Bookmarks (87)

Sociologists have long examined how states shape families. In the recent case of Syrian refugees resettled in Canada, state policy did more than shape. It dismantled and redefined the family, imposing a narrow structure that ignored the realities of refugee kinship systems. Our seven-year ethnographic study followed 52 Syrian households resettled under Canada’s Syrian Refugee […]

When I first stepped into my high school classroom as a marketing teacher, it felt like an ironic turn. I had spent my early university years studying business administration, only to leave it behind for sociology—a discipline that offered a critical lens on the very world I had once aspired to join. The corporate sphere, […]

Our research suggests that TikTok is creating a space for female basketball players, including Black, queer, and masculine-presenting players, to be viewed as sexually desirable and amazing athletes.

Viktoria Cologna et al., “Trust in scientists and their role in society across 68 countries,” Nature Human Behaviour, 2025 Image by Jordyn Wald. Is the public losing trust in scientists? No, according to a new survey of over 70,000 respondents around the world. Researchers found instead that most people still trust scientists—and want them involved […]

Jonathan Wynn, UMass sociologist and author of The Tour Guide, Music/City, and The City and the Hospital, has a new book out today—and the fact that it’s a novel isn’t the only twist! We reached out to this long-time friend of Contexts (fun fact: he was a student editor for us once upon a time) about the […]

As part of our Teaching Theory Special Series, First Publics spoke to Dr. Kyle Green about his podcast Give Theory a Chance. Dr. Green talked about his commitment to “flattening theory,” making sociological theory accessible and enjoyable to students. He also shared the joys and challenges of creating a podcast, and the many theoretical perspectives […]

This video from ASA’s Sociological Insights Video Series features Sara Goldrick-Rab discussing how many undergraduate students face food insecurity and even homelessness while getting their degree.

New & Noteworthy Election Fallout and Increased Infant Health Disparities by Leo LaBarre covers research by Paola Langer, Caitlin Patler and Erin Hamilton. They found adverse birth outcomes rose among Black, Hispanic, and Asian mothers after the 2016 election, highlighting how political stress and racism can harm infant health indirectly. Our latest Clippings by Mallory Harrington includes: From […]

On International Women’s Day, as we celebrate the achievements and contributions of women worldwide, it’s also a time to reflect on the silent, unpaid work many women do every day—relational management. This involves managing not just their own emotions but also anticipating, soothing, and supporting their partners’ emotional needs. It’s a burden too often seen […]

In this episode we are joined by Jonathan Wynn, Professor of Sociology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Jon joins us to discuss The Set Up, his debut work of fiction that both thrills and educates. Jon shares his experience writing a work of fiction, reflects on how theorists including W.E.B. Du Bois and Erving Goffman […]

Paola Langer, Caitlin Patler, and Erin Hamilton, “Skip Nav Destination Research Article| August 01 2024 Adverse Infant Health Outcomes Increased After the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election Among Non-White U.S.-born and Foreign-born Mothers,” Demography, 2024 An infant’s hand gripping an adult’s finger, in black and white. “Grayscale Photography of Baby Holding Finger” by Pixabay is licensed under […]

New & Noteworthy This week’s Clippings by Mallory Harrington includes: Our latest Discovery by Eleanor Nickel covers research by David Jonathan Knight on African American and Afro-Latino men who spend their formative years cycling through U.S. prisons, and how growing up behind bars fuses identity to confinement, turning adulthood milestones into carceral experiences that constrain […]

In the Fall of 2024, I attempted to give students a “research day.” assuming they would appreciate the extra time to work independently. My goal was to provide enough time for them to dive deeper into their individual research projects. However, instead of relief, my announcement was met with awkward hesitation. One student quipped, “Can […]

When young Americans leave home to build their own lives, many are also leaving behind their family’s religious traditions—but not necessarily their spirituality. Our decade-long study reveals that as young adults establish independent identities, many break free from religious institutions while crafting more personalized spiritual lives that better align with their evolving values about family, […]

Check out this Teaching Sociology article by Matthew Mitchell and colleagues reflecting on teaching sociological theory through play!

David Jonathan Knight, “Carceral Passages: Coming of Age in Prison America,” American Journal of Sociology, 2024 A prison watchtower silhouetted against the sky, with barbed wire fencing in the foreground.“prison guard tower” by Rennett Stowe is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Extensive research has examined how prison affects the lives of adults once they leave […]

This podcast episode of “Give Theory a Chance” focuses on the work of Patricia Hill Collins — it would be a great addition for many different sociology courses!

New & Noteworthy This week’s Clippings by Mallory Harrington includes: Our latest Discovery by Anastasia Dulle covers research by Ken Kamoche and Kuok Kei Law on bamboo scaffolders in Hong Kong, and how they navigate dangerous work and social stigma by embracing a macho identity that emphasizes toughness, risk-taking, and informal expertise in a declining and highly scrutinized […]

Ken Kamoche and Kuok Kei Law, “‘I am a Scaffolder’: Constructing Safety Knowledge and Machismo in ‘Dirty Work’,” Work, Employment and Society, 2024 “Bamboo Scaffolding in Causeway Bay neighborhood” by gribbly is licensed under CC BY 2.0. The construction industry is widely recognized as one of the most dangerous industries around the world. In Hong […]

In his 2004 presidential address to the American Sociological Association, Michael Burawoy called on professional sociologists to recognize that, “as teachers, we are all potentially public sociologists.” Doing public sociology, he argued, entails engaging our students in collaborative dialogues about their lived experiences, the conditions that give rise to those experiences, and what all that […]

This Teaching Sociology article by Michael C. Lotspeich-Yadao and colleagues demonstrates the benefits of experiential learning for students interested in health careers.

