am

10.00am > SRA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (SRA MEMBERS ONLY)

10.30am > CONFERENCE OPENING

= Welcome and Introduction from the Chair, Barbara Doig, SRA Chair

= Plenary speakers:

Ian Diamond, Chief Executive of the Economic and Social Research Council
(ESRC) Professor Diamond will address the role and capacity of social
research to 
challenge misconceptions of social issues.

Greg Philo, Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Applied Social 
Sciences, University of Glasgow
Professor Philo will address the issue of the role the media plays in 
shaping people's understanding of "reality".

John Curtice, Department of Government, University of Strathclyde Myths and
Reality in Social Attitudes

= Panel discussion with comments and questions from the floor.

12.30pm > LUNCH

1.30pm > Workshops Session A (workshops 1 to 4)

* Workshop 1: Housing and Rural Communities

Private landlords and tenants  their real issues and concerns. Afi Adjei and
Maggie Davidson, Building Research Establishment

Challenging the Myth of the Rural Idyll: Using Market Segmentation 
Techniques to Understand Rural Attitudes to Disadvantage.
Ruth Bradshaw, Thematic Studies Manager, Commission for Rural Communities

* Workshop 2: Community Cohesion

Refugees are abusing our system, aren't they?
Siddig Elzailaee, Researcher, Working Lives Research Institute, London 
Metropolitan University

Whose 'problem' is cohesion anyway? Challenging misconceptions about social 
integration and community cohesion.
Dr Adele Smaill, Community Cohesion Evaluation Officer, Strategy and 
Resources, Oldham MBC

*Workshop 3: Healthy Involvement

The Patient Advisory and Liaison Service as a catalyst for change: Myths 
and realities of the implementation of the NHS user involvement agenda.
Sarah Booker, Research Fellow, Faculty of Health & Social Care, University 
of the West of  England

Obesity, social control and the tyranny of health.
Dr Michael Gard, Charles Sturt University, Australia and Carnegie Research 
Institute, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK

*Workshop 4: Understanding Poverty and Managing Money

Managing money in older age: Are pensioners really as financially excluded 
and vulnerable as commentators suggest?
Annie Irvine and Katharine Nice, Social Policy Research Unit, University of 
York and Peter A.  Kemp, Department of Social Policy & Social Work, 
University of Oxford

The Reality or Myth of Poverty  a Method for Applying Objectivity to 
Poverty Studies.
Wendy Olsen and Jamie Morgan, Cathie Marsh Centre for Census & Survey 
Research, University of Manchester

2.50pm > TEA

3.20pm > Workshops Session B (workshops 5 to 8)

* Workshop 5: Binge Drinking

'Binge drinking' in the UK: the recent history of a confused concept. Rachel
Herring, Research Fellow and Virginia Berridge, Professor, Centre 
for History in Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical 
Medicine, London; Betsy Thom, Reader, School of Health and Social Sciences, 
Middlesex University.

* Workshop 6: Shifting public beliefs about poverty

Shifting public beliefs in the UK about poverty.
Julian Thompson and Sarah Castell, Ipsos MORI HotHouse

* Workshop 7: Approaching Stereotypes

Approaching stereotypes and myths in social surveys: the example of British 
Social Attitudes.
British Social Attitudes Team, NatCen

* Workshop 8: Challenging myths and stereotypes

Using the ONS omnibus survey to challenge myths and stereotypes. Chris
Dowsett, Research Officer, Social & Vital Statistics, Office for 
National Statistics

4:15pm >  PANEL DISCUSSION "Challenging myths, researching reality - the 
role of social research"

Chaired by Ceridwen Roberts, Vice Chair of the SRA

With:

John McFall MP, Chairman of the Treasury Select committee
Nancy Kelley, Head of International and UK Policy, Refugee council Dermot
Scott, Director of the European Parliament's UK Office

5:20pm > DRINKS RECEPTION



The programme can be found here:
www.the-sra.org.uk/documents/pdfs/sra_conference_programme_06.pdf