Culture
Making meaning of people making meaning.
Valuing Art
In September 2008, Damien Hirst became the first famous, living artist to sell his work directly through an auction house, bypassing the gallery system. This … Read MoreBring Out Your Dead
George Carlin should be the perfect comedian for sociologists. He was left- leaning, political, and not especially funny. In fact, his earnest concern for social … Read MoreA (Sheltered) Island of Acceptance
Shelter Island is a resort town on the east end of Long Island, New York, adjacent to The Hamptons and part of a county (Suffolk) … Read MoreInvestigating the Aspen Elite
The author spent a year in a mountain hideaway in the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado observing and interviewing the locals. He found Aspen to … Read MoreSmoking Clean
Since the 1960s, federal, state, and local government agencies have restricted where Americans can smoke. These rules emphasize the health hazards of smoking. In contrast, … Read MoreBottoms Up
America is witnessing a kind of renaissance of working-class culture, but it’s being ushered in by people distinctively not working-class. To understand why middle-class Americans … Read MoreWho's Counting?
In 21, a group of smart, nerdy MIT students travel to Las Vegas to count cards and score big at some of the biggest casinos … Read MoreWhy We Go Home Again
Still Waiting: Life After Katrina follows the families of three African American women as they rebuild their lives and community in the aftermath of Hurricane … Read MoreHow to be a Foodie
Food magazines are designed to appeal to the senses, but they provide guidance about culture, status, and the good life, as well as food. Rather … Read MoreEnlightened Teenage Masculinity
While Superbad continues the crude and sophomoric story of nerdy, horny, and virginal teenage boys desperately eager to have sex with girls, it also presents … Read More