Looking ahead: Dr Teresa Piacentini to deliver this year's SSP Annual Lecture

As we prepare to welcome students and staff for the new academic year, we are delighted to announce that Dr Teresa Piacentini will deliver this year's Sociology and Social Policy Annual Lecture.

Dr Teresa Piacentini from the University of Glasgow will deliver this year's Sociology and Social Policy Annual Lecture on "Starting university means encountering new ideas, new people and new ways of thinking. But what happens when learning feels uncomfortable?". Drawing on her recent research on ethical pedagogy and the politics of the classroom, she explores how sociology invites us to question what appears natural, obvious or taken for granted, and why some of the most meaningful learning experiences begin when our assumptions are unsettled. 

The lecture introduces three interconnected ideas: becoming comfortable with discomfort, building sociological literacies, and learning through what Dr Piacentini describes as “doing good harm” – the transformative process through which education can challenge, unsettle and expand our ways of knowing. Rather than offering simple answers, the lecture invites reflection on how knowledge is produced, whose voices are heard, and how sociology helps us make sense of contemporary social and political life. 

At its heart, this is a lecture about curiosity, critical inquiry and hope, and an invitation to see sociology not simply as a subject to be studied, but as a way of understanding the world and imagining how it might be otherwise 

Ahead of the lecture, Dr Piacentini has shared insights from her research, and reflections on studying sociology and the value of embracing intellectual curiosity throughout university life. 

For those who may not be familiar with your work, can you tell us a little about your research interests and what first drew you to them? 

My work sits broadly across migration, asylum, belonging, solidarity, community practice and community studies and, more recently, pedagogy, particularly questions around knowledge production and learning. Across all of these areas, I've been interested in how we make sense of complex social issues, whose voices are heard in those conversations, and how knowledge shapes the ways we understand ourselves and others. 

I wasn't always a sociologist. I became one through experience, curiosity and questioning.  What first drew me to sociology was actually coming to it as a mature student. I was 37 when I started studying sociology formally, having worked in a number of different roles beforehand. Looking back, the experience that probably politicised me most was working as a French interpreter for people seeking asylum in Glasgow. Through that work, and through wider community-based roles shaped by a commitment to social justice, I encountered stories, experiences, inequalities and injustices that fundamentally challenged how I understood the world. They also shaped my belief that we all have a role to play in challenging injustice and supporting social change. In many ways, I was trying to do that through community work and interpreting, long before I had the language of sociology. Sociology then gave me a framework for understanding those experiences more deeply and thinking critically about how change happens, and I've never really stopped being curious about it since. 

Why do you think Sociology is particularly important in today's social and political climate? 

We live in a period characterised by rapid social change, political uncertainty and increasingly polarised public debate. Sociology helps us step back from the headlines and ask deeper questions about how societies work, why inequalities persist, and how social problems come to be understood in particular ways. 

One of the things I value most about sociology is that it encourages us to sit with complexity rather than rush towards easy answers. It reminds us that social issues rarely have simple causes or simple solutions. In a world that often rewards certainty, I think the ability to think critically, reflectively and with empathy is incredibly valuable. 

What advice would you give to our new Sociology students about approaching unfamiliar or challenging ideas? 

I'd encourage students to approach university with curiosity and an open mind. One of the joys of studying sociology is encountering perspectives, experiences, and arguments that may be quite different from your own.  

It's completely normal to find some ideas challenging. In fact, that's often where the most interesting learning happens. You don't have to agree with everything you read, but it's worth taking the time to understand why people think differently and what wider questions those differences raise. 

Most importantly, don't worry about having all the answers. Sociology is much more about asking thoughtful questions than arriving at fixed conclusions. If you stay curious and engaged, you'll find the subject has a lot to offer. 

The School of Sociology and Social Policy extends its thanks to Dr Teresa Piacentini for taking the time to share her insights and looks forward to welcoming her to Leeds for the Annual Lecture later this month.

Make sure to regularly check the School of Sociology and Social Policy’s website, LinkedIn, and Bluesky for research and student updates.