Transnational migrants, public housing, and the Oscars. We’ve got sociological takes on all that and more this week at TSP.

Office Hours:

Sergio Chávez on Border Lives and Transnationalism,” with Matt Gunther. In this episode, Dr. Chávez describes the incredible strain that border controls and bureaucracies place on low wage workers, but he also provides a remarkable account of the way that many workers leverage these difficulties into relationships and livelihood strategies.

There’s Research on That!:

The Problems with Public Housing,” by Matthew Aguilar-Champeau. With ongoing efforts to revitalize public housing projects in the U.S., we look to research on the social forces and sentiments driving their decline.

The Limited Efficacy of Domestic Violence Policies,” by Sarah Catherine Billups. Research shows that domestic violence policies are often limited in how much they change the way perpetrators think of domestic violence, even if they sometimes keep abusers from repeating violent behavior.

Public Stories and Social Change,” by Allison Nobles. Stories can be powerful tools for establishing group identity and mobilizing people for a cause, but people in power are more likely to have their stories heard.

Discoveries:

High School Arrests Halt Higher Education,” by Amber Joy Powell. New research in Criminology finds that being arrested in high school severely limits pathways to higher education.

Clippings:

Trump’s Reason for Travel Ban Not Supported by Research,” by Edgar CamposCharles Kurzman tells the LA Times that his research has not identified a single death since the 9/11 attacks caused by people from the seven nations Trump put on his ban list.

The Ivy League of Gender Inequality,” by Brooke ChambersNew York Magazine details a new study by Dirk Witteveen and Paul Attewell that finds a gender pay gap among graduates of elite universities.

From Our Partners:

Contexts:

Raising the Visibility of Gender-Nonconformists: A Review of ‘Gender Revolution: A Journey with Kati Couric’,” by Barbara J. Risman.

Moonlight, Trayvon, the Oscars, and America’s Fear of Black Boys,” by Steven Thrasher.

Children of Immigrants, Changing Races,” by Saswathi Natta.

Council on Contemporary Families:

Time/Place/Race/Class and Family Changes,” by Braxton Jones.

And a Few from the Community Pages:

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Hello hello all! As usual, we have a great line up for you this week, so we will get right to it.

There’s Research on That!:

When Journalists Tweet,” by j. Siguru Wahutu. Social media in the newsroom is increasingly common, but it can blur the lines between professional and personal opinion.

The Role of Female Role Models,” by Jacqui Frost. Social science shows that positive female role models are a significant predictor of interest and success in STEM for women, and movie stars are not the only ones who can fill those roles.

Discoveries:

Police Brutality and Citizen Cynicism,” by Ryan Larson. New research in American Sociological Review finds a significant drop in 911 calls after an incident of police violence.

Clippings:

How Scary Video Games Build Social Bonds,” by Matthew Aguilar-Champeau.  Margee Kerr talks to The Observer about the camaraderie you can build by playing horror-themed video games with others.

‘Colorblind’ Economic Policies and Their Racial Repercussions,” by Caity CurryAdia Harvey Wingfield explains how seemingly neutral economic and criminal justice policies can work to maintain systems of racial inequality in The Atlantic.

From Our Partners:

Council on Contemporary Families:

For African Americans, Grief and Loss Starting as Children,” with Debra Umberson.

Contexts:

Babes in Bikeland,” by Bjorn Christianson.

And a Few from the Community Pages:

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Happy Friday everyone! This week we’ve got timely pieces on private schooling, immigration policy, fearmongering, and more. So read on if you’re looking for a little sociological perspective.

There’s Research on That!:

School Choice and Social Inequality,” by Evan Stewart and Neeraj Rajasekar. Social science comparing private and public approaches to schooling finds distinct benefits of public schools and questions whether more choice in schooling really helps everyone.

The Culture of Mass Deportation,” by Caity Curry. On the history of American immigration policy and the increasingly punitive turn it’s taken.

Discoveries:

Uncertainty and Flexibility in Trans Health Care,” by Sarah Catherine Billups. New research in Journal of Health and Social Behavior investigates how doctors navigate trans care.

