Contexts

sociology for the public

Contexts Blog

Trump and the neglect of the working class

Working-class issues seem to have lost their salience, as if even American sociology was also telling them that they didn’t matter. Read More

Sociology teach-in on Trump at UC-Merced

Faculty organized a teach-in to address student questions, provide support, and encourage productive student engagement. Read More

faculty unions, don’t fold your winning hand!

Happy holidays! I’m going to tell you a Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus tale of the faculty union that could, almost did, but then ultimately didn’t. And what you … Read More

The case for seeing your Trump-voting family this holiday season

Three members of my immediate family voted for Trump. Then we had the talk. Read More

Trumped

The election of Donald Trump as the most powerful man on the planet was bad news for sociologists in at least three important … Read More

Feminist Fight Club, for grad students?

We had high hopes that this self-proclaimed feminist manifesto would have some nuggets of wisdom for graduate students. Although we found the book … Read More

Growing Up is Harder to Do.2: After the Great Recession

More than a decade ago we published a piece in Contexts entitled, “Growing Up is Harder to Do” showing how the transition to adulthood … Read More

Indians and Cowboys and Everyone Else

The bigotry one faces being Muslim… it’s just very present. [A]s the band, we’re traveling around, we’re a motley crew, and sometimes people don’t how to interface with that. The reality is that there are things that require dialogue, that require a bit more attention, and that can’t just be let go because, “This person’s a bigot, this person’s a racist, and that’s what it is.” Yes that’s what it is, but let’s have a dialogue about it. The Gaadi of Truth is addressing that. …[T]hese are conversations that need to be happening. Read More

Dark money in American politics

The term “Dark Money” conjures images of back-room deals, bribes and quid pro quo arrangements, but what is Dark Money, really? And why should we … Read More

Is the Border Safe? Border Residents’ Perceptions of Crime and Security

The overwhelming majority of residents of El Paso, Texas, reported feeling safe in their city. Read More