public sociology

New & Noteworthy

• In Talk and Trust About Climate Change, Nicole Bekesz covers new research investigating who people trust to tell them the truth about climate change, and what makes them seem trustworthy. {2 min read}
• Check out our Media Report by Jan-Rose Davis for recent news featuring social science experts. Last week, Iman Sediqe on intersections between cooking and sociology, Katie E. Corcoran and Christopher P. Scheitle on Americans’ habits of attending multiple religious congregations, Seung-yeon Lee on therapy culture, and Heather Hensman Kettrey on students’ distrust of universities to appropriately handle sexual misconduct. {3 min read}

From the Archives

• The U.S. Supreme Court eviscerated the Voting Rights Act in a ruling last Wednesday, reversing protections against racial discrimination in redistricting. This 2020 piece from Neeraj Rajasekar synthesizes research on gerrymandering, voter disenfranchisement, and the role of voting in U.S. democracy. {7 min read}
• Last week, Israel intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters more than 600 miles from the flotilla’s destination in Gaza, where they sought to bring aid. Over 175 civilian activists from around the world were detained, which leaders of multiple countries have criticized as illegal. To help make sense of how international crimes are understood and arbitrated, check out this roundtable discussion from 2013 explaining the international criminal justice system. {19 min read}

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Council on Contemporary Families

• A new study by Yiang Li, Jason Wong, and Linda Waite shows how the conditions people experience in childhood don’t only shape themselves in adulthood, but impact their partners and wider relationships as well. {5 min read}

Backstage with TSP

• After a grueling start to the year here in the Twin Cities, the spring 2026 academic semester is coming to a close. While the TSP board will be posting less frequently over the summer to accommodate the break and changing schedules, stay tuned for more content covering the latest social science research, as well as a special TSP series processing the ICE surge in Minnesota.

New & Noteworthy

• A new Discoveries article highlights research on how renters navigate the risks of poor housing conditions and forced moves. Tenants often face a tough choice: stay and deal with needed repairs or risk instability by relocating. Learn more in The Risks of Relocation and Repair for Renters by Luna Iman. {2 min read}

From the Archives

• Despite declining participation in organized religion, mainstream media is seeing a rise in religion-based films and shows, like Amazon’s “The Chosen” and Fox’s “The Faithful: Women of the Bible.” This 2011 TSP article by Kyle Green – Godless TV – suggests that there has been a dramatic shift in media production of religion in the last 15 years. {4 min read} And this 2014 piece by Evan Stewart – Christian Cinema? – highlights the controversy surrounding religious media in the market concerning navigating complex social and religious identities. {2 min read}
• Last Thursday the Trump administration signed an order to reclassify licensed medical marijuana as a less regulated Schedule III rather than a more highly regulated Schedule I drug, a designation typically reserved for drugs with limited medical use and high potential for abuse. Check out this 2018 TSP article for A Sociological Look at Marijuana and its Users. {3 min read}

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Council on Contemporary Families

• What are the expectations for family members to care for older adults with chronic health conditions? A new piece by Samantha M. Pantelic, Kelsi Caywood, and Sarah E. Patterson shows the complicated dynamics behind caregiver relationships. Read more in “Families Are Messy, Aren’t They?” {3 min read}

First Publics

• A new essay by Brianna Stefano reflects on teaching victimology in classrooms where students may have lived experience with trauma, emphasizing care and flexibility in pedagogy. {5 min read}
• First Publics interviewed Sarah Lageson, Associate Professor of Technology and Social Power at Northeastern University. They discussed the intersection of sociology and law, public sociology and pedagogy. {6 min read}

New & Noteworthy

• A new study reveals how subtle word choices in state abortion laws reinforce gender hierarchy. Read more about the project from Luna J. Slater, Brooke A. de Heer, and Emily M. Schneider in Gender, Power, and the Stories Abortion Laws Tell by guest author Dylan DiGiacomo-Stumm. {4 min read}

