Welcome back to another sociology-packed TSP roundup! This week we’ve got new pieces on the history of race and reproductive control, the addictive qualities of hate, and the dangers of rescinding DACA.

There’s Research on That!:

“Violence and Discrimination against Transgender People,” by Caity Curry and Amber Joy Powell. Social science shows that personal prejudice and institutional discrimination continue to affect the lives of those in the trans community.

“Race and Reproductive Control,” by Allison Nobles and Amber Joy Powell. Sociological research traces the historical links between reproductive control, race, and gender.

Discoveries:

“How Hate Hangs On,” by Evan Stewart. New research in American Sociological Review finds that people can get “addicted to hate,” making it more difficult to leave hate groups.

Clippings:

“Policing in an Era of Surveillance,” by Natalie Alteri. CNN Tech talks to Sarah Brayne about the social side of surveillance technologies.

“The Dangers of Rescinding DACA,” by Caity Curry. In a recent piece for The Globe Post, Stephanie Canizales outlines what the abolishment of DACA could mean for immigrant worker rights.

From Our Partners:

Contexts:

The Summer 2017 issue’s Table of Contents is ready to peruse! See below for one of the first features available online.

“The Closet,” by Amin Ghaziani.

Social Studies MN:

“Heading Home After Hurricanes,” by Sarah Catherine Billups.

And a Few from the Community Pages:

• Families As They Really Are revisits moving from legal to economic equality for LGBT people.
• Engaging Sports talks challenges and advances for female sportscasters.
• Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies interviews Professor Riv-Ellen Prell on the ‘A Campus Divided’ exhibit.
• Sociological Images unpacks how House of Cards represents sex workers and finds asymmetry between the left and right media spheres.

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Looking for sociological perspective on the latest news? Look no further. This week we’ve got a fact sheet on unmarried and single Americans, reflections on the violence in Myanmar, and highlights from recent research on income inequality in college and beyond.

There’s Research on That!:

“Propaganda and Atrocity in Myanmar,” by Brooke Chambers. Research reveals the varied ways that propaganda enables the acceptance of atrocities.

“Asserting Masculinity Through Sports,” by Amber Joy Powell. The recent Mayweather v.s. McGregor boxing match got us thinking about the ways race, masculinity, and sexuality collide in sports culture.

Discoveries:

“College Classes and Class Inequality,” by Jacqui Frost. New research in Social Forces finds that the major you choose has a lot to do with the kind of funding you get.

Clippings:

“The Stigma of Being Rich,” by Brooke Chambers. Rachel Sherman explains why rich New Yorkers attempt to hide their wealth in The New York Times.

From Our Partners:

Council on Contemporary Families:

“Reminder: Marriage is No Longer the Mode,” by Bella DePaulo.

And a Few from the Community Pages:

• Engaging Sports talks golfing with the ladies.
• Cyborgology explores the fine line between fiction and reality.
• Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies explains the dangers of deceptive democracy in Myanmar.
• Sociological Images charts the crime drop and questions the bro hug.

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Whale, hello there! We’ve got some great stuff for you this week, including research on using punk rock to resist Islamophobia, a history of marijuana’s moral entrepreneurs, and reflections on the status of Title IX. Interested? Keep reading!

There’s Research on That!:

“Backtracking on Title IX?” by Evan Stewart. Social science reveals the institutional and cultural forces shaping sexual harassment and gender discrimination policies on campus.

“How Teacher Perceptions Shape Student Experiences,” by Amber Joy Powell.  Sociological studies provide insight into how teacher and school administrator perceptions and disciplinary actions often stem from race, class, and gender stereotypes.

Discoveries:

“Talking Taqwacore: Punk Rock and Resisting Islamophobia,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. New research in Sociology of Race & Ethnicity describes how an emerging genre of punk is forming a panethnic “brown” identity that empowers marginalized youth.

Clippings:

“Gendering Gender-Neutral Occupations,” by Caity Curry. A recent article in The Globe and Mail covers research from Laura Doering and Sarah Thébaud examining how gender-ambiguous occupations become gendered over time.

