New & Noteworthy

This week’s Clippings includes: Zeynep Tufekci comments on the Trump administration’s NIH funding cuts, warning they endanger America’s biomedical research infrastructure. Elizabeth Bruch and Amie Gordon launched Revel, a University of Michigan dating app that doubles as a research tool to study relationship dynamics. Meanwhile, Ruby Lai examined Hong Kong’s subdivided flats, Musa Al-Gharbi commented on corporate responses to anti-D.E.I. efforts, and scholars mourn the passing of Michael Burawoy.

Accents are Seen and Heard by Eleanor Nickel writes up work by Ethan Kutlu, who found that visual racial cues influence how listeners perceive accentedness, with participants more likely to rate speech as accented when shown an image of a South Asian woman, regardless of the actual accent. This research highlights how racial biases shape not just visual judgments but also auditory perception.

From the Archives

As of February 11th, 2025, 27 religious groups are suing the Trump administration over mandates allowing ICE agents into sensitive locations like places of worship. This 2018 Contexts piece by Genesis Torres and Kim Ebert highlights how institutions manage immigration control, claiming increased security while immigrants face extreme threats.

On January 8th, thousands protested in Union Square against Trump’s order to withhold federal funding from hospitals providing gender-affirming care. A similar protest in 2017 opposed his policies on women, immigrants, and marginalized groups. Read this 2017 piece by Jacqui Frost to explore how gender shapes protest and the vital roles activists play in social movements.

Last week, Pope Francis condemned Trump’s mass deportation plans, citing biblical calls to “welcome the stranger” and opposing JD Vance’s use of Catholic theology. This 2015 piece by Jack Delehanty explores divisions in the U.S. Catholic Church on social justice.

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Contexts

• michael burawoy: an absolute gem by Marcel Paret honors Michael Burawoy, a groundbreaking Marxist sociologist and passionate advocate for social justice, passed away early this February, leaving behind a legacy of transformative scholarship and mentorship.
• 23 and we? by Parker Muzzerall write up research by Amina Zarrugh and Luis Romero, who studied 568 YouTube videos to see how genetic ancestry tests affect people’s ideas about race. They found that many test users define race by DNA percentages instead of culture or history, which may bring back traditional ideas about race based on bloodlines.

Council on Contemporary Families

• How Incarceration Exposure Affected Pregnant Women During the COVID-19 Pandemic, by Alexander Testa and colleagues, used data from the 2020 PRAMS survey and found that women with incarceration exposure experienced nearly twice as many pandemic-related stressors as their peers, including food insecurity, homelessness, and domestic violence.

Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies

• Revisited Realities of Nuclear Violence in Silent Fallout: Baby Teeth Speak by Sarah Humiko Lam on the 1960s, the Baby Tooth Survey measuring exposed radioactive contamination in children, leading to the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty.

New & Noteworthy

This week’s Clippings by Mallory Harrington includes Raka Ray and Geoffrey Pleyers’ reflections on the passing of Michael Burawoy, a towering figure in public sociology whose work shaped labor studies, ethnographic methods, and the discipline as a whole. Max Besbris commented on the rapid rebuilding of the Palisades after California’s wildfires, noting that wealthy residents will dictate the terms of recovery; Aldon Morris and Harry Edwards weighed in on the state of the U.S. under the Trump administration, warning of potential unrest; Ulrike Bialas discussed the crisis of young, homeless migrants in Paris; and George Kassar applied Norbert Elias’ theories on the “civilizing process” to digital norms and Netiquette.

This summary of pieces by us and our partners by me explores the Super Bowl’s cultural significance, covering topics like politics in sports, racial disparities in NFL coaching, the concussion crisis, nationalism in football, sexism in fandom, the 2016 Take a Knee movement, masculinity in commercials, corporate influence in ads, and Super Bowl consumer habits.

I also published a new Discovery from research by Sarah Lageson and Robert Stewart on the inaccuracy of private background checks, revealing widespread false negatives and positives that impact employment, housing, and education, while calling for stronger regulation and privacy protections.