From the Archives

• The Supreme Court heard oral arguments this week in Trump v. Barbara – a case examining the Trump administration’s efforts to end birthright citizenship. This 2020 piece from Contexts describes the “invisible knapsack of citizenship privilege that U.S. (born) citizens carry with them as they navigate their lives.” {4 min read}
• President Trump wrote on social media, “a whole civilization will die tonight” if the Iranian government does not agree to reopen a key economic waterway by this evening. A top U.N. official said targeting civilian infrastructure would amount to a war crime. In this 2020 article from our partners at The Center for Holocaust & Genocide Studies, Kurt Borchard reckons with U.S. atrocities at the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. {6 min read}

More from our Partners & Community Pages

First Publics

• First Publics held a webinar on teaching sociological research methods for/as public engagement in February. Attendees, led by panelists Arturo Baiocchi and Piper Sledge, discussed the role of sociological methods in community-engaged work, how storytelling can enhance sociological research, and more. The conversation was summarized for a post this week. {7 min read}

Center for Holocaust & Genocide Studies

• The Trump Administration is removing educational signs at U.S. National Parks, primarily targeting content relating to slavery, Indigenous people, and climate change. Interim Director of CHGS Joe Eggers spoke to Jenny McBurney about Save Our Signs, a project housed at the University of Minnesota which aims to preserve signs through photography and document their removal. {8 min read}

New & Noteworthy

• Do you find it hard to tell your family when you’re struggling, but easy to unpack your problems with a stranger on a plane? In The Weakness of Strong Ties, Tianhe Chen covers new research showing that people very commonly avoid talking to their closest friends and family when facing personal issues. {2 min read}
• Check out our Media Report by Jan-Rose Davis for recent news featuring social science experts. Last week, Sean M. Theriault on the legacy of Pope Francis, Danielle J. Lindemann on how reality TV changes your behavior, Zachary Levenson on the state censorship of sociology in Florida, and Megan Thiele Strong on how misinformation impacts sociologists in the age of Trump. {2 min read}

From the Archives

• Millions of people attended “No Kings” protests across the U.S. this past weekend. This 2017 article by Neeraj Rajasekar provides insights from social scientists on what makes protests successful. {2 min read}
• There’s a connection between the growing heat of March Madness and the growing discontent with President Trump’s immigration enforcement policies. Learn more in this 2017 Engaging Sports piece by Ryan Turcott, which explains the increasing internationalization of college basketball – a dynamic that has become more complicated with changes in transfer rules and NIL payments for student athletes. {5 min read}

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Council on Contemporary Families

• CCF reprinted a report from the Texas Population Research Center showing the demand for pill packs for self-managed abortions increased significantly after the Dobbs v. Jackson decision. {5 min read}

New & Noteworthy

• How Black Women Navigate Interracial Relationships by Jan-Rose Davis covers a new interview study by Vanessa Gonlin, Chelsey D. Adams, and Elaysha K. Brown. Black women in interracial relationships were often confronted with social tensions rooted in a history of slavery, including accusations of internalized racism from other Black people. {3 min read}

From the Archives

• Spring has sprung! As we move into the warmer season, revisit this 2016 TROT for research on the sociology of spring cleaning. {3 min read}
• This past weekend, the Islamic holiday Eid converged with Nowruz, the start of the Persian New Year. Next week, the Jewish holiday Passover will converge with Christian celebrations of Holy Week and Easter. This Discovery from 2016 discusses how social media facilitates exposure to religious diversity, which can in turn impact people’s own religious practices. {3 min read}

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Council on Contemporary Families

• Does getting your hair done feel like therapy? CCF’s Alicia M. Walker interviewed Hannah McCann about her new book, Emotions, Bodies, and Identities in the Hair and Beauty Salon: Caring Beyond Skin Deep. {6 min read}
• CCF reprinted a 2023 briefing from Daniel Carlson on how worries about COVID-19 transmission affected mother’s participation in the workforce. It warned that the pandemic could have long-lasting effects on gender equality. {5 min read}