From Our Partners:

Contexts:

“Viewpoints: Title IX at XLV”

1. Women Want to Coach, by Nicole LaVoi.
2. Title IX at 45, by Cheryl Cooky.
3. Where All Kids Can Compete, by Erin Buzuvis.
4. Union Busting and the Title IX Straw Man, by Ellen J. Staurowsky.

“Marijuana’s Moral Entrepreneurs, Then and Now,” by Mike Vuolo, Joy Kadowaki, and Brian C. Kelly.

“The Politics of Trans Identities,” by Iván Szelény and a response from Rogers Brubaker.

And a Few from the Community Pages:

• Sociological Images breaks down the cost of sexual harassment and charts the dangers Americans face at work.
• Engaging Sports problematizes the “savage” of Savage Race and explains why few cities want to host the Olympics.
• Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies reflects on a teaching a course about Holocaust art.
• Girl w/Pen! explores the world of male baton twirlers.

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Hello all! We’ve got a great line up to kick off the fall semester, with a few thoughts from co-editor Doug Hartmann on the importance of teaching sociology, a second symposium on Charlottesville over at Contexts with a pice from co-editor Chris Uggen, and some great new pieces on law-breaking in-laws, improving children’s books about disasters, and the importance of DACA.

Editors’ Desk:

“First Day Note, 2017-2018,” by Doug Hartmann. Doug offers a few inspiring words to kick of the fall semester.

“I see sociology as a noble profession, vocation, a calling in the Weberian sense. And in this time of tumult, conflict, and change, I believe our work—our research, our ideas, and the information and insights we produce—is more needed than ever by people, in communities, all over the world.”

Discoveries:

“When Your In-Law is an Outlaw,” by Ryan Larson. New research in Criminology finds that previously convicted brothers-in-law increase the likelihood of crime for new husbands — regardless of their own criminal histories.

Clippings:

“Understanding the Post-Festival Blues” by Neeraj Rajasekar. Vice’s Noisey talks to Rob Gardner about music festivals, crowd dynamics, and collective effervescence.

From Our Partners:

Contexts:

“Context Symposium: After Charlottesville, Part Two.”

1. “Setting the Record Straight on Confederate Statues,” Wanda Rushing
2. “Defining Disorder Down,” Chris Uggen
3. “The ‘Many Sides’ Implicated in Charlottesville,” Dawn M. Dow
4. “Charlottesville Yields Few Sociological Surprises,” David Brunsma
5. “Charlottesville and Our Racial Fault Lines,” Rodney D. Coates
6. “What Are Our Universities’ Obligations?” James M. (JT) Thomas

“Staking Post-racialism in Charlottesville,” by Milton Vickerman.

“D is for Disaster,” by Kathryn Wells and Timothy J. Haney.

“The Importance of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Policy,” by Hyein Lee and Margaret Chin.

Council on Contemporary Families:

“Women’s Equality Day Turns 44,” by Nika Fate-Dixon and Stephanie Coontz.

And a Few from the Community Pages:

• Families As They Really Are reflects on women’s equality in the Nixon and Trump eras.
• Cyborgology offers an STS reading of Australia’s marriage equality plebiscite.
• Sociological Images enters a new era with incoming editor Evan Stewart who writes his first post on movie times in modern times.

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Good Morning, Everyone!

It’s nerdy, I know, but I’ve always found the first day of school to be one of the most exciting, hopeful, and uplifting days of the entire calendar year. Maybe that’s what happens when your mom was a kindergarten teacher and your dad a grade school principal. Whatever your story may be, I hope you are ready for another great year of sociology.

I see sociology as a noble profession, vocation, a calling in the Weberian sense. And in this time of tumult, conflict, and change, I believe our work—our research, our ideas, and the information and insights we produce—is more needed than ever by people, in communities, all over the world. This is, in many ways, the essence of the public sociology movement of which The Society Pages has been such a proud and prominent player. And today, on this first day of classes, the people I’m thinking mostly about are students—our graduates and our undergrads. We do many things as sociologists, but given that we are all in the business of teaching and learning, it is good to recall Michael Burawoy’s suggestion from a little over a decade ago that our classrooms are our first public(s).

