alistair fraser 450 UofG's Dr Alistair Fraser has been named a New Generation Thinker by the BBC.

Dr Fraser researches street culture and youth gangs, and has done extensive fieldwork in Glasgow, Chicago and Hong Kong. He's one of ten young academics selected by the BBC in their annual search for ideas with the potential to be shared through broadcast. The New Generation Thinkers 2017 will have the opportunity to make programmes for Radio 3, BBC Four and other outlets, and they'll take part in panel shows and discussions.

Campus e-News spoke with Dr Fraser about his selection to the prestigious team: "I'm really delighted and excited to be part of this. To have the opportunity to work with producers and broadcasters to communicate research to a wider public is a tremendous opportunity, and a real honour.

"During selection I pitched an ethnographic documentary on the past and present of youth gangs, with one foot in Glasgow and the other in Chicago. For four years I was a youth worker in a Glasgow community with a long-standing reputation for gangs and territorial violence. I got to know a cross-section of children and young people, including gang members and their older brothers and sisters. Then I worked with a gang researcher in Chicago for three months, expecting there to be real similarities, but it was a completely different phenomenon - like comparing apple to oranges. So I want to ask what was the 'Sliding Doors' moment that set Glasgow and Chicago off on different paths? I'll investigate the representations, realities and responses to gangs in these two cities. 

"Much of my work is with young people who are stereotyped, stigmatised, and silenced in public debate. I see this as a real opportunity to get their voices heard."

Fascinating original work

Robyn Read, Editor of Radio 3's Free Thinking, says: “The New Generation Thinkers have become an essential part of our programme’s quest to nurture new talent in the world of arts and ideas. It is incredibly stimulating for production teams to work with academics who are so passionate about their research. These ten new voices have fascinating original work and their hunger to reach new audiences brings something exciting and distinctive to Radio 3 listeners.”

The other New Generation Thinkers 2017 are:

  • Dr Christopher Bannister, University of London
  • Simon Beard, University of Cambridge
  • Emma Butcher, University of Hull 
  • Daisy Fancourt, Royal College of Music/Imperial College London
  • Hetta Howes, Queen Mary University of London
  • Islam Issa, Birmingham City University
  • Eleanor Lybeck, University of Oxford
  • Joanne Paul, University of Sussex
  • Thomas Simpson University of Oxford

Among other specialisms, they'll be producing content on Shakespeare in the Middle East, children in war, surveillance, the health benefits of music, and the ethics of population change. 

Find out more

First published: 16 March 2017

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