A Lancaster University academic has featured in the latest episode of Uncommon Sense, the podcast from The Sociological Review, to discuss the contested meanings and uses of “free speech” in contemporary society and politics.

Dr Aaron Winter, Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Lancaster University, joins hosts Dr Rosie Hancock and Dr Alexis Hieu Truong to unpack how debates about free speech intersect with questions of power, race, and extremism. Drawing on his extensive research into racism, the far right, and reactionary politics, Dr Winter examines how appeals to free speech are often mobilised to legitimise exclusionary or harmful ideas, and how sociological analysis can help reframe these debates.

The Uncommon Sense podcast invites leading social scientists to make sense of current social and political issues through a sociological lens. Dr Winter’s contribution highlights Lancaster Sociology’s engagement with timely and difficult public questions, and the department’s commitment to connecting research with wider societal debates.

You can listen to the episode here: Free Speech with Aaron Winter – Uncommon Sense, The Sociological Review