From the Archives

Trump recently signed an order, to go in effect immediately, that bans transgender women from competing in female sports, specifically targeting the 2028 Olympic Games to be held in Los Angeles by denying Visas for transgender athletes. This Special Feature from 2023 by Chris Knoester highlights how the anti-trans movement in sports focus on reinvigorating sex and gender binaries, often conflating the two, while also obscuring the need for higher support for womens’ and girls’ sports.

On Wednesday, the CDC released a new report about U.S. maternal mortality. They found that pregnancy-related deaths declined for every race or ethnic group tracked in the report except Black women. In this 2019 piece summarizing research on the topic, Amy August and De Andre’ Beadle discuss how Black Americans, especially women, experience worse health outcomes than white Americans, and Black women are over three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes.

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Contexts

• whose parents are paying? by elena g. van stee highlights new research by Kimberly Goyette and colleagues on college spending, showing that Asian American parents—particularly recent immigrants—pay more for their children’s education than White parents, despite lower average incomes, with spending differences disappearing by the third generation.
• status consistency wanted by sophie x. liu on research by Christopher Marquis, András Tilcsik, and Ying Zhang covering status consistency in hiring, showing that applicants with both elite education and attractiveness are favored for high-status jobs, while those with mismatched traits face disadvantages, highlighting new dimensions of inequality in labor markets.
• the wages of digital emotional labor by sophie x. liu writes up research by Paulina d.C. Inara Rodis on how racialized women navigate online spaces, showing that despite advocating against racism and sexism, they often refrain from responding due to the emotional toll and heightened visibility, highlighting the burden of “digital emotional labor.”
• is authentic dating possible? by giora ashkenazi, highlighting an analysis of AI in dating, arguing that authenticity has always been a social performance shaped by symbolic interaction, and suggesting that meaningful connections can emerge by expanding our comfort with vulnerability in digital and real-world interactions.

Council on Contemporary Families

• Beyond “Good” Sex: Unlocking the Secrets to “Great” Sex by Alicia M. Walker on what makes sex truly great, highlighting the importance of sexual skills, responsiveness, and mindfulness in fostering deeper intimacy, mutual connection, and greater satisfaction beyond physical techniques.

New & Noteworthy

This week’s Clippings by Mallory Harrington includes Swiss sociologist and mental health advocate Jennifer Walter’s Threads post on the Trump administration’s “shock doctrine” to cognitively overwhelm citizens; Tonika Lewis Johnson and Maria Krysan’s new book, Don’t Go: Stories of Segregation and How to Disrupt It, highlighting how warnings to avoid Chicago’s South and West sides reinforce harmful segregation; Ardeshir Geravand’s caution that Iran’s soaring inflation may foment social unrest if citizens’ legitimate paths to economic mobility remain blocked; and Jamie Lee Kucinskas’s forthcoming The Loyalty Trap: Conflicting Loyalties of Civil Servants Under Increasing Autocracy, on the challenges American civil servants faced during Trump’s first term.

Our latest podcast episode includes TSP Board members Jordyn Wald, Emma Goldstein, and Forrest Lovette discussing Tressie McMillan Cottom recent opinion piece in The New York Times on “Dry January”, or avoiding drinking alcohol during the month of January.

Francesca Bernardino‘s new piece, Listening to Music (and Being Tracked) In the Streaming Age, writes on research by Michael James Walsh in Media, Culture & Society, covering how music streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music blur the line between personal listening habits and public identity. These social media-like elements heighten self-consciousness and spotlight the burden of constant data collection.

From the Archives

According to a recent NYT article, 33% of 8th graders read at a “below basic” level according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. COVID-19 and the move to online classes (which has been associated with absenteeism) has been one suggested source of the decline, as well as the increased shift of reading on devices. Check out this Discovery from 2022 on how virtual schooling had (and has) impacts beyond the classroom.

President Trump signed an executive order directing the Education Department to prioritize funding school choice programs and making alternative schooling more accessible to families. This TROT from 2019 reviews research on school choice and public education, showing that school choice can reinforce inequality.