New & Noteworthy

• Why are serial killer stories so popular? In How “Media Looping” Keeps Serial Killers Alive and Victims Buried, Jordyn Wald explains how media industries reproduce and sensationalize stories of violence. {2 min read}
• Check out our Media Report by Jan-Rose Davis for recent news featuring social science experts. Last week, Ashley Mears on men’s exploitation of women and girls in elite circles, Alex Law on social and cultural change in Scotland, Arie Sujito on the state of democracy in Indonesia and the impacts of digital technology, and Pepper Schwartz on the growing popularity of choosing domestic partnerships instead of marriage. {3 min read}

From the Archives

• The Human Rights Activists News Agency has reported more than 1,351 civilian deaths in Iran since President Trump first launched “Operation Epic Fury”. An opening wave of strikes demolished Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School, an elementary school in southern Iran, killing more than 100 children. This TROT by Brooke Chambers about selective empathy can help us conceptualize how the American public might respond to this devastation abroad. {3 min read}
• The primary elections for the 2026 midterms have begun amid heightened political tensions around redistricting and voting protections. This 2018 piece from Sociological Images covers research explaining how gerrymandering and voter suppression policies impact voter turnout. {2 min read}

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Engaging Sports

• Last week, Samuel M. Clevenger wrote an article on the contested meanings and politics of outdoor recreation and nature preservations. {5 min read}

Council on Contemporary Families

• CCF reprinted research from the Texas Population Research Center on the impacts of exercise on elderly Americans’ risks of falling. {7 min read}

First Publics

• Marta Soligo wrote an article about her experiences integrating a public sociology approach into her teaching of a Sociology of Tourism class to encourage critical thought and constructive dialogue. {4 min read}

New & Noteworthy

• This past weekend saw the closing of a politically fraught Winter Olympic Games. TSP co-publisher Doug Hartmann penned a special feature on where politics and patriotism collided. {5 min read}
• How does your paycheck affect your parenting? When economic uncertainty arises, new research suggests that high- and low-income parents might adjust their parenting styles in contrasting ways. Read more in Parenting Under Financial Pressure by Tatum Anderson. {3 min read}
• Check out our Media Report by Mallory Harrington for recent news featuring social science experts. This week, Leana Cabral on the persistence of anti-Black attitudes in schools; Michael Light on how citizenship status impacts criminal sentences; Celina McEwen, Alison Pullen, and Carl Rhodes on why DEI programs are failing; and a new book from political science and religion scholar Ryan Burge. {3 min read}

From the Archives

• A coalition of organizations sued the U.S. Department of the Interior following a Presidential executive order that removed an LGBTQ Pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument in New York City and an exhibit about slavery at a national historical park in Philadelphia. Check out this 2016 TROT by Erik Kojola and Jacqui Frost, which contextualizes the importance of telling marginalized stories in the parks which have been shaped by unequal access, racial and cultural norms, and a colonial legacy. {3 min read}
• In the UK, King Charles’s brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office following recent news about his affiliation with Jeffrey Epstein. This is the first time a member of the UK royal family has been arrested since the 1600s. This 2019 TROT from Neeraj Rajasekar covers sociological research on the role of media and status in creating scandals. {3 min read}

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Council on Contemporary Families

• CCF reprinted a Psychology Today article on COVID-19’s gendered impacts on household labor, written by former editor of Gender and Society Barbara J. Risman. {6 min read}

New & Noteworthy

• It Takes More than Just Concern to Participate in Climate Action by Luna Iman spotlights new research on the most motivated mindsets to tackle climate change.

From the Archives

• This week, the Department of Justice took down thousands of recently released documents related to Jeffrey Epstein that contained identifiable information about nearly 100 victims. Survivors issued a statement calling the release of their identities “outrageous,” saying they should not be “named, scrutinized, and retraumatized”. This 2018 Discovery from Amber Joy Powell unpacks how perceptions of risk often keep victims of sexual assault from reporting what happened.
• This February marks the 100th year since the earliest observances of Black History Month. Amidst federal dismantling of Black history exhibits and an anti-DEI climate, this 2017 piece by Neeraj Rajasekar underscores the importance of calling attention to the history of race and racism in the United States.”

