Books by John Holmwood

In 2014 an investigation into an alleged plot to 'Islamify' several state schools in Birmingham began. Known as the 'Trojan Horse' affair, this caused a previously highly successful school to be vilified. Holmwood, an expert witness in the professional misconduct cases brought against the teachers, and O'Toole, who researches the government's counter-extremism agenda, challenge the accepted narrative and draw on the potential parallel with the Hillsborough disaster to suggest a similar false narrative has taken hold of public debate. This important book highlights the major injustice inflicted on the teachers and shows how this affair was used to criticise multiculturalism, and justify the expansion of a broad and intrusive counter extremism agenda.

The work of the sociologist Talcott Parsons is featured in this study. The text investigates the critical responses to his work and aims to contribute to contemporary theoretical arguments. It argues that the very programme of general theory in sociology is mistaken.

The book ranges widely over modern social theory, giving detailed treatments of major sources to identify common themes and deficiencies in apparently disparate schools of thought.