~the-society-pages | Bookmarks (107)

New & Noteworthy I Hate the Elite…Sometimes, by S Ericson from Yuchen Luo’s study, explores how Trump’s presidency altered populist views among his supporters. Luo’s research reveals that many Trump voters, feeling represented by him, became less populist between 2016 and 2020, though their attitudes toward elite groups largely remained unchanged. Will Trump’s second term […]

Yuchen Luo, “We Got Our Guy!: Populist Attitudes after Populists Gain Power,” Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, 2024 Presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks before a rally in Pennsylvania. “Donald Trump Rally 10/21/16” by Michael Candelori is licensed under CC BY 2.0 Many people feel that politicians in power don’t represent them. For instance, […]

This Hill piece by Fisher and Yazdiha (2025) discusses the history of activism in the US and the lessons climate activists can learn from the civil rights movement.

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Neil McLaughlin, Professor of Sociology at McMaster University and author of Erich Fromm and the Global Public Sociology (2023). In our conversation, Neil discusses the rise, fall, and potential resurgence of the writings of Erich Fromm. Neil reflects on the value of Fromm’s work in this current political […]

In this Teaching Sociology piece, Rojo (2024) discusses both the challenges and opportunities in community-engaged learning and advocates for an approach that balances both student needs and community partnerships.

New & Noteworthy Gender, Cultural Change, and the Catholic Church, adapted by Jordyn Wald from work by Christine Delp, examines the evolving role of women in the Catholic Church amidst cultural shifts. The article highlights Pope Francis’s 2024 synod, which, while falling short of ordaining women as deacons sparked ongoing debates about gender roles. From […]

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.

We are on the verge of one of the biggest wealth transfers in world history—what some social scientists have called “The Great Wealth Transfer.” We are also living through a huge increase in wealth inequality. Yet we know surprisingly little about a key type of wealth transfer: inheritance. What do people actually do with their […]

When does cultural appreciation become appropriation? A recent study published in the American Sociological Review offers a fresh look at this often misunderstood process. To do so, sociologists Abraham Oshotse, Yael Berda, and Amir Goldberg applied an experimental design, known as a vignette experiment, to a large sample of over 2,500 participants. The authors provided […]

New & Noteworthy How Partisan Moral Flexibility Shapes Beliefs in American Politics by Anastasia Dulle writes about research by Minjae Kim and colleagues who examined how Americans evaluate truth in political statements in their study in the American Journal of Sociology. Using online surveys, the researchers found that voters across the political spectrum often support factually […]

If you missed the Council on Contemporary Families’ “Families in Perilous Times: A Policy and Public Scholarship Workshop” this October in Baltimore, here’s a recap of the event. The day began with opening remarks from CCF Chair Arielle Kuperberg, setting the stage for the discussions ahead. The first panel delved into abortion in the post-Dobbs […]

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are rapidly transforming the current educational landscape, with students far outrunning faculty in their use of these tools. Current research highlights a cultural lag in higher education, a phenomenon Sociologist William F. Ogburn described in 1922. This term refers to the gap in adaptation between material (physical artifacts) and nonmaterial culture […]

Zachary Parolin & Stefano Filauro, “The United States’ Record-Low Child Poverty Rate in International and Historical Perspective: A Research Note,” Demography, 2023 Two young boys running towards the ocean during sunset. “Children Running on Beach at sunset” by Click Sent is licensed under Pexels License. Despite being one of the richest nations in the world, […]

In this Contexts piece, Corey M. Abramson uses Mill’s Sociological Imagination to examine new ways AI can advance sociological research. The author also highlights some potential pitfalls of AI, such as erasure and abstract empiricism.

In our present era of book bans, challenges to K-12 gender curriculum, and legislative battles over gender-affirming care, it seems the left and right have nothing in common when it comes to kids. To learn more, Mallory Rees and Abigail Saguy examined the current state of discourse on gender in the context of parenting, drawing […]

A large college lecture hall, with some seats brightly lit and others covered in an ominous shadow. Photo by Pixabay from Pexels under Pexels license. On November 9th, 2023 the Florida Board of Governors voted to remove “Principles of Sociology” from the list of required courses at all public colleges. Manny Diaz Jr, the state’s […]

Lampe (2023) advocates for using TikTok to increase student engagement and class participation. The author discusses how TikTok can be used to simplify big concepts and examine lived experience.

Vincent M. Carter, “From chart-topper to gold record: The effects of Billboard chart popularity on RIAA gold or platinum certification of #1 R&B/Hip-Hop singles in the Pre-SoundScan and SoundScan eras, 1977–2008,” Poetics, 2024 A vinyl record store. Image by Darya Sannikova under Pexels license. How can you tell if a song is popular? Two important measures of musical success […]

Minjae Kim, Oliver Hahl, Ethan Poskanzer, and Ezra W. Zuckerman Sivan, “When Truth Trumps Facts: Studies on Partisan Moral Flexibility in American Politics,” American Journal of Sociology, 2024 A slogan on the side of a truck. A U.S. flag is superimposed over an outline of the United States, above a large red banner emblazoned with […]

New & Noteworthy How Negative Feedback Impacts Women’s Political Participation Online by Dylan DiGiacomo-Stumm covers research by Zhaodi Chen and Junghun Han. They examined how negative feedback affects women’s participation in online political discussions using survey experiments. The study finds that while “dislikes” do not deter women, the risk of post deletion significantly reduces their […]

The Contexts team is happy to welcome the esteemed Dr. Alondra Nelson. The Harold F. Linder Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study, where she leads the Science, Technology, and Social Values Lab, and a distinguished senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, Nelson served from 2021-2023 as deputy assistant to President Joe Biden […]

In this Context’s piece, Auldridge-Reveles and Murphy (2024) argue that we need a sociology of flourishing or well-being instead of focusing only on social problems.

Zhaodi Chen and Junghun Han, “Her Lips Are Sealed: Effects of Negative Feedback on Women’s Participation in Online Political Discussions,” Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, 2024 A woman holding two phones, one with “1000 likes” and the other with none.” “Person Holding Smartphones” by Kaboompics.com is licensed under Pexels License. Women’s voices remain […]

Dixon and Quirke (2017) discuss how ethics chapters in sociological research methods textbooks promote a procedural rather than nuanced approach to ethics. They suggest ways for instructors to help students develop a fuller understanding of conducting ethical research.