Contexts

sociology for the public

Spring 2012

Volume: 11 | Number: 2

This issue explores surrogate mothers in India, bodily perfection in Latin dance, and the impact of IRBs on sexuality research. Spring 2012 also features viewpoints on Occupy Wall Street, challenges myths about islamic terrorism and prisons, and shows how two intellectuals have fundamentally changed altered how Americans see the nation.
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How Rachel Carson and Michael Harrington Changed the World

Peter Dreier | Feature

The 50th anniversary of two pathbreaking books—Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring and Michael Harrington’s The Other America—that helped change public opinion and public policy about the environment and poverty is discussed. Peter Dreier looks into what contemporary academics, including sociologists, can learn from the lives and careers of these two influential public intellectuals. Read More

Dancing the Body Beautiful

Julia A. Erickson | Feature

Using accounts from several professional Latin dancers augmented by the author's own experience, Julia A. Ericksen traces the ways bodily perfection has become an important part of dancers’ identities. In addition, Ericksen argues that this is a more extreme form of general cultural pressure to engage in bodywork. Read More

The Real Help

Mary Romero | Culture

Who are the help? Examining The Help and other media, the author explores the public (mis)portrayals of domestic workers. Read More

Sexualizing Girl Troubles

R. Danielle Egan | Culture

The issue of the sexualization of girls has made its way into scholarly and popular literature. The author discusses various media myths of hyper-sexuality in young girls and its potential problems. Read More

Surf’s Up

Raj Andrew Ghoshal | Trends

Sociologist Raj Andrew Ghoshal explores accommodation-sharing networks and whether they provide travelers with more than just a free place to stay. Read More

Mounting Opposition to Vivisection

Justin R. Goodman, Casey A. Borch, and Elizabeth Cherry | Trends

Justin R. Goodman, Casey A. Borch, and Elizabeth Cherry discuss public attitudes toward animal testing and its growing opposition. Read More

Documenting Disaster After Katrina

Gary K. Perry and Michael Mizell-Nelson | Teaching and Learning

Sociologist Gary K. Perry talks with historian Michael Mizell-Nelson about digital memory banks created after Hurricane Katrina. Perry further reflects on disasters and the pedagogy of helping. Read More

Got Power?

Christine Williams | Back Page

Sociologist Christine Williams reflects on how she, as a feminist professor, advises her students to get power. Read More

Thinking in Context

James M. Jasper | Books

The book Thinking, Fast and Slow is reviewed and shows what sociologists could learn from Daniel Kahneman's work on behavioral economics by extending this knowledge to cover the study of social interactions. Read More

What They’re Reading

Deborah Carr, Ted Conover, Avery F. Gordon, Mary Pattillo, Jeffrey Prager, and Erik Olin Wright | Books

A "list" of what five sociologists and one sociologically-minded journalist are currently reading. 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.