Contexts

sociology for the public

In Brief

News and notes.

same behavior, different meaning

What does it mean to drive an electric vehicle? For some, it may be a bold act of climate action while for others it may … Read More

paying attention. period.

Menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) are absent from both the Millennium Development Goals and the Sustainable Development Goals, which have shaped global and national-level policies … Read More

travel and the times

How do you choose where to go on vacation? Maybe you consult friends or family or follow the advice of a travel influencer. Or maybe … Read More

saving money, saving relationships

When a friend or family member asks for money and you are unable or unwilling to help, how do you say no without damaging the … Read More

our forests, ourselves

Environmental dilemmas require social solutions. In North America, urbanites frequently lead the charge on environmental activism, often implicitly constructing rural people as oppositional to their … Read More

are you holding?

Say you want to buy or sell some secondhand fashion online. To determine whether the platform you intend to use is legitimate, you might look … Read More

a broader look at the housing crisis

As the housing crisis continues to affect millions of renters around the world, scholars tend to focus on urban areas. But people rent in rural … Read More

making merit

Elites often strive to justify their success by invoking the concept of merit. But how do they define merit? According to a new article by … Read More

trust and stratify

Imagine waking up one day to another you. Instead of a physical clone, though, the new you is a digital doppelganger who has taken control … Read More

who’s on top?

Let’s face it: sex work is a highly stigmatized occupation. Although we might expect the shared experience of stigmatization to foster solidarity among sex workers, … Read More