Clippings:

Nothing to Fear but Fearmongering Itself,” by Edgar CamposBarry Glassner talks to TIME about Trump’s unprecedented use of fearmongering as a political tactic.

Why We Don’t Need a White History Month,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. Vox talks to Daniel Hirschman about how calls for a white history month ignore the already pervasive white privilege in U.S. society.

From Our Partners:

Council on Contemporary Families:

“How Many Deaths? The High Rate of Bereavement among Black Americans,” by Megan Peterson.

Scholars Strategy Network:

And a Few from the Community Pages:

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Hey everyone! Lots of great new stuff this week, including a new Office Hours podcast. So let’s get to it!

Office Hours:

Natasha Warikoo on The Diversity Bargain,” with Neeraj Rajasekar. In this episode, we talk with Warikoo about her new book and the ways that elite students understand diversity and make sense of their social positions.

There’s Research on That!:

White Working Class Voters,” by Erik KojolaThe election of Donald Trump left many wondering why large numbers of working class whites voted for a candidate who supports policies that are likely to have a negative impact on them. You guessed it — there’s research on that. 

Gendering Intelligence,” by Sarah Catherine Billups. A recent study found that young girls are more likely to attribute “brilliance” to men. Research on gender stereotypes and socialization helps explain why.

Discoveries:

Violence Against Police Triggers Race-Specific Reactions,” by Caity Curry. New research in American Journal of Sociology explores how local acts of violence against police influences discriminatory use of force by police after the fact.

Clippings:

Overeducated, Underemployed,” by Chelsea Carlson. Tressie McMillan Cottom talks to The Washington Post about why many African Americans are overeducated, yet underemployed. 

Sociological Strategies For a Successful Protest,” by Neeraj RajasekarVox draws on numerous sociological studies to suggest the best strategies for effecting change.

From Our Partners:

Scholars Strategy Network:

And a Few from the Community Pages:

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Well, we’re in for six more weeks of winter, which was probably the case for us Minnesotans anyways, so stay warm out there. This week we’ve got a new special feature on educational programs in prisons, summaries of research on commutations and a new form of residential segregation, and various reflections on how the Trump administration has and continues to negatively affect socially and economically marginalized groups.

TSP Specials:

The Return of Rehabilitation? Educational Programs for Prisoners Remain Inadequate,” by Michelle S. Phelps. New findings from the PIAAC study reveal that prisoners are reporting more participation in academic and vocational training, but the majority of them are unable to access any programs.

There’s Research on That!:

Misaligned Morality in Poverty Policy,” by Evan Stewart. Moral narratives about the “deserving poor” bias our thinking about people who experience poverty, and they have a big impact on our social safety net policies.

Pardons, Commutations, and the Distribution of Clemency,” by Ryan Larson and Veronica Horowitz. In light of Obama’s pardons and commutations upon leaving office, we round up research on who gets pardoned and who is more likely to do the pardoning.

Discoveries:

Minority Men doing ‘Women’s Work’,” by Allison Nobles. New research in The Sociological Quarterly finds that all groups of racial minority men are more likely than white men to work in female-dominated jobs.

Clippings:

White Americans Self-Segregate Amid Neighborhood Diversification,” by Caity CurryVox draws on numerous sociological studies in this piece outlining a new and different form of “white flight.”

PTSD in the Media,” by Edgar CamposArdath Whynackt talks to CBC Radio about the pitfalls of focusing on PTSD as the sole driver of violence among veterans.

From Our Partners:

Contexts:

Women’s March: Big Tents Require Both/And,” by Brittany Dernberger.

Scholars Strategy Network:

And a Few from the Community Pages:

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Hello hello! We’ve had another big week here at TSP, and have lots of great things to share with you. To start, we welcomed another blog to our community pages, Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Check out their blog for an extensive archive of engaging commentary and research related to genocide studies. And our amazing grad board is back for the semester, which means we are back in full force on the site. We’ve got great new pieces on Trump’s cabinet, women’s movements, environmental policy, and more. So let’s get to it!

The Editor’s Desk:

In case you missed it, we celebrated the 5th anniversary of TSP last Friday. Woot! On the Eds’ Desk this week, Doug and Chris celebrate and reflect on the past five years and preview what’s to come.

