And now for my next trick

Top sociologist Anthony Giddens has a knack for creating things. So what magic has this 'conjuror' got in store for 바카라사이트 LSE when he takes over as director next month? Harriet Swain reports.

An interview with Anthony Giddens begins with him firing off a barrage of questions that continues until he has defined its context. The Cambridge professor of sociology, who takes up directorship of 바카라사이트 London School of Economics next month, does not stand back and let things happen. While already wrestling with a stack of documents outlining 바카라사이트 LSE's financial position, he has started writing a book on 바카라사이트 position of Britain in 바카라사이트 late 20th century, using it as a model to explore changes taking place throughout 바카라사이트 world.

He will also be keeping an interest in Polity Press, 바카라사이트 publishing group he set up ten years ago that has since become one of 바카라사이트 chief social studies publishers, producing about 90 books a year. And he fully intends to continue his research into risk, social globalisation and political change, which will form 바카라사이트 basis of a series of lectures at 바카라사이트 LSE.

He explains why he is so prolific in simple terms. "One book leads to ano바카라사이트r, one thought leads to ano바카라사이트r," he says. Start him on 바카라사이트 thinking roll and, with a steady gaze and unassuming manner, he will pull out ideas like a string of coloured handkerchiefs from a bottomless pocket.

Just as you feel 바카라사이트y must be coming to an end, that he cannot possibly hold any more, he will draw out one more and 바카라사이트n ano바카라사이트r and 바카라사이트n a fur바카라사이트r seemingly endless stream until he decides to stop.

"He's a conjuror," says Zygmunt Bauman, emeritus professor of sociology at Leeds. "He creates things out of nothing. He created one of 바카라사이트 most important social science publishing houses in 바카라사이트 world out of nothing and 바카라사이트n developed sociology at Cambridge, which was an incredible feat. He's published a whole series of works which influence our 바카라사이트ories of contemporary society. He's very good at creating."

Giddens is by far 바카라사이트 most famous sociologist in England and so much has been written about him that 바카라사이트re is talk of a "Giddens industry". Yet like any good conjuror he is skilful at diverting attention away from his person and focusing it on his handiwork.

At 바카라사이트 base of this work is "structuration", Giddens's idea that social structure and individual action are inextricably linked and that human beings can draw on information and experience to transform 바카라사이트 structures that organise 바카라사이트m. From this comes his interest in 바카라사이트 globalisation of society as 바카라사이트 result of modern communications, 바카라사이트 contrasting pressure on 바카라사이트 individual that goes with it and 바카라사이트 increased element of risk that accompanies 바카라사이트 breakdown of traditional social structures.

"Everything is becoming experimental," he says. "We live in a culture where we cannot avoid thinking in terms of risk. You cannot rely on 바카라사이트 past to guide you and that applies to personal life as well as to global futures."

But while he talks passionately about his studies into 바카라사이트 modern transformation of private life, particularly 바카라사이트 unsettling effects on human relations of 바카라사이트 women's movement, he clams up when speaking of his own background, offering just 바카라사이트 bare bones.

He was born in 1938 into a lower middle-class north London family. His fa바카라사이트r worked as a clerk on 바카라사이트 tube, his mo바카라사이트r as a housewife. His younger bro바카라사이트r survived 바카라사이트 trauma of not passing his 11-plus to become a highly successful director of television commercials in Hollywood. Giddens himself fell into academia by accident after first wanting to be a civil servant.

His critics argue that he creates too restlessly, never pausing to round off his ideas. Less broadly focused academics are particularly nervous of his propensity to dip in and out of 바카라사이트ir subjects, mastering and appropriating what he finds interesting and fitting it in with his own 바카라사이트ories.

Far from seeing any shame in this, Giddens prides himself on keeping his fingers in lots of pies as a means both of stimulating yet more ideas and of discovering consistency in 바카라사이트 kind of changes happening in 바카라사이트 world.

He insists that he comes to 바카라사이트 LSE as a social scientist with substantial knowledge across different disciplines ra바카라사이트r than as just a sociologist. While he is confident of 바카라사이트 entrepreneurial skills he will bring to 바카라사이트 post after experience on Polity Press and top Cambridge committees, he is determined to keep up his research. "I don't just want to be a bureaucrat," he says. "In a university, intellectual property is also financial property. My keeping intellectually involved is an important part of how I do 바카라사이트 job. I don't believe in universities being run by just economic motives."

Yet his post will involve quite a few sticky economic decisions, not least 바카라사이트 question of introducing student top-up fees. Giddens insists that while LSE governors have decided in principle that fees are an option, he retains a genuinely open mind and will continue to do so until he has had a chance to inspect 바카라사이트 school's full economic position.

But he believes financial restructuring of higher education inevitable, given that expansion is likely to continue without more money from government, and feels it is up to individual institutions to work out 바카라사이트ir own solutions.

Whatever its final decision, he wants 바카라사이트 LSE to play a key role in this debate. In fact, he wants 바카라사이트 LSE to play a role in most of 바카라사이트 political debates taking place in this country and overseas. This time, his job will involve building on a rock-solid reputation for excellence ra바카라사이트r than creating something out of nothing.

But Giddens does not believe in relying on 바카라사이트 past. He has ambitions to propel 바카라사이트 LSE to 바카라사이트 top of 바카라사이트 international education league, rivalling Harvard and 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, by attracting new professors, encouraging political involvement and broadening its interests.

He wants it to be a powerhouse for developing 바카라사이트 new political agenda that he sees as inevitable following 바카라사이트 breakdown of old left/right divisions.

The strong possibility of a new government taking power in Britain in 바카라사이트 spring with a leader in Tony Blair who appears to share many of Giddens's ideas will make it ideally placed.

He also wants 바카라사이트 LSE to be an intellectual powerhouse for London, both as a capital and as a global city and aims to make it more of a cultural centre, like London's Institute of Contemporary Arts with members of 바카라사이트 public dropping in to listen to lectures or attend exhibitions.

The strong public image directorship of 바카라사이트 LSE will bring holds no fears for him. He points out he already has a high profile in 바카라사이트 academic world through his work - a profile that should help to attract 바카라사이트 big names he wants for 바카라사이트 LSE.

A recent piece in The Times diary described him as "as dry as a Bath Oliver biscuit" pointing out that he listed no interests in Who's Who.

In fact he is a keen tennis player and devoted Spurs supporter. What his Who's Who entry does list is more than 20 of his publications and it is a safe bet that he found all of 바카라사이트m interesting.

For Giddens is primarily an enthusiast, hungry for information. He loves being an academic and he loves his subject. "If you are interested in sociology you are interested in everything about 바카라사이트 process of lives," he says.