Our dean at the UMN College of Liberal Arts, John Coleman, gave new students some advice last week. He stressed the need for each student to find their own place here on campus, their community, and to help create a culture of respect across all of our differences. Sound—and very sociological—advice for all of us all over the country, I think. Here’s hoping that we can all do our part to make culture and community (and sociology!) in our departments in the year ahead.

Thanks so much for your continued participation in and commitment to our wonderful community. Have a great day and a great year!

Doug

As summer break comes to an end, the TSP crew is gearing up for another engaging semester of sociologizing. In addition to checking out our new stuff below, those of you prepping to teach classes should be sure to stop by our Teaching TSP blog for class exercises, teaching tips, and suggestions for turning TSP blogs into assignments.

Editors’ Desk:

“Long-form Journalism, 2017 Late Summer Highlights,” by Doug Hartmann. As we head into the new school year, Doug reflects on some great sociological journalism produced over the summer.

Discoveries:

“The Politics of Dumpster Diving,” by Erik Kojola. New research in Sociological Perspectives details the ways freegans are pushing back against stigmatization and developing a collective identity.

Clippings:

“Socially Sanctioning Venezuela,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. David Smilde explains why economic sanctions might bolster the social influence of President Maduro in The News Observer.

From Our Partners:

Contexts:

“After Charlottesville: A Contexts Symposium.”

1. “‘Hilando Fino’: American Racism After Charlottesville,” Eduardo Bonilla-Silva
2. “The Souls of White Folk in Charlottesville and Beyond,” Matthew W. Hughey
3. “The Persistence of White Nationalism in America,” Joe Feagin
4. “A Sociologist’s Note to the Political Elite,” Victor Ray
5. “Are Public Sociology and Scholar-Activism Really at Odds?” Kimberly Kay Hoang
6. “Sociology as a Discipline and an Obligation,” David G. Embrick and Chriss Sneed

“Social Pressure to Appear Masculine Leads Straight Men to Have Unwanted Sex,” by Michelle J. Cera, Jessie Ford, and and Paula England.

And a Few from the Community Pages:

• Sociological Images concludes feminists are awesome and reflects on the beauty and strength of Wonder Woman.
• Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies offers a Marxist critique of the Cambodian genocide.
• Feminist Reflections remembers Harry Brod, 1951-2017.
• Engaging Sports talks athletic philanthropy and the limits of charity.

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I turned 50 this summer so maybe I’m feeling a little sentimental. Nevertheless, in this season of tumult, Trump, and 140 character tweets that pass for news, I have found myself sustained by the some of the most old-fashioned modes of media—weekly and monthly news magazines, and, more specifically, long-form journalism. Here are some of my favorites from the past few weeks, categorized in the ways that I think my sociology friends and colleagues would find meaningful:

—Social movements: Nathan Heller’s analysis of the efficacy of collective protests “Out of Action: Do Protests Work? The New Yorker, August 2017.

—Popular culture: “How American Lost its Mind,” a piece on culture and populism by Kurt Andersen in The Atlantic, September 2017. (Other solid treatments roughly in this category/vein: “The New Paranoia by Colin Dickey in July’s The New Republic; and “European Disunion: What the Rise of Populist Movements Means for Democracy” by Yascha Mounk, also in TNR, August/September).

—Sociology of knowledge: David Session in The New Republic, “The Rise of the Thought Leader: How the Superrich have Funded a New Class of Intellectual,” June 2017.

—Media studies: a trip down memory lane by my favorite television critic of how Donald Trump built his popularity (and personality) in and through the small screen, Emily Nussbaum in The New Yorker, July 2017.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Traditional journalism doesn’t (and can’t) solve all the problems of our fractious world, and indeed I sometimes worry that all of this great writing and reading can be its own kind of distraction or delusion. But the clear-thinking, the ability to put things in broader context, and the commitment to synthesizing social facts and cultural complexities—all qualities that us sociologists aspire to—displayed in these pieces is admirable and much needed. And I can only shake my head in awe for the way these writers, reporters, and critics are able to produce such great, insightful content in such timely and engaging fashion.

Happy Friday all! This week we’ve got a new feature on the sociology of joy and some new regular features on grandparental wealth and emboldened “fringe” ideologies. See below or stop by the site for more.

Special Feature:

“A Sociology of Joy,” by Dan Brook. In our latest feature, Dr. Brook explores the possibility of a “serendipitous sociology” that properly situates happiness in social contexts.