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Council on Contemporary Families

• CCF reposted a brief by Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan on when aspiring to perfect parenthood becomes counterproductive.

New & Noteworthy

• Murder at Home, Police Violence at Work by Sara Kadoura details a new study that reveals how homicide in white police officers’ neighborhoods impacts their use of force on the job. {2 min read}
• Market Transition and Materialism in China by Tianhe Chen covers new research showing how economic reform reshaped Chinese cultural values. {2 min read}
• In An Update from TSP in the Twin Cities, TSP’s editors give some initial reflections and updates regarding ICE presence in Minnesota. {3 min read}
• Check out our Media Report by Mallory Harrington for recent news featuring social science experts. Last week, Nicole Bedera on how ICE Watch can de-escalate violence; Matthew Marr on a Florida state-required sociology textbook; Cynthia Miller-Idriss on violence and masculinity; and Tressie McMillan Cottom on how to fight political exhaustion. {2 min read}

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Council on Contemporary Families

• Alicia M. Walker talked to Nina Bandelj about her new book, Overinvested: The Emotional Economy of Modern Parenting for CCF’s “3Qs” series. {7 min read}
• Also for CCF’s “3Qs” series, Alicia M. Walker talked to Fatima Suarez about her new book, Latino Fathers: What Shapes and Sustains Their Parenting. {7 min read}
• In January, CCF reprinted research by Raquel Delerme on the costs of mothers’ care work for their incarcerated adult children. The study was published last year in Gender & Society. {4 min read}
• At the beginning of the year, a CCF brief by Jean Choi, Sae Hwang Han, Yee To Ng, and Elizabeth Muñoz detailed their findings on how neighborhood cohesion shapes cognitive health. Their study was previously published in The Journals of Gerontology. {5 min read}

First Publics

• This week, First Publics reposted a piece from Victor Ray that contextualizes ICE’s occupation of Minnesota. {7 min read}
• In Teaching Methods in Times of Crisis, the First Publics board recounted takeaways from a webinar with sociologists Steve McKay, Patricia Richards, and Naomi Sugie. The professors answered questions about how, and why, to teach research methods in abnormal times. {8 min read}

Give Theory a Chance [podcast]

• In this episode, Chris Conner joins host Kyle Green to discuss Conner’s research on the electronic music scene and gay dating apps. {43 min listen}

Backstage with TSP

• TSP is easing back into regularly scheduled programming while our board continues to manage stressors related to federal presence in the Twin Cities. Thank you for bearing with us as we navigate new developments.
• Anastasia Dulle is our newly minted Graduate Editor. She joins Doug and Chris leading TSP operations.
• The alliteration is back! The “TSP Friday Roundup” is rebranding as “TSP Tuesdays” to accommodate board members’ schedules this semester.
• Anastasia will work with board member Sara Kadoura to bring you the latest from TSP and our partners every week.

Happy New Year!🍾

New & Noteworthy

• Countries with generous parental leave policies are thought to be good for women and mothers; but a study from Jennifer Hook and Meiying Li cautions that long paid parental leaves might exacerbate the inequalities they purport to address. Read more in Jordyn Wald’s Where “Good” Work-Family Policies Go Wrong. {5 min read}

More from our Partners & Community Pages

Council on Contemporary Families

• Can parenting techniques affect children’s relationship with state authority? Herbert Rodrigues discusses his research in When Harsh Discipline Backfires: What Brazilian Teens Teach Us About Parenting and Authority. {6 min read}
• In a brief of her 2024 Social Problems article, Vanessa Delgado writes, U.S. parents financially support their adult children. But in immigrant families, it’s the reverse. {3 min read}