Category: Opinion

Class & Stratification / Gender & Sexuality / Opinion / Race & Ethnicity Studies / Social Identity / Sociology of Language

Diversity & Inclusion Research: Unveiling and Promoting Diversity, Inclusion, and Access

This is the first editorial by Drs Gabriela C. Zapata and Taylor Le Cui, Co Editors-in-Chief of new multidisciplinary, Open Access journal, Diversity & Inclusion Research, published by Wiley. It is was originally published in the journal, here, on 6 November 2023 and reproduced here for wider dissemination: The global crisis brought about by the COVID pandemic and the reinvigorated actions of social groups such as Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, and the Climate Movement once more brought to light the...

Opinion / Sociology of Children / Sociology of the Family

‘Doing family’ in adversity: exploring children’s and families’ experiences of alternative care in Thailand.

Family is a fundamental social institution that plays a vital role in shaping individuals’ identities, relationships, and well-being. Traditionally, the concept of family has been associated with blood ties and shared genetic heritage. However, the understanding of family has evolved over time, acknowledging the diverse forms and dynamics that exist within it. A key sociological concept that challenges conventional definitions or models of family is the idea of “doing family.” “Doing family” refers to the actions, behaviours, and relationships that...

Applied Sociology / Opinion / Social Theory / Sociology of Children / Sociology of Health & Illness

Can young children give or withhold consent to heart surgery? Obstacles to innovative research

When we began to research children’s consent to non-urgent heart surgery in 2019, we were surprised by the healthcare professionals’ enthusiasm for consent with the right to refuse. In the first of our 45 interviews with practitioners and related experts, an anaesthetist said: “As a group, we would like to be the best in the world at doing some kind of evidence-based consent that is great for patients and legally robust.  We’re aiming to be amazing at it…Definitely some four-year-olds...

Opinion / Science & Technology / Sociology of Health & Illness / Sociology of Media & Communication

How to make sense of the debate on “study drugs”?

“Medicalization“ as a theoretical concept has received much attention in sociology throughout decades and people’s drug use is a social phenomenon investigated from different perspectives in the social and life sciences. Research on “study drugs” is an area where many of these perspectives converge – not only because it prompts us to reconsider the treatment/enhancement distinction. In this article, Stephan Schleim describes how the topic of (allegedly) performance-enhancing drugs has fascinated him since high school. When scholars started discussing this...

Opinion / Social Psychology & Lifecourse / Sociology of Children / Sociology of Health & Illness

Classroom babies more at risk for ADHD

Max and Julian are starting kindergarten this year and they are very looking forward their entrance at elementary school. Max will be turning 5-year-old on September 12th and Julian will be 6 on October 12th. They have one year apart, but they have so much fun together, they are delighted to be in the same classroom! This one-year gap between children in a same classroom is common. To determine when a child should enter school, his/her birthdate is compared with...

Opinion / Population & Demography / Social Psychology & Lifecourse / Sociology of Organizations & Work

The Most Taxing Job in the World? How Nurses Get and Stay Motivated

Those of us who have done work that involves taking care of others – of children, the elderly, and especially the sick – know that this type of work is both emotionally and physically draining. This has never been more true than over the past few years, with the COVID-19 pandemic putting unprecedented amounts of pressure on care workers across the world. Nurses, in particular, have been at the most intense frontlines of the pandemic. In addition to being exposed...

History of Sociology / Opinion / Peace, War & Social Conflict / Political & Economic Sociology / Race & Ethnicity Studies

Against the Imperial Incorporation of Asian Americans

In this blog, Harleen Kaur and Victoria Tran share the process behind their recent Sociology Compass publication, which analyzes and offers alternatives to current sociological frameworks of studying Asian Americans. Our collaboration began like many pandemic ones – in a private chat on Zoom. Both students in the UCLA Sociology doctoral program and enrolled in Professor Karida Brown’s inaugural Du Boisian Sociology course, we quickly found common ground in applying Du Boisian methodologies & theories to our research around Asian American...

Opinion / Political & Economic Sociology / Sociology of Media & Communication

The Hero Fallacy Paradox

February 2021, American President, Donald J. Trump became the first U.S. President to be impeached twice. Donald Trump was impeached a second time for inciting his followers to attack the United States Capitol in January of the same year in his attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election to remain in power. What is now referred to as the January 6th Insurrection, represents a reactionary attempt to thwart democracy by ending the peaceful transition of power, based on a disproven...

