New article out in The Conversation. I’m proud to co-author this with my grad assistant, Jordyn Gerwig . We examine signs of economic instability in Oakland County, one of Michigan’s wealthiest areas. Jordyn will also be starting her PhD in sociology this fall. theconversation.com/signs-of-eco...
A common critique of the Heterodox Academy is that it’s a “MAGA plot”. Such claim is wrong. Here’s the member breakdown by ideology.
I also appreciate @asanews.bsky.social for keeping the focus on advancing sociology rather than advocating particular political causes. That helps preserve what gives sociology its value: rigor, complexity, and open inquiry.
The World Baseball Classic players may provide a useful case study of assimilation and its many dimensions, even as the concept (of assimilation itself) has been treated as problematic for quite some time.
“These findings reveal Americans aren’t as racially divided as partisan politics and media make it appear. But there’s more work to be done.”
As a sociologist, I cannot overemphasize the importance of learning stats together with software such as R and basic coding, not only for research competence but also for building transferable skills valued in the labor market.
If housing is a “national crisis,” why do outcomes vary so much across metros, and even w/in & b/w suburbia? E.g., inner & outer suburbs tell different stories. Also, what exactly counts as “affordable housing”?
A meta-analysis of 168 studies covering more than 11 million people found no reliable link between economic inequality and well-being or mental health.
go.nature.com/4smt467
“The more it stays in denial—insisting this vast, wealthy industry has nothing to fix, that the last decade of cancel culture and ideological conformity was mostly a hoax, and that the critics are all acting in bad faith—the more likely the backlash becomes uglier, broader, and harder to stop.”
As the year wraps up, I’m grateful for forums like Heterodox Academy that make serious disagreement possible, without turning it into a loyalty test or pre-sorting people into ideological boxes. Sadly, this is a quality higher education has long lost. Here’s hoping that changes… yeah, right…
Reading or sharing something labeled “left” or “right” doesn’t make someone left- or right-wing.
Association isn’t causation, whether we’re talking about data or ideas.
A quick, exploratory look at where Greek immigrants stood socioeconomically in the early 1900s. Just a first pass. www.grigorisargeros.com/greekamerica...
Funny how just trying to see both sides of an issue (now) gets you labeled as left or right. That says more about their self-righteousness than your views.
As another possible shutdown approaches, here’s the history of U.S. government shutdowns since 1976.
The “sociological imagination”, a key concept in soc, is supposed to help people see how personal problems connect to larger social forces. However, many use it only when it fits their own political, moral, or value beliefs, which makes it less about open thinking & more abt supporting their side.
Thank you!
True, but how do we solve social problems or even mobilize effectively when there’s no dialogue at all?
Thank you for this. Great book!
Been playing around with data & using GIS to map inner/outer-ring suburbs in Detroit from 2000-20. The story? Poverty is higher in inner rings but has also grown in the outer ones. Racial/ethnic diversity is rising in both, more so in the outer. Suburban change is more multifaceted than it seems.
Through the Social Order & Social Justice lenses, res seg reflects a clash, and sometimes an overlap, of beliefs about “fairness and equality; freedom, choice, and responsibility; individual vs. group-based morality; and attitudes to social change.” 2/2
After reading “Why We Disagree About Inequality” (Iceland, Silver, & Redstone), I keep thinking about how their framework applies to residential segregation. 1/2
He was my professor in both undergrad and grad school (MA) at Queens College, and one of the few who helped me see the beauty in statistics. His guidance and passion for teaching statisics left a lasting mark on me. He will be deeply missed. May he rest in peace.
But the promise of suburban life doesn’t look the same for everyone. Some neighborhoods are thriving, others are struggling, and old divides are showing up in new ways. What does it really mean to “make it” in the suburbs today? End/
Detroit’s suburbs are more diverse than ever-Black, Asian, Latino, & immigrant families are reshaping places once seen as white & middle-class. 1/
Looks like the Baseball Gods have realigned things just the way the status quo likes it:
The Yankee hate is back — and it’s stronger than ever. Amen.
I started reading this book by John Iceland, Eric Silver, and Illana Redstone. Among a host of other courses, it can be a great addition to an intro to sociology course.
I should’ve clarified. They should state it in the announcement with the layoffs and cuts.
Non-profits that publicly announce cuts and layoffs should be required to disclose their CEO’s/President’s salary.
