Contexts

sociology for the public

In Brief

News and notes.

Counting Race

The U.S. population continues to become more racially and ethnically diverse. In fact, most of the growth in population from … Read More

Class Struggle in the USA

The public believes that class conflict is rising. Two-thirds of Americans say there are strong conflicts between the rich and the poor in America, according … Read More

Diagnosing Everyone

“When does a broken heart become a diagnosis?” asked the New York Times in a front-page article in January, reporting … Read More

Too Many Friends

by Gabriela Molina (gabrielamolina.com)If you’ve spent any time on Facebook, you have probably wondered if people really have as many … Read More

It Takes a Care Village

We all know that Americans are living longer. But some of us are living much, much longer. According to the latest Census, the number of … Read More

Taking the Blame for Climate Change

In the United States, responsibility for climate change and other environmental problems is increasingly being shifted to consumers. Robert Antonio and Robert Brulle, in a … Read More

Vaccine in the Crossfire

At a Republican presidential candidates debate in September, then-candidate Michelle Bachmann derided Texas Governor Rick Perry’s decision to “force innocent little 12-year-old girls” to have … Read More

The Graying of Facebook

According to Mary Madden and Kathryn Zickhur of the Pew Research Center, older Americans’ social networking use is on the upswing: it’s doubled among Internet … Read More

Transgender Prisoners

Prisons pose problems for all inmates, but there are especially tricky issues at work for transgender people. Recognizing this, Italy proposed last year to open … Read More

Failure to Respond

Hurricane Katrina, the Indian Ocean tsunami, Tropical Storm Irene, and other disasters are generating debates about relief efforts. Who gets help and why? How do … Read More