sociological imagination

New & Noteworthy

This week’s Clippings by Mallory Harrington includes:

• Musa al-Gharbi (Stony Brook University): Argued that the Trump administration’s crackdown on higher education backfired—universities that complied, like Columbia, were punished, prompting others like Harvard to resist instead.

• Madonna Harrington Meyer (Syracuse University): Described how grandparents are increasingly parenting their grandchildren, often sacrificing retirement or taking on debt, despite attempts to set boundaries like “fun days” or fixed schedules.

• Aarushi Bhandari and Parul Bhandari (Davidson College & University of Cambridge): Discussed the Hermès Birkin bag as a symbol of elite status, and how Walmart’s “Wirkin” sparked conversations around wealth, accessibility, and anti-elitist sentiment.

• Rebecca Sandefur (Arizona State University): Highlighted that most civil court users lack legal representation; the system is built for legal professionals, making it inaccessible to the general public despite its importance.

• Michelle Janning (Whitman College): Explained that dishwashing arguments reflect deeper meanings—our home rituals symbolize control, identity, and resistance to automation in increasingly tech-driven domestic spaces.

Our latest Discovery by Anastasia Dulle covers research by Ken Kamoche and Kuok Kei Law on bamboo scaffolders in Hong Kong, and how they navigate dangerous work and social stigma by embracing a macho identity that emphasizes toughness, risk-taking, and informal expertise in a declining and highly scrutinized industry.

From the Archives

Coinciding with holidays like Passover and Easter, spring cleaning used to have a religious significance. Today, spring cleaning is more about practicality. In this article, Sarah Catherine Billups discusses the gendered division of housework and the sociological significance of dust.

Peter Dutton, the leader of Australia’s conservative Liberal Party, has said that he believes in climate change. He was accused of minimizing the issue during a recent political debate. In 2015, Erik Kojola wrote about social science research into climate denial.

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Council on Contemporary Families

• 3Q with Brigid Schulte and Haley Swenson authors of A Glimpse of Stability: The Impact of Pandemic Aid on Families in Poverty with Alicia M. Walker discuss how pandemic-era aid showed that direct, sustained government support can dramatically improve stability and well-being for low-income families, challenging long-held narratives about poverty and personal responsibility.

First Publics

• Apathy to Engagement: Sociology’s Problem-Solving Potential by Johnnie Lotesta, on how teaching public sociology can empower students to counter political apathy by helping them explore social problems, imagine alternatives, and develop real-world solutions grounded in their own experiences.

New & Noteworthy

A dark fascination with the paranormal grips society during this spooky time of year, drawing many into the “cultic milieu,” where interest in beliefs of witchcraft, astrology, and hauntings thrive. These subcultures defy mainstream science and religion, offering alternative answers and forming tight-knit communities on the cultural margins. Read this captivating summary of some sociology on the paranormal’s influence on modern culture in “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered” by Jordyn Wald, Mallory Harrington, and Nicole Schmitgen.

The Washington Post highlighted the struggles of older adults with cognitive impairments or dementia who live alone in the U.S., with Professor Elena Portacolone of UCSF explaining how many lack family caregivers, making them an “invisible population” at risk in the healthcare system. In The New York Review, Matthew Desmond of Princeton University discussed urgent housing crisis solutions for the next U.S. administration, urging relief programs for the homeless, restoration of deteriorating housing, zoning reform, and new construction.  Arts Hub and University of Sydney News covered research by Sanné Mestrom and Indigo Willing, revealing how skatable public art structures can foster urban play and inclusivity. Meanwhile, Ilana M. Horwitz of Tulane University explored Jewish Americans’ varied support for the Black Lives Matter movement, as different affiliations influence their views on race and justice, reported in the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Lastly, Yale News reported on Ángel Escamilla García‘s study on young Central American migrants’ strategies to minimize deportation risk, as they navigate U.S. immigration laws with help from migrant shelters, social media, and fellow migrants. See our weekly Clippings here.