The Super Bowl is this weekend. Check out this list of some sociology pieces by us and our partners before the big game.

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Contexts

• shedding the wealth by Colter J. Uscola covers research by Julian Posada on Venezuelan gig workers losing earnings to costly intermediaries and volatile crypto transactions.
• intergenerational costs also by Colter J. Uscola summarizes research by Veronica L. Horowitz, Ryan Larson, Robert Stewart, and Christopher Uggen on how monetary sanctions extend beyond individuals, leaving intergenerational stigma and financial strain on disadvantaged families.
• a woman walks into a brothel… by Parker Muzzerall writes up Eileen Tsang‘s research on women who purchase sex from male workers, seeking intimacy, pleasure, and gender role reversal—challenging traditional views of commercial sex.

Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies

• Musk for Forgetting, against Democracy by Joachim Savelsberg unpacks Elon Musk’s support for Germany’s far-right AfD and the recent 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

Council on Contemporary Families

• Cherished Family Possessions, Celebrity, and News Coverage of the Los Angeles Fires by Michelle Janning writes on the LA fires shattering, the city’s mythical image, highlighting the deep cultural significance of home, possessions, and family narratives—even as celebrity losses blurred lines between relatability and privilege.

First Publics

• Creating Space for Constructive Conflict in Teaching Theory by Tess E. Starman writes on her experiences teaching sociological theory at a conservative-leaning Catholic university through embracing disagreement, power-sharing, and critical engagement by actively applying theory to real-world social issues.

New & Noteworthy

Our latest Clippings by Mallory Harrington covers sociology making headlines, including Tressie McMillan Cottom‘s critique of the moral politics surrounding “Dry January”; Brooke Harrington’s analysis of the antidemocratic ambitions of tech “broligarchs” on The Daily Show; Joan Donovan’s insights into the evolving role of political disinformation in Trump’s campaigns and the broader internet landscape; Volodymyr Paniotto’s examination of Ukraine’s shifting social dynamics and demographic crisis amid the ongoing war; Hannah Wohl and Lindsey Cameron’s exploration of the illusory autonomy of gig economy workers in industries like ride-sharing and adult content; and Zeynep Tufekci’s incisive critique of Mark Zuckerberg’s approach to hate speech moderation and the monetization of divisive content on Meta platforms.

From the Archives

President Trump has pulled back directives that bar Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol from arresting people who are suspected of being undocumented in previously “sensitive” areas that include schools, churches, courthouses, hospitals, and others. Check out our recent Discovery by Leonardo LaBarre, Undocumented Driving, Threats of Deportation, & Childhood Trauma, which covers research about the ripple effect of these immigration policies on children.

On Sunday, February 2, the Grammys will be awarded to US musicians. Read another recent piece, The Making of a #1 Song by S Ericson, from last year if you want to know more about how music charts are calculated in the US.

Backstage with TSP

The TSP board met for our first time for Spring Semester. This semester we are going full steam ahead on some new TROTs, summarizing social science research on a variety of topics.

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Contexts

• rural rainbows by Sophie X. Liu covers a study in the Canadian Review of Sociology, showing that mental health outcomes among LGB Canadians vary across urban and rural contexts, and is influenced by gender and partnership status. While partnered gay men in rural areas report the highest levels of mental well-being, bisexual individuals—especially women—consistently face significant mental health disadvantages, highlighting the need for supportive rural environments.
• youth migrants and long-delayed family reunification by Daniel Jenks and Ernesto Castañeda summarize their new book, Reunited. It challenges the media’s portrayal of unaccompanied minors from Central America, revealing their journeys as family-driven efforts to reunite amid long separations and rising violence, highlighting the visible struggles at the border and the often-invisible challenges of reintegration.

Council on Contemporary Families

• Finding a Home During the Affordable Housing Crisis by Steven Schmidt covers his research in the American Sociological Review, highlighting how low-income renters in Los Angeles rely on social ties to navigate the challenges of unaffordable housing, using support from friends and family to secure leases, cover deposits, and find temporary housing. However, racial disparities in the financial resources available through these networks widen housing inequalities, with white renters often accessing better options and outcomes compared to Latina/o renters.

