Hello and happy Friday all. This week we’ve got some great new pieces on the geography of punishment, the perennial disappointments of professional sports fans, and five viewpoints on whitewashing the working class.

There’s Research on That!:

How Geography Structures Punishment,” by Veronica Horowitz. Reflecting on the new public tool “Measures for Justice,” we look at the importance of geography in structuring disadvantage and procedural justice.

Discoveries:

Coping Strategies Among Undocumented Young Adults,” by Amber Joy Powell. New research in Social Problems finds that networking with peers of similar legal statuses may help empower young undocumented adults to develop positive coping strategies.

Clippings:

Everyday Racism in Canada,” by Neeraj RajasekarThe Miami Herald talks to Cheryl Teelucksingh about the resurgence of everyday racism in Canada.

From Our Partners:

Contexts:

Viewpoints: Whitewashing the Working Class

Photographs of the Mind,” by Mark Andres.

Success and Failure in Framing Social Movements,” by Danielle Koonce.

How Grown Siblings Divide Care Work,” by Carrie Clarady.

Long-term Job Insecurity is Depressing,” by Rose Malinowski Weingartner.

Marriage and the Genetic Risk of Depression,” by Justin Maietta.

Council on Contemporary Families:

Revisit: Yo! Is this the author of This Chair Rocks?,” by Molly McNulty.

And a Few from the Community Pages:

Last Week’s Roundup

Sign Up for Inbox Delivery of the Roundup

Our Latest Book


Happy third day of summer everyone! This week we’ve got a new podcast interview with Michael Schudson and new sociological takes on violence against minority youth, veganism, and the bail industry. See all that and more below.

Office Hours:

Michael Schudson on The News Media,” with j. Siguru Wahutu. In our latest podcast episode, we talk with Schudson about the history of news, the legacy of Watergate, and how the public makes sense of news today.

There’s Research on That!:

Framing Violence against Minority Youth,” by Amber Joy Powell. Sociological research on youth victimization finds that minority youth are often excluded from the category of “true” or “ideal” victimhood, which ultimately works to legitimize their victimization.

Clippings:

The Cultural Contexts of Veganism,” by Neeraj RajasekarHarvard Magazine details Nina Gheihman’s research on the evolving meanings of and motivations for veganism.

From Our Partners:

Contexts:

The Spring 2017 issue is here! See here for a look at what will be in the new issue and see below for a preview of the new content.

Desperation and Service in the Bail Industry,” by Joshua Page.

Measuring Race to Measure Inequality,” by Lucia Lykke.

In Defense of Alternative Facts,” by Kelly Beavan.

Council on Contemporary Families:

Millennials Changing Binaries (in more ways than one, of course),” by Braxton Jones.

And a Few from the Community Pages:

Last Week’s Roundup

Sign Up for Inbox Delivery of the Roundup

Our Latest Book


Hey everyone! We were out last Friday, so we have a lot of great new stuff to share with you this week. We’ve got new sociological takes on the history of sex ed policy, the role of women in boxing, and the ways heterosexual couples negotiate whose career to prioritize. See all that and more below!

There’s Research on That!:

Pugilism and Power: The Stigma of Women in Boxing,” by Matthew Aguilar-Champeau. A play about early boxing great Barbara Buttrick recently premiered in the U.K., and it has important implications for how we think about gender and sport.

Sex Ed and its Discontents,” by Allison Nobles. It’s still unclear how the Trump administration will handle sex education policy, but research on past policies reveals the ways sex ed is used to regulate sexuality, especially among black and Latino youth.

Discoveries:

Career Opportunities and Sacrifices among Heterosexual Couples,” by Edgar Campos. Despite perceived gains in gender equality at home and at work, new research in Gender & Society finds that many heterosexual couples continue to reproduce traditional gender roles in negotiating whose career to prioritize.

Disproving Stereotypes about Spending in Black Households,” by Matthew Aguilar-Champeau. New research in Sociology of Race and Ethnicity finds that blacks spend far less than whites on “frivolous” items like new iPhones and more on the long-term costs of maintaining a household.

Clippings:

The Profits and Perils of Mug Shots in a Digital Age,” by Caity CurryThe Marshall Project talks to TSP alum Sarah Esther Lageson to explain the impacts of public mug shots on arrestees.

The Extremely Low Chance of Extremism,’ by Neeraj Rajasekar. Despite increased fears of terrorist acts, Charles Kurzman tells NPR that extremism is relatively rare.

From Our Partners:

Contexts:

Class Differences in Women’s Cohabitation in Early Adulthood,” by Mónica L. Caudillo, Paula England, and Eliza Brown.

Council on Contemporary Families:

Asian/Americans, Education, and Crime,” by Tasia Clemons.

CCF Gender and Millennials Online Symposium: Overview,” by Stephanie Coontz.

And a Few from the Community Pages:

Last Week’s Roundup

Sign Up for Inbox Delivery of the Roundup

Our Latest Book

Hello and happy June everyone! Before you head outside to enjoy the weather, see below or stop by for some interesting reads on conservative college students, the spiritual but not religious, e-sports in the major leagues, and more.

