Contexts

sociology for the public

Fall 2023

Volume: 22 | Number: 4

This season, we’re living in color. Each page of this exuberant issue brings exciting vistas into view. From the emerging impulse to center joy in sociology to the commercial forces at play in our chromatic landscape, and from the ways skin color and racism interact to produce unequal health outcomes to the social life of red-light districts, our authors are exploring the full spectrum of human experience.
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going up country?

Parker Muzzerall | In Brief

Rural life is better known for its pastoral landscapes, tight-knit communities, and relative affordability than for its vibrant nightlife. Accordingly, research on the trend of … Read More

learning curves

Sophie X. Liu | In Brief

For a long time, sociologists and policymakers have assumed that the fact kids in some neighborhoods do better in school than others can be boiled … Read More

worthless bodies, legitimized violence

Rose Xueqing Zhang | In Brief

Do you know how many missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA1 people are in what is now called “Canada”? Shockingly, it appears that … Read More

social determinants of obesity

Rose Xueqing Zhang | In Brief

Right now, major North American media outlets are buzzing with excitement over the emergence of ground-breaking weight loss drugs like Ozempic. As treatments proliferate, however, … Read More

take a bite out of crime?

Sophie X. Liu | In Brief

While dogs have long been our best friend, a recent paper by Nicolo P. Pinchak and colleagues suggests that they also are a neighborhood’s … Read More

a cannabis conundrum

Sophie X. Liu | In Brief

Do you support legalizing recreational cannabis? If so, would you be comfortable with a pot shop in your neighborhood? In a recent article published … Read More

happy parents

Parker Muzzerall | In Brief

Along with freedom and liberty, the pursuit of happiness is central to American life, and in recent decades, entire industries have formed around mental, physical, … Read More

the depths of sexual racism

Rose Xueqing Zhang | In Brief

Writing in Social Problems, Khoa Phan Howard uses a case study of a 35-year-old interracial friendship group anonymized as the “Asian Network Group” (ANG) … Read More

ethnic identity and migrant communities

Colter Uscola | In Brief

Migration for the sake of survival is an unfortunate reality for many. From Ukraine to Syria, individuals make the unimaginably difficult choice to settle in … Read More

unplugging from politics

Elena G. Van Stee | In Brief

Have working-class young adults inherited their parents’ politics? The 2016 election put a spotlight on working-class resentment as a driving force behind Donald Trump’s victory. Read More

About Contexts

Contexts is a quarterly magazine that makes cutting-edge social research accessible to general readers. We're the public face of sociology.

It is a publication of the American Sociological Association, edited by Amin Ghaziani and Seth Abrutyn (University of British Columbia), with Letta Page.