Professor of Sociology at AUT University in the Department of Social Sciences, having previously been Chair of Sociology at the University of Natal, Durban. Earlier postings included periods in the Departments of Sociology, Victoria University of Wellington and the Ministry of Works and Development. His interests lie particularly in the theory of social structure, its history and the sociology of its production, and its applicability in the analysis of settler societies, such as New Zealand and South Africa. Applied social research is a particular interest: especially trying to usefully deploy official statistics (eg census, government department operational data) and secondary analysis of survey data-sets. Related writing is on Robert K Merton and recent trends in sociology, including its traditions. Charles is on AUT's Doctoral Studies Board, the Faculty of Applied Humanities's PostGraduate Board of Studies and IPP's Postgraduate Committee.