From the Editors

Taking the Reins

by Syed Ali and Philip N. Cohen | February 18, 2015 | Winter 2015

We are excited and honored to take the reins of such an important sociological publication! Since 2002, Contexts has been a source of fresh perspectives, crisp writing, and engaging stories. You can’t pick up an issue and be bored. You just can’t. We aim to keep it that way.

You may notice some changes here and there, but overall, why mess with a winning product? The big change is happening on contexts.org. By the time this issue comes out in print, our new website will be up and running. Thanks to our web guru, Jon Smajda, we know it will be awesome. Featuring fresh sociology research notes, a blog from American Sociological Association president Paula England, a Contexts editors’ blog, sociological haikus, extended interviews, listicles, and much more, we aim to make the site a lively hub for our fellow sociologists. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @contextsmag and “like” us on Facebook to stay up to date.

Obviously, two people can’t put together a great magazine and website on their own. We’ve got a stellar team: Shehzad Nadeem is editing Viewpoints, Andrew Lindner is on Trends, Szonja Ivester does Books, and Nathan Palmer brings us the Teaching and Learning section. Starting with the Summer 2015 issue, Allison Pugh will edit Culture. Letta Page has returned to the Contexts fold as our senior managing editor, and Meg Austin Smith is our managing editor. Lucia Lykke will helm social media, and a great group of grad students from the University of Maryland will contribute research and writing.

Even better, we have great writers bringing interesting topics into our pages. In this issue, you’ll find three timely articles on the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, one on lesbian geographies, one on women carrying concealed guns, and a fascinating interview with Keith Chhe, a survivor of the genocide in Cambodia. And that’s just a taste.

With company like this, why wouldn’t you want to contribute to Contexts? Check out our submission guidelines on the site, and be sure to keep in touch. Read, learn, and enjoy. See how Contexts brings out the best of the sociological imagination.