Category: Political & Economic Sociology

Political & Economic Sociology / Social Movements / Social Change

Honduras' De Facto Dilemma

by christinablunt Last week’s news was peppered with the conferral and withdrawal of political support around the world. Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez lost her majority in Congress, Iran’s Guardian Council declared that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had been re-elected despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Albania’s election was too close to call, and Minnesota’s Supreme Court finally declared a winner in the state’s Senate election by a mere 312 votes. But perhaps most notably, a military coup occurred in Honduras after President...

Political & Economic Sociology / Sociology of Culture

Cultural Politics and The Politics of Culture

The British and Greek negotiations over the ownership of art pieces from the Parthenon (also known as the Elgin Marbles) illustrates the interconnection of culture and politics.  Claims of authenticity, rightful ownership, display and the handling of artistic pieces are always essentially political.  Ministers of Culture are appointed by heads of state, certain kinds of art are recognized as “national treasures” while others are banned or ignored for subversive contents.  The recent dispute (see article below) over the Elgin Marbles...

Gender & Sexuality / Political & Economic Sociology / Sociology of Culture / Sociology of Law, Crime and Deviance / Sociology of Media & Communication

Over Exposure

Pornography and censorship in China by christinablunt Last Friday the Chinese government tightened its censorship of the internet search engine, Google. The website has been facing criticism from the state-supported internet watchdog, “China’s Internet Illegal Information Reporting Centre” (CIIIRC), for ‘disseminating pornographic and vulgar information.’ This is only the latest in a series of actions taken by the Chinese to restrict access to information via the internet. As of July 1 every  P.C.s sold in the country will be fitted...

Political & Economic Sociology / Sociology of Culture

Space: Capitalism’s Final Frontier?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rST0vXYK2hY]by NickieWild On June 19th, a groundbreaking ceremony in the town of Upham, New Mexico was held for the world’s first commercial spaceport, “Spaceport America.” British company Virgin Galactic received $200 million in taxpayer incentives to fund the project that will take space tourists on a short flight above the atmosphere for $200,000 dollars. The ceremony included actors dressed as Spanish Conquistadors, who once explored and conquered in the area, symbolic of the link between trailblazers of the past and...

Political & Economic Sociology / Science & Technology / Social Movements / Social Change

Hurdles to Public Healthcare

by bmckernan A recent NY Times poll found that the overwhelming majority of respondents (72%) support a government administered public healthcare program. In addition, the poll found wide support for the government initiative amongst both Democrats and Republicans. As the NY Times article on the poll’s results rightfully points out, this is not the first time in recent American history when the majority of the public has been in favor for a universal healthcare program, as President Clinton was originally...

Peace, War & Social Conflict / Political & Economic Sociology / Race & Ethnicity Studies

Raising Awareness About the Plight of Refugees

by smteixeirapoit Today, communities celebrate World Refugee Day. Worldwide, communities hope to raise awareness about the plight of refugees. In “Refugees”, Steve Loyal explains that refugees are people who escape their country of origin because of persecution or fear of persecution. After refugees flee to neighboring countries, the United Nations High Commission on Refugees interviews them and determines whether they meet the criteria for refugees. If the High Commissioner classifies them as refugees, then they are allowed to remain in...

Political & Economic Sociology / Race & Ethnicity Studies / Sociology of Culture / Sociology of Media & Communication

The Paradox of Visas and the American Dream

The playing out of class bias in the national debate over immigration  reveals the paradoxical nature  of the American Dream and the ways in which it is invoked.  Recent media coverage of the legal obstacles to obtain H1-B visas for highly skilled workers (see article below) highlights the class component of immigration.  On the one side we have educated immigrants singing the praises of the American Dream, of the opportunities which drew them to this country.  On the other hand...

Class & Stratification / Political & Economic Sociology / Social Movements / Social Change / Sociology of Culture

Iran's Purchase Power

by christinablunt Iran will elect its next president on June 12 and while the rest of the world may be watching to see how the result might impact human rights within Iran as well as Iran’s aggressive foreign policy and nuclear program, Iranians, like most other global citizens, have the economy on the top of their agenda. A great debate has ensnared the candidates, including current president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Though the dispute continues, the divisions are clear; Ahmadinejad and his...

Political & Economic Sociology / Race & Ethnicity Studies / Sociology of Organizations & Work

Shifting Migration Patterns in a Changing Economic Climate

by smteixeirapoit In the past, many immigrants traveled to the United States because they hoped to achieve upward mobility. In the current economic climate, many immigrants are not upwardly mobile. Some immigrants are unable to secure employment and other foreign workers are facing a backlash. For the first time, the United States is experiencing a decline in immigration. Many immigrants are avoiding immigrating to the United States in the first place or are deciding to leave the United States for...

Class & Stratification / Gender & Sexuality / Political & Economic Sociology / Race & Ethnicity Studies / Sociology of Culture

Courting Women

by christinablunt Yesterday, President Obama announced that Judge Sonia Sotomayor would be his nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court. It seemed evident from the time that Justice Souter announced his retirement that the next nominee would be a woman. The Court is historically unbalanced in terms of gender as well as race. If her nomination is confirmed Sotomayor will only be the third woman to ever serve the court. Last year was a tough one for women in politics. Both...

Political & Economic Sociology / Sociology of Media & Communication

Smoking: Bad Habit? Or Socially Patterned?

by socanonymous A U.S. Federal Appeals court recently upheld a 2006 landmark ruling that found top tobacco companies guilty of racketeering and fraud. The companies were found to have deceived the public about the dangers of smoking by using misleading labels such as “low tar”, “light”, and “mild”, on cigarette boxes. Manufacturers have since been required to change the way they market their cigarettes. The mass perception of smoking has gradually evolved from social acceptance to socially and morally unacceptable....

Political & Economic Sociology / Sociology of Law, Crime and Deviance

Globalization, Humyn Trafficking, and The UN

The critical theorists argue that the progress of modernity actually serves as a source of domination and dehumynization.  One can see the validity of this theoretical perspective when thinking about the global issue of humyn trafficking.  The deputy director of International Organization for Migration announced that there is an estimated 600,000 to four million people trafficked annually.   Last week the UN General Assembly met to discuss the possibility of creating a “global plan of action” to end humyn trafficking.   The majority present...

Political & Economic Sociology / Social Movements / Social Change / Sociology of Culture / Sociology of Law, Crime and Deviance / Sociology of Media & Communication

Sniffing the City

by kiddingthecity What happens if some people decided to take control, in different ways, of their own images taken in public space by the millions of CCTV, by becoming conscientious actors and protagonists of the never ending film of the city (in London, there are more that half million of CCTV, 1 every 14 citizens)? What if some people started reclaiming, under the Data Protection Act, their own ‘performances’? To the extent, for instance, of making a music video, or...

Political & Economic Sociology / Sociology of Culture

Refugees and the State of the Human

nmccoy1 The status of refugees, as Giorgio Agamben asserts, is predicated on an articulation of what constitutes the human.  What the refugee challenges or makes visible is not only that human rights are not naturally given but also that what is human is not naturally given.  If we are constituted and defined through the sovereign as Agamben argues, whose power is based on the ability to determine inclusion and exclusion, then our humanity is bounded solely  by the authority and...

Political & Economic Sociology / Social Movements / Social Change / Sociology of Culture

Inside the Iron Closet

by christinablunt On Tuesday, May 12, two women attempted, in the face of almost certain failure, to become the first same sex-couple in Russia to legally marry. LGBT rights activists, as well as the gay community in Russia, have been met with antipathy and hostility in the past so, it came as little surprise to the two when their request was denied. Not only have activists been violently attacked, according to the New York Times, state officials have assigned the...

Class & Stratification / Political & Economic Sociology

The Inequality and Irony of Free Trade

by socanonymous Due to increasing fears surrounding the spread of the influenza A (H1N1) or Swine Flu, participating countries in bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations are banning pork products and increasing trade restrictions, all in an atempt to contain the virus.  The irony of the situation, as some environmentalists and other critics argue, is that the lax rules and regulations surrounding free trade agreements such as NAFTA are partially to blame for creating the necessary conditions leading to such an...