Engaging Sports

• The Olympification of Kinesiology: Highlighting Troubling Trends and Emphasizing Hope by Parissa Safai, Alixandra Krahn, and Yuka Nakamura critiques the narrowing focus of kinesiology programs, likening their emphasis on optimizing performance and producing “work-ready” graduates to the Olympic motto of “faster, higher, stronger.” The authors argue for a broader approach that integrates sociological awareness, collective action, and community engagement, ensuring kinesiology fosters thought leaders equipped to address social inequalities and promote solidarity.

New & Noteworthy

I Hate the Elite…Sometimes, by S Ericson from Yuchen Luo’s study, explores how Trump’s presidency altered populist views among his supporters. Luo’s research reveals that many Trump voters, feeling represented by him, became less populist between 2016 and 2020, though their attitudes toward elite groups largely remained unchanged. Will Trump’s second term follow suit?

From the Archives

Historical snow falls hit the Southern United States and fires still rage in California, bringing climate change back (again) into public discussions. This Roundtable piece from 2016 covers the “climate” at the time, for Climate change. Highlighting stark differences in climate policies from nearly 10 years ago, and its connection to social inequalities and environmental justice movements, this piece again brings into question if 2024 will be more of the same.

Pardons and commutations are also a frequently discussed topic. Read Pardons, Commutations, and the Distribution of Clemency by Ryan Larson and Veronica Horowitz to gain some historical context.

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Council on Contemporary Families

• 3Q with Demie Kurz Letting Go: Parenting Teens and Young Adults in a Time of Uncertainty with Alicia M. Walker and Demie Kurz, discusses Kurz’s new book Letting Go explores the challenges of parenting teens and young adults, emphasizing the need for balancing control and independence, and advocating for policies to support resource-strapped families.

New & Noteworthy

Gender, Cultural Change, and the Catholic Church, adapted by Jordyn Wald from work by Christine Delp, examines the evolving role of women in the Catholic Church amidst cultural shifts. The article highlights Pope Francis’s 2024 synod, which, while falling short of ordaining women as deacons sparked ongoing debates about gender roles.

From the Archives

Stunning Embers by Jenny Davis brings us back to 2019-2020 for the Australian fires. This piece highlights a unique response to “disaster tourism,” where emergency services not only closed roads to prevent unnecessary risks but also leveraged social media to control the narrative and discourage unsafe behaviors.

The Missing Story behind the Coverage of the Trump Inauguration: Class by Sarah Diefendorf and Emily Kalah Gade argues that disparities in attendance between Trump’s 2017 inauguration and the Women’s March reflect how class, race, and cultural capital shape political mobilization. Their analysis may prove relevant in the coming weeks as Trump’s 2024 inauguration approaches.

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Contexts

• Crossing the cultural line by Parker Muzzerall covers a study by Abraham Oshotse, Yael Berda, and Amir Goldberg, revealing that cultural appropriation is a highly contextual process, with acts perceived as most offensive when they devalue or exploit a disadvantaged culture.
• The gender of inheritance: the curious case of the early 20th-century dallas elite by Shay O’Brien covers her research of wealthy Dallas elites from 1895 to 1945. A surprising pattern in inheritance practices emerged, with women inherited significantly more wealth than men, reflecting a gendered safety net approach prioritizing the financial stability of vulnerable female kin, though men inherited assets geared toward accumulation and control.

Council on Contemporary Families

• What’s Missing in Sex and Relationship Education for Sexual Minority Men? by James Newton writes up his research highlighting the inadequacy of traditional sex and relationship education for sexual minority men — revealing that schools, families, and even modern sources like social media fail to fully address their unique needs. The findings emphasize the urgent need for inclusive programs that teach relationship skills, intimacy, consent, and HIV prevention in ways that resonate with diverse sexual orientations.

