Contexts

sociology for the public

In Brief

News and notes.

good lawyer, bad lawyer

Progressive young adults have a heightened awareness of systemic inequalities, so how do they reconcile their ideals with reality when they enter professions they … Read More

listing addiction on your resume

One man’s stigma is another man’s… professional asset? Recent research in the Journal of Applied Social Sciences explores how firsthand experiences with drug … Read More

fire flight

In January 2025, wildfires tore through Los Angeles County, reducing entire communities to ashes and displacing tens of thousands of residents. While the immediate … Read More

parental profiteering

Children have become a not-so-hidden workforce of fame and fortune on social media platforms. In their article “Children as Concealed Commodities: Ethnographic Nuances and … Read More

Aging with Imagination

How does artificial intelligence reshape the experience of aging—and what can we do about it? In their article, published in Big Data & … Read More

Defining Discrimination Changes Policy Preferences

There’s widespread consensus that racism, sexism, and classism are pervasive social problems requiring consensus and coordination to address. However, a recent study in … Read More

Financial Theatrics

Why do families sometimes create detailed loan agreements when providing financial help to relatives, even though these documents are not legally binding and typically come … Read More

Medicalizing Maternity

In “Psychiatric Gaslighting: The Surveillance of Mental Illness during Pregnancy,” published in Social Problems, authors Charlotte Abel and Stefan Timmermans grapple with a critical issue: … Read More

23 and we?

With the explosion of genetic ancestry testing, more and more Americans are connecting with new parts of their ethno-racial identities. But does a White suburban … Read More

the wages of digital emotional labor

How do online interactions mirror societal norms? A recent Social Psychology Quarterly article reveals that even those online spaces that are collectively supportive against … Read More