MONDAY 16 SEPTEMBER | INSTORE EVENT
6pm for a 6.30pm start | 60 mins
Join us for the launch of Geoffrey Lawrence's Societal Deception. Greens Member for South Brisbane Amy MacMahon will launch the book.
ABOUT THE BOOK
This book provides a comprehensive overview of ‘societal deception’ - how and why people are deceived and led to believe fake news. Coherently blending critical political economy and sociology, the author provocatively examines how corporations, political parties, the media, think tanks and assorted 'influencers' seek to manipulate public opinion to achieve their goals. This book spans an array of contemporary topics and issues not normally tackled by a single writer – the media, genetic engineering, fast food, environmental pollution, climate change, economic inequality, political manipulations, sports, and religion. While critical in subject matter, and replete with easily accessible and reliable sources, this book is highly readable and entertaining for the general as well as academic audience interested in current global issues.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Geoffrey Lawrence studied agricultural science at Sydney University in the early 1970s, later completing his masters in sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and doctorate in sociology at Griffith University. Before, during, and after his studies he worked in social welfare, mental health, in industrial labouring, in natural resource management, and in farming—experiences which exposed him to social inequality and drove him to seek answers to social injustice in society. His research is diverse, spanning the areas of popular culture, the media, sport and leisure, rural social change, agri-food industries, food security, finance, and social aspects of the environment.
He has received funding from the Australian Research Council, the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the National Research Foundation of Korea, the Norwegian Research Council, and the EU Commission. He has been a visiting fellow at Cornell University, the University of Essex, Michigan State University, the Norwegian University of Technology, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
During his career he has published 25 books, and over 400 book chapters, refereed articles, and research monographs. He is a Life Member of The Australian Sociological Association and an elected Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. He was President of the International Rural Sociology Association from 2012–2016. As Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Queensland he continues to undertake research, to publish, and to supervise students.