New & Noteworthy

How Partisan Moral Flexibility Shapes Beliefs in American Politics by Anastasia Dulle writes about research by Minjae Kim and colleagues who examined how Americans evaluate truth in political statements in their study in the American Journal of Sociology. Using online surveys, the researchers found that voters across the political spectrum often support factually false statements from politicians of their own party, even after being informed of their inaccuracy.

How the American Rescue Plan Transformed Child Poverty in the U.S. by Leo LaBarre covers research by  Zachary Parolin and Stefano Filauro in Demography lookings at the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021, which temporarily increased economic support for families. They found that the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) decreased from 9.7% in 2020 to 5.2% in 2021, making the child poverty rate the lowest ever recorded in US history. 

From the Archives

Attacks on Sociology in Higher Education continue in the United States and across the globe. Check out ‘Sociological Gobbledygook’ and Public Distrust of Social Science Experts by Isabel Arriagada writes about the current public distrust of social science, rooted in perceptions of intellectual elitism and hidden biases, challenges researchers to bridge gaps by engaging more visibly in the public sphere to rebuild credibility and trust.

Backstage with TSP

TSP board member Leo LaBarre has graduated (see above pic)! Congratulations Leo – we will miss you!

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Contexts

• parenting gender, from left to right by Elena G. Van Stee highlights Mallory Rees and Abigail Saguy‘s study, revealing surprising points of agreement, including shared beliefs in gender as an innate attribute and evolving perspectives on children’s gender expression.

Council on Contemporary Families

• Highlights from the 2024 CCF Workshop include the low-down of CCF’s “Families in Perilous Times: A Policy and Public Scholarship Workshop” from October in Baltimore. Check out the recordings here.

First Publics

• Embracing AI in the Sociological Classroom by JoAnna Boudreaux and Kendra Murphy call for instructors in Sociology to lean into the use of generative AI in the classroom – but thoughtfully and intentionally.

New & Noteworthy

How Negative Feedback Impacts Women’s Political Participation Online by Dylan DiGiacomo-Stumm covers research by Zhaodi Chen and Junghun Han. They examined how negative feedback affects women’s participation in online political discussions using survey experiments. The study finds that while “dislikes” do not deter women, the risk of post deletion significantly reduces their willingness to engage. For men, neither form of feedback has a notable effect, highlighting how platform design can unintentionally silence women’s voices in digital spaces.

Backstage with TSP

The TSP crew wrapped up 2024 with a Pickleball party! We celebrated the many successes this year and handed out awards to board members for their notable accomplishments. Keep an eye out over the next month for our “best of 2024” series for the top pieces on X, Facebook, and BlueSky.

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Contexts

• lead with your heart: a q&a with dr. alondra nelson with Amin Ghaziani highlights a conversation with Dr. Alondra Nelson, the Harold F. Linder Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study and former Acting Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Nelson discusses her path from academia to policymaking, the importance of translating sociological research for public impact, and her advice on leading with clarity and heart in public-facing scholarship.

Council on Contemporary Families

• Caregivers’ Support for Federal Work-Family Policies by Carolyn E Waldrep explores why popular work-family policies—like paid family leave and childcare subsidies—have yet to gain federal support. In interviews with over 100 caregivers, Waldrep found strong bipartisan backing for these policies, especially after the pandemic. Caregivers emphasized governmental responsibility, fair tradeoffs for workers’ labor, and successful comparisons to state and international models. However, concerns about government mandates, policy misuse, small business impact, and increased taxes persist. The findings highlight both the urgent need for well-crafted policies and the mistrust that policymakers must address to move forward.

New & Noteworthy

This week’s Clippings via Mallory Harrington highlights recent sociological insights, including Arlie Russell Hochschild’s exploration of political divides in Stolen Pride: Loss, Shame, and the Rise of the Right, Gi-Wook Shin’s analysis of South Korea’s political instability following President Yoon’s martial law declaration in All Things Considered, Allison Pugh’s examination of AI’s impact on human connection in  The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected World, Musa Al-Gharbi’s critique of social justice discourse in We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite, and Danielle Lindemann’s take on how reality TV reflects societal inequalities.