Discoveries:

“Inheriting Academic Success: Grandparental Wealth and Student GPAs,” by Brooke Chambers. New research in American Sociological Review finds that, when compared, parents and grandparents wealth had almost equal effects on student success.

Clippings:

“Emboldening “Fringe” Ideologies,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. Tina Fetner and Sarah Sobieraj talk to the New York Times about how quickly “fringe” ideologies can find their way into mainstream culture.

From Our Partners:

Contexts:

“What Does Studying College Sex Tell Us About Immigrant Assimilation?” by Kristine Wang, Jessie Ford, and Paula England.

“The [Un]surprising Alt-right,” by Robert Futrell and Pete Simi.

Council on Contemporary Families:

“For African Americans, Grief and Loss Starting as Children,” by Tasia Clemons.

And a Few from the Community Pages:

• Families As They Really Are talks normalization and why words matter.
• Social Studies MN asks if “hybrid” activities count as volunteering.

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Hello all! We were out last week for ASA and the like, but we’re back this week with new takes on genetic ancestry tests, gender gaps in tenure promotion, and the ways people rely on “lowbrow” culture to fit in. That and more below.

Discoveries:

“Biased Evaluations Contribute to Gender Gaps in Tenure Promotion,” by Amber Joy Powell. A new study in Social Forces explores why female academics have a harder time achieving tenure promotion than their male peers.

“Leaning on Lowbrow Culture,” by Evan Stewart. New research in ASR finds that people who feel they have high status, but also feel like that status may not be authentic, will reach for “more authentic” lowbrow culture.

Clippings:

“White Supremacy, Not-So-White Ancestry,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. STATNews covers research by Aaron Panofsky and Joan Donovan on how white nationalists understand their non-white ancestry.

“Separate but Diverse?,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. Derek Hyra and Camille Z. Charles talk to Slate about “diversity segregation” and the ways that neighborhood segregation is changing but also staying the same.

From Our Partners:

Contexts:

“College Women: Seen as a ‘Slut’ if they Have Sex on a Hookup, ‘Bitch’ or ‘Prude’ if they Don’t,” by Michelle J. Cera, Jessie Ford, and Paula England.

“Contexts Hall of Fame Award,” by the Editors.

Council on Contemporary Families:

“Segregation by Sexuality in the United States,” by Braxton Jones.

“The High Rate of Bereavement among African Americans,” by Megan Peterson.

And a Few from the Community Pages:

• Sociological Images talks white tears in Trumpville and how ‘cosmopolitan’ became a slur.
• Engaging Sports details the Colin Kaepernick saga and the (a)political white athlete.
• Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies expresses optimism surrounding the Rwandan presidential election.
• Families As They Really Are reflects on the definition of family in the era of genetic ancestry tests.

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Before you head out to enjoy the last few weeks of summer, catch up on our latest pieces, including the history of “law and order” rhetoric, the motivating factor behind bicycle commuting, and why men are still avoiding “pink collar” occupations.

There’s Research on That!:

“Political Protest and the Call for Law and Order,” by Amber Joy Powell. With Trump and the NRA’s recent calls for “law and order,” we look to historical social science that reveals how this strategy has worked in the past.

Discoveries:

“Which Comes First: Bikers or Bike Paths?” by Jacqui Frost. New research in Social Forces finds that bike baths can induce biking, and vice versa, but there is a third important variable driving both — local environmentalism.

Clippings:

“Why Men Continue to Avoid “Pink Collar” Jobs,” by Edgar Campos. Ofer Sharone and Janette S. Dill help Slate understand why women still dominate certain occupational sectors, even when male-dominated manual labor jobs are declining.

From Our Partners:

Contexts:

“Changing the World, One Website at a Time,” by Mark R. Rank.

Council on Contemporary Families:

“Social Ties and Poverty: An interview with Joan Maya Mazelis,” by Arielle Kuperberg.

And a Few from the Community Pages:

• Sociological Toolbox provides a paper assignment for your class on affirmative action in colleges.
• Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies reads genocide literature in middle and high school classrooms.
• Sociological Images explains why men avoid ball-kicking to protect the myth of masculinity.

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