Contexts

sociology for the public

Winter 2013

Volume: 12 | Number: 1

This issue covers violence in everyday Buenos Aires, movements to end deadly war in Central Africa, and young men’s masculinity in affluent societies. Also, an interview with a founding father of the Occupy movement and an analysis of public mourning practices from Steve Jobs to Kim Jong Il.
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The Kids Are Not Alright

Arlene Stein and Jodi O'Brien | From the Editors

The kids, it turns out, are not alright. In our cover article, Born Amid Bullets, Javier Auyero takes us to a barrio outside of … Read More

Occupy Hong Kong

Daniel Garrett | In Brief

Photo by Daniel Garrett Occupy Hong Kong was China’s contribution to the global Occupy movement. Launched in mid-October 2011, the … Read More

Rocking the Vote

Joanne Chen | In Brief

by Jennifer JohnsonWhen a Gallup poll showed a sharp drop in the number of 18- to 29-year-olds who said … Read More

Like a Hurricane – but Worse

Lee Clarke | In Brief

The storm known as Sandy was called a “superstorm,” a “Frankenstorm,” “the perfect storm.” It was indeed impressive, with a wind span of about 1,000 … Read More

Foreclosing on Black Communities

Editors | In Brief

While the economy is showing signs of slow recovery, foreclosures continue to decimate American cities. Six million families have already lost their homes, and the … Read More

Rage Against The Refs

Dinur Blum | In Brief

by Amanda LanzoneWhen people watch football, they tend to focus on their favorite team. But this season the NFL … Read More

Occupy Aesthetics

Kalle Lasn and Greg McLauchlan | Q&A

In this interview, Kalle Lasn, founder and editor-in-chief of Adbusters magazine, discusses his magazine and the future of the Occupy movement. Read More

Truth-Telling and Intellectual Activism

Patricia Hill Collins | Feature

Patricia Hill Collins, a feminist public intellectual, discusses the importance of speaking across multiple audiences. Read More

Mourning Becomes Democratic

Bin Xu | Feature

Public mourning is not a spontaneous expression of grief but a symbolic and political practice. Sociologist Bin Xu examines a new trend in recent decades, the “democratization of public mourning,” that celebrates our symbolic equality and individuality instead of affirming status hierarchies. Read More

Beyond The One-Size-Fits-All College Degree

James Rosenbaum, Kennan Cepa, and Janet Rosenbaum | Feature

James Rosenbaum, Kennan Cepa, and Janet Rosenbaum examine how commonplace assumptions about higher education limit opportunity. Read More

About Contexts

Contexts is a quarterly magazine that makes cutting-edge social research accessible to general readers. We're the public face of sociology.

It is a publication of the American Sociological Association, edited by Amin Ghaziani and Seth Abrutyn (University of British Columbia), with Letta Page.