Abstract
This issue, the last of 2018, reflects a productive and inspired time period for the Irish Journal of Sociology and sociology in Ireland more broadly. As Brexit, the housing crisis, the referendum on the 8th amendment and many other shifts in the socio-political context unfold, we feel as editors that providing a platform and a voice for sociological inquiry is more important than ever. We look forward to the new year with optimism and, as always, we invite submissions from across the spectrum of the discipline.
Our commitment to providing an outlet for the diverse voices and paradigms in sociology continues with this issue. We start with work by Tom Inglis on the fundamental importance of meaning and interpretation within sociological analysis. This paper offers a contextual and theoretical perspective on interpretative frames and makes a substantive contribution to how we understand meaning-making in everyday life. This issue also includes two distinct contributions on health. The first, by Geraldine Fahy and Lisa Moran, considers healthcare provision. It explores the stressors that psychiatric nurses confront within a challenging workplace environment. Following that, the paper by Jeff Moore, Mary Tilki, Lisa Clare and Eugene Waters shines a light on treatment, self-rated health and the immigrant experience among the Irish diaspora in London. The final paper in this issue provides a long-term analysis of employment in England and Wales. In this work, Roger Penn describes important changes in occupations, exploring gendered and locational perspectives over nearly a century (1921–2011).
We also want to highlight the excellent book reviews found in these pages. Our book reviews editor, Barbara Górnicka, has curated a collection of reviews covering the work of Steven Loyal and Stephen Quilley (reviewed by Randall Collins), Lorenzo Meyer (reviewed by Ruben Flores) and Alain Pessin and Howard Becker (reviewed by Andreas Hess). The work of Alpa Shah, Jens Lerche, Richard Axelby, Dalel Benbabaali, Brendan Donegan, Jayaseelan Raj and Vikramaditya Thakur (reviewed by Bryan Wall) rounds out the volume.
In future issues, we will return to a debates section. Our goal here is to avoid obtuse or hostile argument, and instead provide a forum for critical engagement on topics of contemporary concern. The first debate, compiled by our debates editor, Ruben Flores, entails a lively and timely exchange focused on populism. We look forward to this development, based on shorter contributions and the free-flowing exchange of ideas.