There’s Research on That!:

Conservative College Students as a Campus Minority?” by Cena Loffredo, Eleanor Miller, and Melody Goodin. This guest TROT by students at Oberlin College reviews research on conservatives in college.

Discoveries:

New Trends in Selective Spirituality,” by Evan Stewart. New research in Poetics reveals the boundary work that the “spiritual but not religious” do to develop their belief systems.

Clippings:

Intersectional Identities in Today’s Protest Environment,” by Jasmine Syed. The Washington Post talks to Dana Fisher about shifts in the demographic make-up of protests.

From Our Partners:

Council on Contemporary Families:

Gender Gap Reversal in Education, Moving toward More Gender Equality,” by Jan Van Bavel.

And a Few from the Community Pages:

Last Week’s Roundup

Sign Up for Inbox Delivery of the Roundup

Our Latest Book

The spring semester has come to an end for most, which means it’s the perfect time to catch up on all the sociology you missed during finals mayhem. We’re here to help with that, and this week we’ve got a new special feature on who “counts” as Asian American, a new Office Hours podcast with Lisa Wade, and more.

TSP Special Feature:

Drawing Boundaries Around Who Counts as Asian American,” by Jennifer Lee and Karthick Ramakrishnan. In this special feature, Lee and Ramakrishnan highlight the ways that Asian Americans are much more diverse than we realize, and how ignoring those differences works to exclude all but the most visible narratives.

Office Hours:

Lisa Wade on American Hookup: The New Culture of Sex on Campus,” with Amber Joy Powell and Allison Nobles. In our latest episode, we chat with Lisa Wade about the complexities of navigating college “hookup culture.”

There’s Research on That!:

The Meaning and Measurement of Secularization,” by Jacqui Frost. Trump’s recent executive order regarding religious freedoms got us thinking about how sociologists define and measure “secularization” and what Trump’s order means for how we understand the place of religion in the the public sphere.

From Our Partners:

Council on Contemporary Families:

How Gender Mattered to Millennials in the 2016 Election and Beyond,” by Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg.

And a Few from the Community Pages:

Last Week’s Roundup

Sign Up for Inbox Delivery of the Roundup

Our Latest Book


Happy Friday everyone! This week we’ve got sociological takes on the limits of lobbying, the ways neighborhood racial composition affects exercise, and myths and facts for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. All that and more below.

There’s Research on That!:

The Leverage and Limits of Lobbying in the United States,” by Shucheng Zhou, Kelly McCarthy, and Nicholas Bartlett. This guest TROT by students at Oberlin College details the different types and varied effectiveness of lobbying activities in the U.S.

Discoveries:

Jogging While Black,” by Caty Taborda-WhittRashawn Ray recently published an article in Social Science Research that explores how neighborhood racial composition acts as either a barrier or incentive to exercising outside.

Clippings:

Why Music Festivals Are All Starting to Look the Same,” by Caity Curry. The Washington Post asks Johnathan Wynn to explain how growing commercialization and consolidation may diminish the quality of the musical experience for festival-goers.

From Our Partners:

Council on Contemporary Families:

Myths and Facts for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month,” by Nancy McArdle, Maura Baldiga, Pamela Joshi and Dolores Acevedo-Garcia.

Contexts:

Cobesity,” by Sven E. Wilson.

Obesity, Gender, and Immigrant Generations,” by Rose Malinowski Weingartner.

Who Do You Think You Are?” by Justin Maietta.

And a Few from the Community Pages:

Last Week’s Roundup

Sign Up for Inbox Delivery of the Roundup

Our Latest Book

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the sociology is abounding. See below for new pieces on school tracking, marriage rates, and the “stuff” of family life.

There’s Research on That!:

Missing Girls, Runaways, and the Racialization of Victimhood,” by Allison Nobles. The recent controversy surrounding alleged missing Black and Latina girls in DC highlighted the ways that race and gender influence who gets considered a “victim” and whose victimization goes unnoticed.

Discoveries:

Racialized Tracking and Ethnic Identity Formation,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. New research in Sociology of Race and Ethnicity finds that school tracking shapes the ethnic identities of West-Indian students in Brooklyn.

Clippings:

The Link Between Poverty and Marriage Rates,” by Edgar CamposJudith Levine explains why Philadelphia has one of the lowest marriage rates in the country.

From Our Partners:

Council on Contemporary Families:

3Q with Michelle Janning: Aesthetics Affect Me Personally,” with Megan Peterson.

Contexts:

We Own It,” from editors Syed Ali and Philip Cohen.

The Persistence of Racial Boundaries,” by Lucia Lykke.

Class and Gender in Hiring for Elite Jobs,” by Brittany Dernberger.

Make ‘Hockey is For Everyone’ For Everyone,” by Justin Maietta.

Trust and Multiply,” by Carrie Clarady.