New & Noteworthy Our latest Discovery, summarizing recent academic article publications, by Emma Goldstein highlights a recent study by Annika Pinch and colleagues which found that while BeReal initially encouraged authenticity through time-limited, unedited photo sharing, users gradually began to game the system by delaying posts and retaking images to appear more curated. This week’s […]

Reprinted from Council on Contemporary Families Brief Report A briefing paper prepared by Jeff Hayes, Women’s Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor[1],  and H. Elizabeth Peters, Urban Institute, for the Council on Contemporary Families symposium The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Future of Gender Equality (PDF). Many workers will provide care for a newborn or for a […]

This Ologies podcast episode featuring Disability Sociologist Guinevere Chambers would be great for Introductory Sociology courses as well as courses focused on social problems, inequality, or health!

On March 27th, Doğukan Günaydin, a master’s student at the Carlson School of Business, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). While Doğukan’s detention is the result of a vague tightening of immigration enforcement, where his immigration status will ultimately be determined, the Fort Snelling Immigration Court, has been the epicenter of contentious deportations […]

Annika Pinch, Floor Fiers, Jeremy Birnholtz, Justine Fisher, and Brigid Reilly, “New Media & Society,” ‘Is It Time for Me to Be Authentic?’ Understanding, Performing, and Evaluating Authenticity on BeReal., 2024 Image by Jordyn Wald. “Time to BeReal. 2 mins left to capture a BeReal and see what your friends are up to!” This is […]

The TSP board disscussed the official launch of our new Flagship Journal, The American Journal of Unfinished Sociology on April 1st. Listen on Spotify

Many sociology instructors use podcasts in their courses, but how can we ensure that students are getting their full benefit? Read this Teaching Sociology article to find out more!

New & Noteworthy April 1st, 2025 marks the official launch date of TSP’s official journal, The American Journal of Unfinished Sociology. We have several submissions that we will be sharing in the next few weeks, so stay tuned. Gender-Affirming Care and Gender Stereotypes, our latest Discovery my Mallory Harrington, ​covers research by Tara Gonsalves‘s research […]

Rebecca Hanson, David Smilde, and Verónica Zubillaga Oneya Fennell Okuwobi Lucius Couloute Manuela Perrotta and Lucius Couloute Christine L. William

Are you teaching a class on Inequality or Race & Ethnicity? If so, this article by Annalena Oppel on meritocracy and race in South Africa might be of interest to you!

Check out this New York Times piece that discusses Allison Pugh’s new book and how some industries are trying to tie technology to care work or even outsourcing that work to AI.

About Us AJUS is dedicated to the proposition that every idea deserves a platform. We welcome dissertation chapters, voice memos, vague thoughts, lecture notes, and data analysis that speaks for itself. Use your sociological imagination. Manuscript Types Submission Guidelines Formatting Requirements References: Don’t forget anyone, because we will look through and will send it to whomever […]

For years, we have been inundated with messages about the importance of obtaining a college degree. Popular narratives portray the journey to and through college as the pathway to success—professional, economic, and personal. These narratives, which form part of what Tressie McMillan Cottom has described as the “education gospel,” undergird ideologies such as College for […]

Tara Gonsalves, “Elaborating Embodied Boundaries: Medical Expertise and (Trans)Gender Classification,” American Journal of Sociology, 2024 A small pile of piles next to a stack of money, by Kaboompics.com is licensed under Pexels License Over the past two decades, insurance coverage for gender affirming healthcare has rapidly expanded. Gender affirming care includes surgical, hormonal, or other care that enables […]

New & Noteworthy Jordyn Wald’s latest StoryMap leverages S. Ericson’s piece on conspiracy theories, summarizing research on how belief in hidden powers offers comfort amid uncertainty. The piece traces the rise of conspiratorial thinking across social classes, examines how distrust in institutions fuels belief, and highlights the internet’s role in transforming “stigmatized knowledge” into shared […]

Your most recent book, Misrepresentation in Silence in United States History Textbooks, demonstrates the distortion of history in American textbooks. What are the implications or effects of misrepresentation? Dr. Gellman: Misrepresentation continues to allow certain kinds of stories to be told about groups of people in ways that maintain and perpetuate dominant social hierarchies. For […]

Check out this TSP article, which discusses how conversations around race have changed in online spaces, focusing on colorblind nationalism.

In this episode, Dr. Daniel Silver, Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto Scarborough and author of Scenescapes: how qualities of place shape social life (2020), joins us to discuss and read from Talcott Parsons’ On Institutions and Social Evolution, edited by Leon H. Mayhew. In our conversation, Dan helps me understand the logic […]

In February 2024, the New York Times published a two-part series on the results of a survey of men who are fans of women’s soccer. The survey addressed how and why men became fans of women’s soccer, the relationship between their fandom of men and women’s sport, and how they perceived and participated in fan […]

Jordyn is a first year PhD student in the Sociology Department at the University of Minnesota. Her interests lie on the perpetuation of gender inequality across intersecting dimensions of culture, media, race, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status, and family.

I’ve recently reimagined an introductory sociology course into a digital sociology course that introduces students to social science research methods and foundational sociological concepts. In this class, students conduct a digital auto-ethnography of their social media feeds on platforms like Instagram and TikTok and use theories like C. Wright Mills’ “sociological imagination” to better understand […]

This article by García-Albacete and Hoskins (2024) examines the effect of higher education on political self-efficacy. The article suggests that some teaching methods may widen the gender gap in political self-efficacy.

New & Noteworthy From the Archives More from our Partners & Community Pages Council on Contemporary Families: Center or Holocaust and Genocide Studies: