Latest articles from sociology lens

Sociology Compass Issues

New issue of Sociology Compass out now! (Vol 5, Issue 11

Sociology Compass Volume 4, Issue 11 Page 924 – 998 The latest issue of Sociology Compass is available on Wiley Online Library Crime & Deviance Immigrants’ Perceptions of the Police (pages 924–935) Yuning Wu Article first published online: 5 NOV 2010 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-9020.2010.00332.x Culture Environmental/Green Cultural Shifts: Dynamics of Social Change (pages 936–946) Lynne M. Woehrle Article first published online: 5 NOV 2010 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-9020.2010.00333.x Race & Ethnicity Middle-class Latin@ Identity: Building a Theoretical and Conceptual Framework (pages...

Gender & Sexuality / Political & Economic Sociology / Sociology of Culture / Sociology of Organizations & Work

FREE SPECIAL ISSUE: Papers from the 2009 Compass Interdisciplinary Virtual Conference

We are delighted to announce the publication of a Special Issue made up of papers presented at the 2009 Compass Interdisciplinary Virtual Conference. The following papers are now AVAILABLE FOR FREE until January 2011! Communicating about Communication: Multidisciplinary Approaches to Educating Educators about Language Variation (pages 245–257) Christine Mallinson and Anne H. Charity Hudley Abstract | Full Article (HTML) | PDF(99K) | References Beyond ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’: Breaking Down Binary Oppositions in Holocaust Representations of ‘Privileged’ Jews (pages 407–418) Adam...

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

The Postmodern Politics of the Sanity Rally

I’ve watched mass gatherings with great interest while living in Washington D.C. From Obama’s election night and inauguration to various marches, and, of course, Glenn Beck and Jon Stewart’s rallies to restore “honor” and “sanity,” respectively. These last two, both organized by cable television personalities, brought massive amounts of people to the National Mall, so many people that these rallies might be telling us something about our current moment in American political discourse and participation. Let me describe yesterday’s Rally...

Opinion

From mourning to reflection: considerations in the aftermath of a trajedy

Rutgers University has been my intellectual home for the last 8 years. Recently, one of our freshman, Tyler Clementi, committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge. He took his own life after his roommate and another student posted a video of him engaging in sexual activity with another student on the internet. This horribly sad and disturbing event sparked an emotional reaction on our campus, as well as discussion of how to protect students from this kind of...

Opinion

New issue of Sociology Compass out now! (Vol 4, Issue 10)

The latest issue of Sociology Compass is available on Wiley Online Library Communication & Media Sexualised Culture and Young People’s Sexual Health: A Cause for Concern? (pages 824–840) Clare Bale Article first published online: 3 OCT 2010 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-9020.2010.00316.x Crime & Deviance Drug War Politics: Governing Culture Through Prohibition, Intoxicants as Customary Practice and the Challenge of Drug Normalisation (pages 841–855) Shane Blackman Article first published online: 3 OCT 2010 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-9020.2010.00324.x In the Spirit of Selden Bacon:...

Political & Economic Sociology / Social Psychology & Lifecourse

"Hope" and "change" don't pay the bills – and for that, the democrats will pay

In the last presidential election, “hope” that Washington could be a less partisan and ultimately a less corrupt and more transparent place, coupled with a longing for “change,” propelled Obama into office. That, and an intense disappointment with the previous administration. However, the economic meltdown and the generally painful economic situation for a large number of Americans has lead even many Obama supporters to question whether anything is actually different and whether our president can be pragmatic and effectual in...

Class & Stratification / Political & Economic Sociology / Race & Ethnicity Studies / Sociology of Culture / Sociology of Law, Crime and Deviance

Seeking Refuge: the battle for stability and support in times of economic hardship

A recent Seattle Times report shed light on the growing, but often invisible, problems faced by the United States’ refugee population. Approximately 80,000 refugees will resettle in the U.S. this year, hailing from war-torn countries such as Somalia, Myanmar (Burma), Iraq, and Bhutan. These individuals leave desperate situations- some living in camps in borderlands for ten years- with the hope of making a new life. However, refugees are warned before they decide to depart their native region that the U.S....