And a Few from the Community Pages:

Last Week’s Roundup

Sign Up for Inbox Delivery of the Roundup

Our Latest Book

It’s the end of the semester here in Minnesota, and we here at TSP HQ are bringing in the summer with some beers and BBQ with the grad board. But don’t worry, we rounded up our amazing week for you first. We’ve got a new Special Feature on gender segregation at work, a new Office Hours podcast on financial insecurity at home, and much more below.

TSP Special Feature:

Hidden Figures and Feud: Pop Culture Tales of Occupational Segregation,” by Robyn Ryle. In our latest special feature, Ryle draws on recent media depictions of gender segregation in science and film to reveal the socially constructed nature of gender and occupations.

Office Hours:

Marianne Cooper on Families in Insecure Times,” with Sarah Catherine Billups. In this episode, we talk with Cooper about her latest book and the ways that families of different social classes perceive and manage contemporary economic anxieties.

There’s Research on That!:

The Hopes and Broken Promises of Coal,” by Erik Kojola. Trump recently promised to bring back coal, but research shows that mining may not lead to the economic growth and well-being that many are promising.

Discoveries:

How Policy Promotes Parental Happiness,” by Brooke Chambers. Parents in the U.S. are some of the unhappiest in the world, and new research in the American Journal of Sociology argues that it likely has something to do with the lack of national parental support policies.

Clippings:

Domestic Violence Outside the Home,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. Silva Santos talks to Angelus about the links between gender violence in and outside of the domestic sphere.

From Our Partners:

Council on Contemporary Families:

A View from Above: Social Structures + Youth’s Egalitarian Essentialism,” by Daniel L. Carlson.

Contexts:

Fearless Girl: Seriously, the Guy Has a Point,” by Greg Fallis.

And a Few from the Community Pages:

Last Week’s Roundup

Sign Up for Inbox Delivery of the Roundup

Our Latest Book

After-school programs, sexual harassment in the workplace, and the French elections. We’ve got sociological takes on all that and more this week at TSP.

TSP Special Feature:

Cultural Lag and the Fallacy of Asian Americans as the Model Minority,” by Jennifer Lee. In another important and timely feature, Lee reflects on the United Airlines incident involving an Asian American doctor and interrogates the often assumed homogeneity of Asian American experience.

There’s Research on That!:

How Students Benefit from After-School Programs,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. The Trump administration questions the efficacy of free lunch and after-school programs, but social science shows they do work.

Discoveries:

Politics and Power Drive Growing U.S. Income Inequality,” by Erik Kojola. New research in American Journal of Sociology finds that shifting political power towards companies and away from workers is a major driver of inequality.

Clippings:

The Organizational Barriers to Reporting Sexual Harassment,” by Caity Curry. The New York Times spoke with Anna-Maria Marshall about the ways sexual harassment policies do more to help the organization than the victim.

Misrepresenting the Nature of Protest,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. Rimal Wilkes talked to The Ubyssey about the many issues with Pepsi’s recent “protest” commercial.

From Our Partners:

Council on Contemporary Families:

3 Questions with Philip Cohen on Why March for Science,” with Megan Peterson.

And a Few from the Community Pages:

Last Week’s Roundup

Sign Up for Inbox Delivery of the Roundup

Our Latest Book

Hey everyone! This week we’ve got timely takes on the death penalty, disgruntled air travelers, and the shortcomings of the U.S. tax system. We’ve also got a new podcast episode on the Koch Brothers and American democracy. So settle in and see below for some serious sociology!

Office Hours:

Theda Skocpol on the Koch Network with Jack Delehanty. In our latest podcast episode, we talk with Professor Skocpol about how the Koch Brothers have transformed American democracy, and whether any corollaries are emerging on the political left.

There’s Research on That!:

Border Walls and Symbolic Boundaries,” by Edgar Campos. Trump’s wall would be more than just a physical barrier, it would also intensify the symbolic boundaries that reinforce national and racial identities in the United States.

Racial and Regional Differences in Support for the Death Penalty,” by Caity Curry. Issues in Arkansas and the Supreme Court have brought the death penalty back into the media spotlight, so we rounded up research on this “peculiar institution” and why it remains resilient today.

Discoveries:

Who’s ‘One of the Guys?’ Navigating Gender in the Tech Industry,” by Edgar Campos. New research in Gender & Society finds that gender-fluid women are more likely to be perceived as competent tech workers.

Clippings:

Double-Booked and Discontented Airline Passengers,” by Edgar Campos. The New York Times talked with Elizabeth Popp Berman about why there is so much hostility on airplanes.

From Our Partners:

Contexts:

Immigration Data Tools,” by Rose Malinowski Weingartner.

Chump Change.” Viewpoints on taxes, their shortfalls, and who pays the price.

Council on Contemporary Families:

The Use and Abuse of Millennials as an Analytic Category,” by Frank Furstenberg.

Some Men Try to Compensate for Relative Loss of Income to Women. How They Do So Varies,” by Dan Cassino.

And a Few from the Community Pages:

Last Week’s Roundup

Sign Up for Inbox Delivery of the Roundup

Our Latest Book