Thinking Allowed

The Prime Minister recently criticised what he called 'state multiculturalism' and said it had failed, arguing that Britain needs a stronger national identity. Is it time to turn our backs on the multi-cultural idea? And what would a stronger national identity mean to people who feel at the cultural margins of our society? As the politicians debate, Laurie Taylor speaks to Britain's leading cultural theorist, Stuart Hall. They discuss culture, politics, race and nation in a special edition of Thinking Allowed. Producer: Charlie Taylor.

In the Indian call centre or 'outsourcing' industry, workers are trained to emulate the American or British workers which they have replaced. They change their names, take on western accents and develop lifestyles organised around a foreign culture in a distant time zone. Laurie Taylor is joined by Henrietta Moore to talk to Shehzad Nadeem about his new study into the hybrid culture these Asian employees have created. Also on the programme the writer Marek Kohn joins Laurie to discuss the Thinking Allowed audience's spirited response to Pascal Bruckner's indictment of the culture of happiness. Producer: Charlie Taylor.

The British government is seeking to develop a way to accurately measure the happiness of the population. In France such a gauge already exists, but is happiness really the proper goal of life? The French philosopher Pascal Bruckner tells Laurie Taylor that happiness has become a burdensome duty, and that the wave of enthusiasm for pursuing the nebulous quality has the opposite effect of actually promoting unhappiness amongst those who seek it. Much better, says he, to accept that happiness as an unbidden and fragile gift, arrives only by grace and luck. Also on the programme, Patricia Drentea talks about her new study 'Ethical Capital: What's a Poor Man Got to Leave?'. It looks at the hoped for legacy of people who have no financial assets to leave their families. Producer: Charlie Taylor.

Every country in the Western world has abandoned the use of capital punishment in the name of civilisation and humanity. Yet in the USA, dozens of states and the Federal Government itself continue to execute criminals for certain crimes. Laurie Taylor talks to David Garland about his investigation into the US death penalty and how America has become a peculiar exception in a world which is moving towards abolition. They are joined by former Director of Public Prosecutions, Ken (Lord) MacDonald. Also on the programme David Whyte presents new research gathered from interviewing undocumented workers in Britain. Seven years on from the tragedy on Morecombe sands, what is the experience of illegal workers in the UK? Producer: Charlie Taylor.

Sexual Intercourse began in I963, according to Philip Larkin's 'Annus Mirabilis'. But what of the dark ages before the sexual revolution? A new study shows them to be not quite as repressed, unfulfilled and pitiable as many have been keen to cast them. In this edition Laurie talks to Kate Fisher and Simon Szreter about their illuminating exploration of intimate life in England between 1918 and 1963, which involved them speaking frankly and in depth to almost a hundred people about their sex lives in the period. Also, Charles Tripp talks about the relationship between Islam and capitalism, and some Muslim societies' reactions to what are seen as the dangers of a rapacious and socially destructive force. Producer: Charlie Taylor.

With a culture which equated health with beauty, Brazil has developed the biggest cosmetic surgery industry in the world. Public clinics often offer classic cosmetic procedures for free and 'La Plastica' is the realisable aim of people who can sometimes not afford the bus fair to make their consultation. How has plastic surgery become such an important part of the Brazilian culture and economy, and why is beauty seen as a 'right' for people who may not have electricity or running water. Laurie talks to Monica Figuero from Newcastle University and Alex Edmonds who's written on this subject. Also on the programme, Alan Dolan on how working class masculine culture in Britain puts men's health at risk. Producer: Charlie Taylor.

Britain and Ireland have always lagged far behind the rest of Western Europe in terms of second home ownership. But, MPs apart, there is a relentless upsurge in people owning more than one residence. In a new report Chris Parks has analysed the effect of the increase of home ownership on British and Irish society and compared it with other parts of the world. He discusses his findings with Susan Smith and Laurie Taylor. Also, Laurie talks to the writer Iain Sinclair about his examination of the culture of the urban cyclist. Producer: Charlie Taylor.

People have often referred to conflicts between the concepts we use to understand the best way to live - ideas like Liberty, Equality, Justice, Democracy. You need to suppress one to achieve the other, and this - the argument goes - proves that they are not universal moral concepts. In his engagingly titled new book, Justice for Hedgehogs, the US philosopher Ronald Dworkin seeks to show that there is no incompatibility between these ideas because they are part of a single unified value, they only appear to conflict because of the way we are looking at them. But how do we ascribe this value with a universal role without recourse to God, or some other metaphysical entity? Laurie discusses the idea with Ronald Dworkin and AC Grayling. Also, shinning up the greasy pole: Bill Jones talks about his essay on how Prime Ministers pick their ministers and how to get ahead in politics. Producer: Charlie Taylor.

Committing crime in West Belfast carries a double jeopardy. As well as the police, there are the paramilitaries to look out for. Between 1973 and 2007 there were two and a half thousand shootings and beatings attributed to republican paramilitaries as punishment attacks. Young people have been 'tarred and feathered', had their legs broken, hundreds have been 'knee-capped' and a few have been 'executed' - i.e. murdered - in response to what they are assumed to have done. For three years at the height of this practice Heather Hamill lived and worked in the Catholic Community of West Belfast to research the pseudo-judicial process administered by the IRA. As punishment attacks are growing again, this time at the hands of dissident republican groups, she discusses paramilitary punishment attacks with Laurie and the criminologist Dick Hobbs. Also on the programme today, Hanna Zagefka discusses her report which shows why people give more money to natural disasters like the Asian Tsunami than human ones like the crisis of Darfur. Producer: Charlie Taylor.

Many of our global problems - from climate change to terrorism - require international not local solutions. Yet the world is increasingly fractured by nationalism. The political scientist, David Held, has a new book which explores cosmopolitan values. He tells Laurie Taylor why we should regard ourselves as citizens of the world rather than members of nations. Also, should we take responsibility for our own health, bodies and nutrition? Steven Shapin, Professor of the History of Science, talks about Dietetics - a branch of traditional western medicine which sought to prevent illness rather than find a cure. Originating in the 2nd century it held that good health reflected a virtuous life. This moral approach to the body died out with the advent of modern science but may now be enjoying a revival. Producer: Jayne Egerton.