This episode we talk with Robert Sampson about his new book, Great American City: Chicago and the Enduring Neighborhood Effect. In the face of globalization and the widespread belief that the “world is flat,” Sampson shows how the world is actually very uneven, and that local communities make a great difference in how people live their lives across a wide range of phenomenon, from homicide and child health, to leadership networks, teenage pregnancy, altruism, and home foreclosures.
geography
This week we talk with Elijah Anderson, author of The Cosmopolitan Canopy: Race and Civility in Everyday Life. With urban ethnographies like Streetwise, A Place on the Corner, and Code of the Street, Anderson has captured the racial micropolitics that occurs in everyday urban life, highlighting the subtle rules and norms that guide interaction between whites, African Americans, and members of other ethnic groups. In his new book, Anderson returns to familiar territory, though this time he calls attention to parts of the city where more inclusive street behaviors are taking form. “Cosmopolitan canopies” are unique urban spaces that have a street culture that celebrates civility and mutual respect for difference, and Anderson argues they contribute to a broader cultural acceptance around race and diversity.
Sorry, we had to remove this episode. Watch this post for a replacement in the future.
This week we talk about meth, Iowa and the dystopia of modern young adulthood, with Maria Kefalas from St. Joseph’s University.
Our discussion is centered on Dr. Kefala’s recent book review in Contexts on Nick Redding’s Methland: the Life and Death of an America Small Town. Because the content of Redding’s book pairs well with Kefala’s own fieldwork in Iowa, we discuss the premise that social problems like the use of meth in rural America are really the “symptoms” of the gradual decline these communities have been experiencing in the wake of de-industrialization. Moreover, while issues of crime and drugs tend to be understood as urban issues, Kefalas argues that rural America is experiencing its own decline in term of the opportunities it can offer young people. We conclude with Kefala’s suggestion that we “re-imagine” young adulthood and the types of educational and training opportunities made available to young people in the new global economy.
We also discuss our latest podcast, New Books in Sociology, a joint venture between us here at The Society Pages and the New Books Network.
This episode features not one, but two special guests. First, Sarah visits with Vincent J. Roscigno about his Winter 2010 feature Ageism in the American Workplace. Second, Sarah talks with John Rowe, chair of the MacArthur Research Network on Aging. The MacArthur Network has authored two recent articles in Contexts: Facts and Fictions about an Aging America and the followup, Policy and Politics for an Aging America.
Be sure to check out both of these features in Aging in Contexts, a collection of Contexts features on aging. From now until March 15, the full collection will be available for free to read online and to download as a free ebook. Check it out & spread the word!
Also in this episode: Arturo shares an article about cities and self-efficacy.
This week we talk with Elijah Anderson, author of The Cosmopolitan Canopy: Race and Civility in Everyday Life. With urban ethnographies like Streetwise, A Place on the Corner, and Code of the Street, Anderson has captured the racial micropolitics that occurs in everyday urban life, highlighting the subtle rules and norms that guide interaction between whites, African Americans, and members of other ethnic groups. In his new book, Anderson returns to familiar territory, though this time he calls attention to parts of the city where more inclusive street behaviors are taking form. “Cosmopolitan canopies” are unique urban spaces that have a street culture that celebrates civility and mutual respect for difference, and Anderson argues they contribute to a broader cultural acceptance around race and diversity.
Sorry, we had to remove this episode. Watch this post for a replacement in the future.
This week we talk about meth, Iowa and the dystopia of modern young adulthood, with Maria Kefalas from St. Joseph’s University.
Our discussion is centered on Dr. Kefala’s recent book review in Contexts on Nick Redding’s Methland: the Life and Death of an America Small Town. Because the content of Redding’s book pairs well with Kefala’s own fieldwork in Iowa, we discuss the premise that social problems like the use of meth in rural America are really the “symptoms” of the gradual decline these communities have been experiencing in the wake of de-industrialization. Moreover, while issues of crime and drugs tend to be understood as urban issues, Kefalas argues that rural America is experiencing its own decline in term of the opportunities it can offer young people. We conclude with Kefala’s suggestion that we “re-imagine” young adulthood and the types of educational and training opportunities made available to young people in the new global economy.
We also discuss our latest podcast, New Books in Sociology, a joint venture between us here at The Society Pages and the New Books Network.
This episode features not one, but two special guests. First, Sarah visits with Vincent J. Roscigno about his Winter 2010 feature Ageism in the American Workplace. Second, Sarah talks with John Rowe, chair of the MacArthur Research Network on Aging. The MacArthur Network has authored two recent articles in Contexts: Facts and Fictions about an Aging America and the followup, Policy and Politics for an Aging America.
Be sure to check out both of these features in Aging in Contexts, a collection of Contexts features on aging. From now until March 15, the full collection will be available for free to read online and to download as a free ebook. Check it out & spread the word!
Also in this episode: Arturo shares an article about cities and self-efficacy.