Science & Technology / Sociology of Culture

The Medical Marijuana Hype: It's Not As Easy As THC

Let’s get it out there up front: I’m not a medical doctor or a medical researcher, so this is not going to be a discussion of the physiological effects of THC.  Instead, I want to step back for a moment and engage in a cultural critique of the hype surrounding medical marijuana.  Put simply, I’m not concerned here with what marijuana actually does; rather, I’m concern with the place that marijuana (particularly, when used for therapeutic purposes) holds in our...

Science & Technology

The wide usage of antipsychotic medications may indicate social rather than biological etiology

There are many lessons to take away from the New York Times article linked below that describes a rambunctious little boy whose life was nearly ruined by anti-psychotic medications. Increasing numbers of children have been prescribed this class of drugs as of late for conditions ranging from Tourette Syndrome to bipolar disorder, which psychiatrists have begun to diagnose in children at younger and younger ages. There is controversy surrounding the very ability to diagnose these conditions in young children and...

Opinion

Facebook Places and the Augmentation of Reality

You probably have heard about Facebook Places, a feature that brings the site up to speed with other location-sharing services like Foursquare and Gowalla that allow users to document where they are, as well as potentially who they are with and other comments about that location. The term “augmented reality” is often used to describe the layering of digital information onto the physical world [examples of where it is now, and where it might be going]. However, I have argued...

Opinion

Sociology Podcast: Managing a Co-Editorship

Brian Donovan and Bill Staples, the current co-editors of The Sociological Quarterly, discuss their methods for successfully managing the workload and relationship of a co-editorship. Listen to the Podcast here. [c/o Wiley-Blackwell Sociology Editors Forum 2010]

Science & Technology

If a depression begets depression, will the concept of mental illness be altered?

For the last several decades, depression rates have been on the rise at a rapid pace. At the same time, the economy was in a boom. Socioeconomic status is a variable that has been shown over and over again to affect the likelihood to experience depression; there is an inverse relationship between income/wealth and depression. If the economy was better a few years ago and depression rates were up, it is imperative that we think about what is happening and...

Class & Stratification / Gender & Sexuality / Political & Economic Sociology / Social Identity / Social Movements / Social Change / Social Psychology & Lifecourse / Sociology of Culture / Sociology of Media & Communication / Video Resources

Come as you are: The social experiences of sexual identity and mental health

On August 4, Federal Judge Vaughn R. Walker struck down California’s ban on same sex marriage ruling that the prohibition violated the right to equal protection as afforded by the United States Constitution.  Judge Walker went to great lengths to lodge his ruling in an extensive review of the facts presented. Ultimately, he determined, “Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition...

Political & Economic Sociology / Sociology of Culture

When the American entertainment industry and Haitian politics collide: The case of Wyclef Jean and his potential presidency

By Rachael Liberman Now that Wyclef Jean has officially announced his bid for president of Haiti, serious questioning has (temporarily) replaced snap skepticism in an attempt to understand the recording artists’ motives, plans and eligibility. While Jean’s “Open Letter” offered a characterization of his emotional investment, a recent interview with Rolling Stone offers more campaign-specific clues. According to a report posted on the magazine’s website today (10 August): “Jean says ‘the number one problem in Haiti is corruption,’ and in...

Opinion

Implicit Issues in Predicting the Future?

Sociologists are paying increasing attention to the future, both in terms of our predictive abilities and simply in terms of theorizing about the future and it’s role in the present world. Network theory, for instance, is not only a theory of the present but one that allows for predictions about interaction and resources in the future. The article. below, describes a sociology of the future in the context of technology but what struck me most was the final sentence, which...

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

Social Media: Have We Built a Society without Closets?

Today, we are all familiar with with what it means to be closeted. In fact, coming out has become among our most widely recognized cultural narratives. No doubt, large swaths of the American landscape still present environments hostile to sexual preferences that deviate from prevailing hetero-patriarchical norms, but progressive circles, and increasingly, society writ large, have embraced the belief that coming out (i.e., rending oneself visible) is the road to empowerment. If this is true, the queer community should be...