Welcome back! This week on TSP you can find social science research on xenophobia’s connection to whites’ attitudes about punishment, why people often overlook lies told by political figures, and a post about the sociology of horror films.

There’s Research on That!:

Defining “Genocide” and The Power of Labels,” by Brooke Chambers. In light of recent debates about whether or not to call the Burmese state’s violence against the Rohingya “genocide,” we rounded up social science research on the meaning, use, and consequences of labels like genocide.

Discoveries:

Xenophobia and Punitive Attitudes,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. New research in The Sociological Quarterly finds that xenophobia may be a strong predictor of whether whites support punitiveness in the criminal justice system.

Avoidance and Activism in Response to Policing,” by Ryan Larson. New research in Socius finds that some individuals avoid formal institutions like hospitals after an arrest while others take up activism.

Clippings:

When Lies are Truth,” by Jean Marie MaierVox uses research from from Oliver HahlMinjae Kim, and Ezra Zuckerman-Sivan to explain why Kavanaugh supporters appeared unfazed by potentially false claims he made during his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Afros and the Branding of Racial Justice,” by Lucas LynchA recent article in The Atlantic by Saida Grundy documents how modern uses of the Afro can both further social resistance and reduce the hairstyle to a mere commodity.

From Our Partners:

Sociological Images:

Horror Films Are Our Collective Nightmares,” by Marshall Smith and Laura Patterson.

Contexts:

Parenting Without Papers,”by Chandra Reyna.

Council on Contemporary Families:

Cohabitation and Divorce: The Importance of Accounting for Age at Coresidence,” by Arielle Kuperberg.

And a Few from the Community Pages:

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