There’s Research on That!:

Divesting Diversity on the Presidential Cabinet,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. While social science shows that diversity is beneficial for business and organizations, the definition of “diversity” is often warped to avoid any real discussion of inequality.

When Women Mobilize,” by Jacqui Frost. A look at research on past women’s movements sheds light on the ways that gender shapes when and how women protest, and the important roles they have played in social movement history.

Barriers Keeping Women from STEM Careers,” by Amber Joy Powell. Research on race, gender, and education reveals why women remain hidden figures in STEM.

Discoveries:

To Enforce or Encourage Green Behavior?,” by Erik Kojola. New research in Sociological Spectrum finds that environmental regulations alone will not reduce public health and environmental hazards from chemical pollution.

Clippings:

How College Became Synonymous with Sex,” by Brooke Chambers. Soc Images’ Lisa Wade writes for Time Magazine and explains how colleges went from being rigid institutions to hubs for parties and casual sex.

Okay Google, Give Me the Facts,” by Edgar CamposThe Conversation talks to Thomas Maher about how to keep “fake news” from manipulating Google’s search algorithms.

From Our Partners:

Contexts:

The Women’s March Was Only the Beginning,” by Dana R. Fisher.

The Day After: Women’s March on Washington,” by Philip N. Cohen.

Trump’s America Comes to Washington,” by Philip N. Cohen.

Scholars Strategy Network:

What Trump Means for the Affordable Care Act,” by Colleen Grogan and Sherry Glied.

And a Few from the Community Pages:

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Hello friends of TSP,

This past Friday marked The Society Pages’ 5th anniversary, and we celebrated by eating cake with our awesome grad board. As we start a new semester and a new year, we wanted to give you, our friends, followers, and contributors, some highlights from the past year and some updates on what’s to come in the year ahead.

Looking back, 2016 was a big year for us here in Minnesota at TSP “world headquarters.” We produced 34 Discoveries (accessible summaries of new and notable research from sociology journals), 56 There’s Research on That! pieces (synthetic reviews of new and classic literature on a given topic), 8 Office Hours podcasts and 6 Give Methods a Chance podcasts, 67 Clippings (nods to sociology and sociologists in the news), and 5 original features. We also published Assigned: Life with Gender, a compendium of 29 essays guest edited by Lisa Wade, and now have a new volume, Give Methods a Chance, by TSP alums Sarah Lageson and Kyle Green, in production with W.W. Norton & Company. And this isn’t even to mention our partner organizations and dedicated community of bloggers – including many of you! – all of whom have been more productive and engaging than ever.

TSP will continue to evolve and grow in 2017. For one thing, in the next few weeks we are going to launch a new partner page called Social Studies MN. Focused on the work of our fabulous colleagues here at Minnesota, this will be an experiment in interdisciplinarity for us, in drawing from all across the social sciences more intentionally and systematically. We are also hoping to begin working with another sociological association or two in developing sites that highlight state and regional issues and experts. These new initiatives will take the place of our partnerships with W.W. Norton and Scholars Strategy Network, which both draw to a close after five wonderful and rewarding years. We thank those folks for all of their support in building TSP, and we will continue to pursue collaborations with them, albeit in more occasional and targeted ways, in coming years.

With these changes also come some transitions on our editorial team. Letta Page, our longtime associate editor, will move into more of a special projects mode for TSP proper, with graduate student editors Jacqui Frost and Evan Stewart taking up her day-to-day duties. (Yes, it takes two to replace Letta, who will also continue as Senior Managing Editor at Contexts and thus will be working with us on Contexts.org). Please use our new TSP specific email address for all site and submission inquiries going forward – tsp@thesocietypages.org.

We are also considering a little fund raising campaign so that we can continue to support and grow the graduate, editorial, and technical staff who write, edit, illustrate, and wrangle on our behalf. We are in the early stages of planning the campaign, but stay tuned in the coming months for details on how you can help. If you have any ideas, please do pass those along – again, at tsp@thesocietypages.org.

In conclusion, let us once again express our sincerest appreciation for your readership and particularly to those of you who have used The Society Pages’ freely accessible content in your classrooms, to those who write on our community page blogs, and to those who have championed us through our first five years and first seven books. We cannot thank you enough, and hope that we continue to enjoy your contributions and support in the months and years to come.