Interest in alternative approaches to justice grows as the limitations of traditional punishment become more apparent, especially for minoritized communities. Restorative Justice (RJ) offers a transformative way to address harm by focusing on healing, accountability, and community cohesion, rather than punishment through fines and incarceration. Evidence shows RJ reduces recidivism, lowers costs, and provides greater satisfaction for victims, with successful adoption in over 80 countries. Discover how RJ is reshaping justice globally in our new ‘There’s Research on That’, “Restorative Justice” by me.

From the Archives

Millions of Americans have already participated in the 2024 election by casting their ballots either by mail or through early in-person voting. This 2012 Sociological Images article by Gwen Sharp discusses how early and absentee voting options have changed the traditional focus on Election Day in the U.S.

Feeling stressed out by the state of the world and the upcoming election? You’re not alone: research shows that many people are trying to avoid the news. Check out this summary of social science research on news avoidance, written by Nick Mathews.

Earlier this week the Department of Transportation fined American Airlines $50 million for repeated violations of laws protecting the rights and safety of passengers with disabilities. The DOT’s investigation found that American Airlines was responsible for the mishandling and damage of thousands of wheelchairs over the past four years, as well as cases where passengers with disabilities were mistreated. Read this Sociological Images 2015 piece by Lisa Wade on accessibility and the ADA.

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Contexts:

• career choices at a crossroads by Joyce Kim covers her research on how many first-generation, low-income students at elite universities, face pressures to “sell out” by pursuing high-paying jobs in finance, consulting, and tech to support their families, despite ethical or personal concerns. Redefining post-graduation success means supporting these students in finding career paths aligned with their values, not just high salaries.

Council on Contemporary Families:

• Alicia Walker interviews Emily K. Carian on her new book, Good Guys, Bad Guys: The Perils of Men’s Gender Activism which explores how both feminist men and men’s rights activists engage in gender activism as a way to reconcile their privileged status, though feminist men often prioritize reshaping their own identities over effective activism, inadvertently sustaining gender inequality.

First Publics:

• Engaging Elections: Political responsibility in the classroom covers how Sociology instructors work to balance political responsibility by equipping students with analytical tools for critical thinking and respectful dialogue, all while fostering a supportive learning environment. Check out the recent recording of their webinar here.

“I’ve got a bone to pick with you!”

Such was the rather awkward beginning of a recent conversation I had with a friend in the social sciences—let’s call him “Norbert”—here at the University of Minnesota. Even more disconcerting, it turned out that Norbert (who is not a sociologist by training) was talking about my Editor’s Desk post from a week or so ago, the one trying to specify the distinctive elements of the sociological imagination. It’s not that I minded being challenged—I actually thrive on the thrust and parry of intellectual discussion and debate. It was more that I didn’t see it coming. Aside from a little kerfuffle about wholism and holism, the post had circulated fairly widely and had generated a number of complementary comments and supportive emails. more...

This week, on The Editors’ Desk*, Doug Hartmann enumerated and tried to define** six elements of the sociological worldview. Elsewhere on The Society Pages, our many contributors worked to demonstrate that worldview—enjoy!

*That’s right: we all share one desk. It’s adorable. Possibly even adorkable.

**See what I did there? The man never met a conjunction he didn’t like. more...

Bringing sociology to broader public visibility and influence is perhaps our biggest and most basic goal here at TSP, reflecting our overarching belief that sociological research and insight is crucial to making and maintaining a good society… and that it’s often missing from media coverage and commentary, political discourse, and public awareness. To that end, one of our chief tasks is to identify, sometimes repackage, and do everything we can to disseminate the scholarly social science that is of most interest, import, and relevance to the public. We also do our best—through our Citings & Sightings—to highlight sociologists and sociology when they appear in the mainstream media.

But we are also interested in expanding sociological knowledge and understanding wherever and whenever we find it, even if its authors don’t even call what they are doing “sociology.” This is what you might call “found” sociology. more...