Contexts

sociology for the public

In Brief

News and notes.

Responses to Affirmative Action

Affirmative action, a remedy policy for past racial discrimination, is a highly controversial political issue in the United States. Those who support affirmative action see … Read More

Are Neighborhoods Actually More Diverse Today?

Do diverse neighborhoods remain diverse, or are they simply transitioning? In recent years, researchers have used neighborhood diversity as a measure of progress toward racial … Read More

Decolonizing Sports Mascots

In Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, Cynthia Pelak challenges current sociological practices of teaching about settler-colonial racism. Settler-colonial racism is the social formation in … Read More

Couples Sharing Money

How should couples share their income? Couples with greater relationship investments (e.g., having children together, being legally married) are expected to prioritize their families’ needs … Read More

Criminalized for Just “Living”

The Baltimore uprisings following the murder of Freddie Gray in 2015 were fueled by systemic abuse and neglect of poor Black communities. They captured the … Read More

Speak Spanish or Perish

Do you have to speak Spanish to be Latinx? In Social Problems, Lorena Garcia explains how middle-class adult children of Latinx immigrants use Spanish … Read More

To Hire or Not to Hire?

Several studies show that decisions about who to hire contribute to occupational gender segregation. But what about the decision not to hire? In American … Read More

Sex Work and Status Perks

How do marginalized men working in illicit markets create opportunities to improve their own racialized masculine status? In Gender & Society, Sharon S. Oselin … Read More

Inmates, Social Networks, and Health

Past research has found that being highly integrated with others has health benefits; little is known about whether this remains true in prison settings. Read More

Christian Nationalism, Race, and Policing

The era leading up to and during the Trump presidency has included intense conflict and dialogue surrounding issues of police brutality. In their new … Read More