Reviews
Critical readings of books, research papers and essays.
What authors say
Authors’ responses help us develop the conversation beyond a review. These comments are shared with permission.
“Engaging with a deep critical reading of the article helped me see more clearly where the empirical work needs to go next.”
Oğuz Kaan Pehlivan, author of Autopoiesis and the Limits of Closure in International Law.
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“We also found your broader interpretation of the distinction between support and observable organisational commitments very stimulating and relevant for future research.”
Joana Carneiro Pinto, co-author of The rise of AI in the workplace.
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“We found that it captures our findings and thoughts very well.”
Tracy Zou, co-author with Jodie Chen of Students’ agency in GenAI-mediated group assessment: an ecological-emergent perspective, responding to EdgeLab’s review. Shared with permission.
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Choose a subject and article format, then add a keyword or an author’s name if you wish. Results stay within Research and Scholarship.
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- AI and society — How AI changes learning, work, inquiry and social life.
- Autopoietic ecology — AE concepts and their use across the research programme.
- Education and learning — Teaching, understanding, assessment and inclusion.
- Ethics and governance — Responsibility, fairness, power and accountable decisions.
- Philosophy and consciousness — Mind, experience, process philosophy and systems thinking.
- Knowledge and research — Inquiry, evidence, research practice and knowledge production.
- Organisations and change — Institutions, working practices and lasting change.
- Health, care and wellbeing — Mental health, neurodiversity, care and relationships.
- Political economy and inequality — Work, finance, resources and the distribution of burdens.
- Environment and sustainability — Material dependencies, sustainable practice, repair and reuse.
- Cities and public life — Housing, public space, communities and civic participation.
Understanding the review labels
Research paper reviews discuss studies and theoretical or methodological papers. Book reviews cover books and edited collections. Essay and report reviews engage public scholarship. Essays and explainers develop EdgeLab’s own arguments and research reflections.
Preliminary reading means access to the source was limited. Preprint identifies a manuscript discussed before its peer-reviewed publication was established. Each article explains its source, evidence and limitations; a format category is not a peer-review claim.
Research posts: Reviews
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What makes a group an agent?
We routinely say that a team decided, a queue moved or an organisation responded. The language is convenient. Explaining when the collective itself counts as an agent is harder.
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The work that makes room for urban wildlife
Tags: Autopoietic Ecology · Cities and public life · Environment and sustainability · Organisations and change · ReviewsA city makes room for wildlife through decisions that can look remarkably ordinary: when a surface is cleaned, which part of a building remains accessible, and who pays for work that must be done again next season. These decisions deserve a place…
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What helps mathematics teachers thrive?
Tags: Education and learning · Health, care and wellbeing · Mathematics education · Reviews · TeachingAn EdgeLab review of Julia L. Hill and Gosia Marschall’s research on mathematics teacher wellbeing, professional purpose and working conditions.
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When mental health is negotiated, who gets to set the terms?
Tags: Autopoietic Ecology · Health, care and wellbeing · Knowledge and research · Philosophy and consciousness · ReviewsA conceptual paper links biological, relational and institutional norms in mental health. This critical review asks whether participation can change who has authority to decide.
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AI can help students fit in. Who decides what they must fit into?
New research by Steven Watson, Christian Morgner and Erik Brezovec explores how generative AI reshapes participation, recognition and inclusion in education.
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The platform had not arrived, but the school had already moved
Tags: AI and society · Autopoietic Ecology · Education and learning · Organisations and change · ReviewsA three-year ethnography shows how digital platforms can reorganise schools through anticipation and legitimacy before their effects are settled. A critical review asks when atmosphere becomes explanation—and whether schools preserve the capacity to change course.
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A meaningful coincidence still needs an explanation
Tags: Autopoietic Ecology · Knowledge and research · Meaning mediation · Philosophy and consciousness · ReviewsAngus McCoss explains meaningful coincidence through signs and hidden feedback. The harder question is how to distinguish a causal pathway from a compelling interpretation.
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What does refusing AI make visible?
Tags: AI and society · Ethics and governance · Meaning mediation · Organisations and change · ReviewsFaisal Saeed Malik treats resistance to AI as possible evidence about who can interpret, challenge and reshape computational authority. A critical reading asks what would make that diagnosis reliable.