From the Archives

As 2024 comes to a close, many magazines and publications are sharing their picks for this year’s best books. Whether you’re looking forward to some holiday downtime or are starting to plan your 2025 reading list, be sure to check out this selection of must-read sociology books that our Board published earlier this year.

Public outcry against Joe Biden’s hypocrisy in pardoning Hunter Biden after repeatedly claiming he would not do so throughout his presidency brings forth a number of considerations; first, this New York Mag article highlights how Biden could potentially commute the sentences of 40 men on federal death row, yet chose to use the remainder of his time in office pardoning his son. This 2021 piece provides a rundown on the sociological significance of scandals and the role that media, public morality, and social identities like race and gender contribute to how we experience scandals socially.

Recently Brian Thompson, CEO of United Healthcare, was killed outside of his Hotel in New York. While the motives are still unknown, this news has raised many questions about the ethics of profiting off of health care. This 2014 article from Sociological Images reflects on health care as a 2.7 trillion dollar industry in America.

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Contexts

• from carbon paper to code: crafting sociology in an age of ai by Corey Abramson on repurposing evolving technologies like AI for deeper social insights while reflecting on the enduring lessons of critical, engaged methodologies from thinkers like C. Wright Mills and W.E.B. Du Bois.

Council on Contemporary Families

• Racial Wealth Inequality Emerges in Young Adulthood by Ellen Bryer and Alexander Adames write about racial wealth gaps, emeringe in young adulthood, driven by disparities in financial assets rather than debt, and how addressing these gaps will require multifaceted solutions such as student debt cancellation, raising the minimum wage, and implementing baby bonds.
• The educational costs of teen births by Joseph D. Wolfe and Mieke Beth Thomeer cover their research on how educational costs of teen births have grown over time, especially for women from advantaged backgrounds, as structural and socioeconomic factors increasingly shape the opportunity costs and life outcomes tied to adolescent childbearing.

New & Noteworthy

Wealth Gaps at the Extremes for Baby Boomers and Millennials by Shania Kuo covers research in the American Journal of Sociology. It examines how Millennials and Baby Boomers compare in wealth trajectories. Using US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the study reveals that while Boomers had higher homeownership and less debt in their 20s and 30s, the wealthiest Millennials have surpassed Boomers in overall wealth, highlighting stark disparities between the financial extremes of both generations.

From the Archives

Google may have to sell some of its properties in the coming months. Modern ‘monopolies’ look quite different than their historical counterparts, but big tech’s evolution (or devolution) of control has been considered for decades. Check out Sociological Image‘s repost of The Growth Of Monopoly Power by Marty Hart-Landsberg.

This week, NFL rookie Brock Bowers and UMNST player Christian Pulisic did the “Trump Dance” after scoring in their respective games. Just last month, NFL player Nick Bosa crashed a post game interview to show off his MAGA hat. In this 2019 article from Engaging Sports, Chaplin and Montez de Oca share their research examining how people interpreted Colin Kaepernick’s 2016 protests against racial injustice during the national anthem. They argue that patriotism has been weaponized to discredit anti-racist protests, diverting attention from systemic injustices and reinforcing white privilege in sports.

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Engaging Sports:

• 50 Years of Rubik’s Cube: Speedcubing and a More Inclusive Society by Jan Hammer, Jan Tore Skjørshammer, and Trond Kyrre Simensen on the speedcubing community and how it exemplifies inclusion, joy, and mutual support, offering a model for fostering well-being and connection in both sports and society.
• Celtic Football Supporters in Scotland: Flying the Flag for Palestinians but not Against Jews by Joseph Bradley on Celtic FC supporters’ decades-long practice of flying Palestinian flags, rooted in anti-oppression activism, while also distinguishing criticism of Israel from antisemitism.

Center for Holocaust & Genocide Studies:

• Understanding Thursday’s ICC Warrants with Melanie O’Brien, covering the ICC warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders, marking a pivotal moment in international justice as investigations into war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Gaza continue.