In Five Years, David Bowie sings of social connection and sensory overload in the face of impending apocalypse. The crisis seems to recalibrate the narrator’s appreciation of social life while sharpening his powers to observe it. Five years somehow seems just long enough for wistful reflection but just short enough to force the issue with some urgency.

Whether one views this Inauguration Day as the beginning of the end or an altogether new beginning is, of course, a matter of perspective. At TSP, today marks our five-year anniversary, which we view as an opportunity to eat cake for breakfast. And, one might say, the end of our beginning. So we did a little recalibrating in our first graduate board meeting of 2017, talking through our appreciation of social research and ways to sharpen our vision and perspective in sharing it on TSP.

In some ways, we’re lucky to be alive. About 50 percent of small businesses survive five years and we certainly wouldn’t have made it this far without the tremendous support of our staff, students, contributors, and partners. But we want to do more and do it better — for the next five years and the five years after that. Thanks for reading and for supporting us. If we knew you were comin’ we’d have baked a bigger cake.


Today marks the 5th anniversary of The Society Pages! We’ve been bringing you the latest in social science research for five years now, and we have learned a lot along the way. We hope you have too, and we want to thank you for your continued readership and support. We also welcomed a new community page to the fold this week, Engaging Sports, so be sure to check them out for all things sport and society.

It’s a new year, a new semester, and, later today, we will have a new president. So stay tuned in to TSP for when you need a fresh dose of sociology to keep you going.

Office Hours:

Stephen Ellingson on Religious Environmentalism,” with Caty Taborda-Whitt. In this episode, we talk with Ellingson about how activists overcome the barriers that have typically prevented religious organizations from investing in environmental causes.

Discoveries:

How Women Confront Sexism in Fantasy Sports,” by Amber Joy Powell. New research in Gender & Society finds that women who play fantasy sports often simultaneously resist and reproduce the gendered dynamics of the sporting world.

Clippings:

Lawyering Up for Low-Cost Daycare,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. Germany’s push to universalize day care contrasts with the costly U.S. system.

From Our Partners:

Contexts:

Trump and the Neglect of the Working Class,” by Reeve Vanneman.

Scholars Strategy Network:

How U.S. Higher Education Promotes Inequality—And What Can Be Done To Broaden Access and Graduation,” by Suzanne Mettler.

And a Few from the Community Pages:

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Hello and happy Friday! We are enjoying our last few days of winter break here in Minnesota, but we are excited to be back in full force for the spring semester next week. In this roundup, we have our last round of Best Of and Most Popular 2016 posts, and we highlight some new pieces on charitable giving, medical school, and repertoires of contention.

There’s Research on That!:

The Social Determinants of Charitable Giving,” by Caity Curry. The holidays are an annual “giving season” for many, but research shows that social factors often determine who gives and for what.

*~!MOST POPULAR 2016!~*
Millennials Misunderstood,” by Evan Stewart. In the most viewed TROT of 2016, social research helps explain why Millennials are at once fiercely independent, but also missing key markers of adulthood.

Clippings:

Teaching Medical Students To Rethink Race,” by Caty Taborda-WhittDorothy Roberts talks to Stat News about the need for medical students to learn about the social construction of race.

Discoveries:

*~!BEST OF 2016!~*
Fifty Shades of Pay,” by Neeraj Rajasekar. Voted Best Title of 2016, this Discovery details a study from Sociology of Race and Ethnicity that finds wage inequalities between dark and light skinned immigrants.

*~!MOST POPULAR 2016!~*
On Noisy Neighbors,” by Evan Stewart. The most viewed Discovery of 2016 summarizes research from AJS that shows how class and culture determine what we find “noisy.”

From Our Partners:

Contexts:

Revisiting the Rationing of Medical Degrees in the United States,” by Tania M. Jenkins and Shalini Reddy.

The Contemporary American University, In Seven Emails,” by Rebecca Schuman.

Scholars Strategy Network:

Disabled American Workers Need Ongoing Social Support As Well As Jobs and Fair Wages,” by Gwendolyn Barnhart.

And a Few from the Community Pages:

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