Don’t Call it a Comeback

You know, come to think of it, I’m sure I’ve used that title before somewhere on the site. But you know what? I haven’t used it enough. So there.

Hrm. After skipping last week, I’ve got a lot to round up, so let’s just go with that. In the meantime, know that we’ve been putting the finishing touches on the second of our TSP readers with W.W. Norton & Co., Crime and the Punished, which is now slated for a fall release. If you look closely in the picture at right, you can see three of our cover images coming into focus (they’re not finalized, but they’re looking sharp).

Until then, feast your eyes on this!

In Case You Missed It:

Since we’re talking (white) trash this week, don’t forget to read up on rebel rock and Southern masculinity with Jason Eastman—worth it for the music videos, alone! “Southern Culture on the Skids.”

Special Feature:

“White Trash: The Social Origins of a Stigmatype,” by Matt Wray. In which we learn there’s been “white trash” since the 1820s and their compulsory sterilization has only recently been retired.

Editors’ Desk:

“Social Facts and Conspiracy Theories,” by Doug Hartmann. Conspiracy theories are worth our attention, no matter how loony they may seem.

“Kieran Healy on Paul Revere and Social Networke Analysis,” by Chris Uggen. Slate, sociology, and metadata come together on ye olde Ynternette.

“Race: 50 Years Ago, Today,” by Doug Hartmann. Medgar Evers, JFK, and a look at 50 years of… progress?

Citings & Sightings:

“National Numbers and North Dakota,” by Andrew Wiebe. My homeland continues to be the odd duck.

“Class and Climate in China,” by Andrew Wiebe. Where smog isn’t really a #firstworldproblem.

Teaching TSP:

“First Day of Class Activities 2,” by Kia Heise. Kia adds to Hollie’s first-day ice-breakers, sociology style.

“Evil Men,” by Hollie Nyseth Brehm. How to use a podcast about war criminals in the classroom.

A Few from the Community Pages:

• Public Criminology. Sesame Street and a growing problem: kids with incarcerated parents.
• Girl w/ Pen. Disability and feminism, discovering motherhood, Girl Rising, and the gendered financial literacy gap.
• Sociological Images: Fun with contrasts! PBS on the Psychology of Wealth and Kara McGhee on Poverty in Suburbia. Also be sure to check out Vulture’s graphics on the aging of Hollywood’s leading men, a powerful remembrance of the death of Vincent Chin, and professors in a precarious position.

Scholars Strategy Network:

“How the Heritage Foundation Uses Strange Math and Flawed Logic to Inflate the Cost of Immigration Reform,” by Richard Alba. Distorting numbers, distorting opinions.

“How Lives Can Be Saved By Stressing Employer Verification Instead of Border Barriers for Immigration Enforcement,” by David FitzGerald. Militarized border crossings are ungodly expensive, in human and monetary terms.

“Why Does Immigration Arouse Deep Feelings and Conflicts?” by John D. Skrentny. Immigrants keep inflation in check, increase community security, and, umm, founded the country. Why are they so contentious in the U.S.?

“Immigration Reform and the Contentious Issue of Extra Visas for Science and Technology Workers,” by John D. Skrentny. Who counts as a “scientist”? The sticky issue of STEM Visas.