Class & Stratification / Opinion / Research Brief / Sociology of Children / Sociology of the Family

UK Secondary Education Social Mobility and Links to the PATA Theory

Financial disadvantage for children and families in the UK is a historical, persistent, and increasing issue, which affects young people’s long-term future well-being and life chances (The Equality Trust, 2022; Social Mobility Commission, 2014). For students in secondary education the achievement gap between those from low socio-economic (SES) households and their more affluent peers continues to increase, amplifying inequalities and disrupting opportunities for progression (HM Government, 2015; 2017, 2021).  Social mobility in an educational context focuses on how best to...

Opinion / Sociology of Religion

Analysing Religious Public Discourses: Categories of Thought and Value Differences

The religious field, as defined by Pierre Bourdieu (1991a), is not uniform, static or monolithic. Although there are common dogmatic doctrines and ritual practices, their perception and interpretation may differ even within the same community at the same period, especially as religious and lay actors, who occupy different positions within the field, engage in a struggle in order to implement their own visions about the place and role of the church in the world. That cannot be done without legitimizing...

Class & Stratification / Opinion / People / Political & Economic Sociology / Social Theory

Interview with Dr Zhuoni Zhang, Associate Editor for Sociology Compass

Sociology Compass is delighted to welcome Dr Zhuoni Zhang to lead the Social Stratification Section as Associate Editor, along with Professor Xiaogang Wu. Zhuoni is Associate Professor in Urban Governance and Design Thrust, Society Hub, at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou). The Associate Editor role at Sociology Compass is to lead on the commissioning of state-of-the-art review articles under dedicated subject areas. We took the opportunity to talk to Zhuoni about her research background and aims for the social stratification section as she...

Class & Stratification / Opinion / People / Political & Economic Sociology / Social Theory

Interview with Professor Xiaogang Wu, Associate Editor for Sociology Compass

Sociology Compass is delighted to welcome Professor Xiaogang Wu to lead the Social Stratification Section as Associate Editor, along with Dr Zhuoni Zhang. Xiaogang is Professor of Sociology at New York University Shanghai. The Associate Editor role at Sociology Compass is to lead on the commissioning of state-of-the-art review articles under dedicated subject areas. We took the opportunity to talk to Xiaogang about his research background and aims for the social stratification section as he and Dr Zhang join the Sociology Compass editorial team....

Opinion / People / Political & Economic Sociology / Sociology of Organizations & Work

Interview with Professor Byoung-Hoon Lee, Associate Editor for Sociology Compass

Sociology Compass is delighted to welcome Professor Byoung-Hoon Lee as our new Associate Editor for the Work, Organizations & Economics Section. Byoung-Hoon is Professor in the department of sociology, Chung-Ang University, South Korea. The Associate Editor role at Sociology Compass is to lead on the commissioning of state-of-the-art review articles under dedicated subject areas. We took the opportunity to talk Byoung-Hoon about his research background and aims for the work, organizations & economics section as he joins the Sociology Compass editorial team. Please tell us...

Applied Sociology / Opinion / Research Brief / Science & Technology / Sociology of Health & Illness

What is Medical AI Good For?

The use of artificial intelligence has grown rapidly, especially in the field of medicine, with the promise of offering advances ranging from more efficient diagnoses to safer treatments. Yet, this promise overlooks the fact that artificial intelligence still faces some pretty serious limitations, you know, the kind of limitations that prevent the machine from operating like we see in television and movies. Simply stated, artificial intelligence is still not yet that intelligent. Yes, artificial intelligence can do well at particular...

Black man raising fist in protest amidst crowd

Opinion / Peace, War & Social Conflict / Research Brief / Social Movements / Social Change / Sociology of Culture / Sociology of Media & Communication

Tweeting Abolition in an Age of Mass Incarceration and Social Unrest, Part II: From the Margins to the Mainstream

Abolition, from police abolition to prison abolition, is largely thought about as being a pretty radical theory. Even amongst critical criminologists who argue against mass incarceration, the torture of solitary confinement, or the racist nature of the over surveillance, policing, and sentencing of Black and Latinx folks, abolition is often seen as an extremist or unrealistic response to a broken system. Identifying concrete ways of fixing problematic aspects of the system is for many preferable than wanting to tear the...

Opinion / People / Population & Demography / Race & Ethnicity Studies / Social Theory / Sociology of Globalization

Interview with Dr Sayaka Osanami Törngren, Associate Editor for Sociology Compass

Sociology Compass is delighted to welcome Sayaka Osanami Törngren as our new Associate Editor for the Race & Ethnicity section. Dr Osanami Törngren is Associate Professor in International Migration and Ethnic Relations, and Senior Researcher at Malmö Institute for Studies of Migration, Diversity and Welfare. The Associate Editor role at Sociology Compass is to lead on the commissioning of state-of-the-art review articles under dedicated subject areas. We took the opportunity to talk to Sayaka about her research background and aims for the race &...