Category: Article types

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 &...

Opinion / Peace, War & Social Conflict / Research Brief / Social Movements / Social Change / Sociology of Culture / Sociology of Law, Crime and Deviance

Tweeting Abolition in an Age of Mass Incarceration and Social Unrest, Part I: What is Abolition?

For many people in the United States and the world over, 2020 was a pivotal year for learning about and engaging in radical protests against extrajudicial killings of Black and Latinx people by police officers. It was a year that brought a lot of attention to the now common slogan “defund the police,” especially after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd. As the world had also come to a screeching halt because of the global Coronavirus pandemic, with...

Applied Sociology / Opinion / People / Political & Economic Sociology / Race & Ethnicity Studies / Research Methodologies / Social Movements / Social Change / Sociology of Globalization

Interview with Dr Zarine L. Rocha, Review Articles Editor-in-Chief, Sociology Compass

In August 2022, Dr. Zarine L. Rocha joined Sociology Compass as co-Editor-in-Chief, leading the Review Articles Section. The Review Articles in Sociology Compass are commissioned pieces explaining important debates and currently published under eight subject sections. We took the opportunity to talk to Zarine about her research background and aims for the Review Articles and the journal. Please tell us about your research background and how you came to study sociology? I am a Sociologist from Aotearoa New Zealand, of mixed Pakeha and Gujarati...

News / People / Sociology of Law, Crime and Deviance

Interview with Dr George Baylon Radics, Associate Editor for Sociology Compass

Sociology Compass is delighted to welcome Dr George Baylon Radics as our new Associate Editor for the Crime & Deviance Section. Dr Radics is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the National University of Singapore. 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 George about his research background and aims for the criminology section as he joins the...

Opinion / Race & Ethnicity Studies / Social Identity / Sociology of Culture / Sociology of Organizations & Work

So, what’s it like being Muslim in Academia? A case of oppressive institutions and Islamophobic landscapes.

In this blog, Maisha Islam tells us about her recent Sociology Compass publication where she and her co-author Arif Mahmud take readers on a journey to better understand the lived experiences of Muslim academics navigating through the terrains of UK academia. There is much to learn and get accustomed to as an early career researcher within academia. From the competitive world of publishing, to securing funding or research grants, teaching on numerous courses at a time, and supporting students sometimes...

Opinion / Research Brief / Social Identity / Social Welfare / Sociology of Children / Sociology of Culture

School teachers’ perceptions of the bystanders’ role in school bullying

This particular piece of research was conducted with teachers employed in Finnish primary/lower and upper secondary schools. Ten in number were asked to unfold their perceptions of what role the bystanders play in school bullying. This text draws from their expertise to address a problem with several facets as, for example, it fuels other school problems as absenteeism. Many children choose absenteeism to avoid school because they are bullied there. Considering the long-lasting effects of bullying on victims, it is...

Class & Stratification / Gender & Sexuality / Opinion / Political & Economic Sociology / Race & Ethnicity Studies / Research Brief / Sociology of Organizations & Work

Well-being is a characteristic of companies – not just individual workers

Work-related well-being has garnered significant public attention since the onset of COVID-19. Discussions of remote work, flexible work, and the importance of work/life balance have received heightened consideration as people and organizations across the globe adapt to an unprecedented historical moment and begin reassessing how they want to work (and live). While simply discussing work-related well-being is a step in the right direction, popular and academic understandings of well-being in the workplace have room for improvement. This is because well-being...

Gender & Sexuality / Opinion / Research Brief / Social Psychology & Lifecourse / Sociology of Children / Sociology of Culture

Trans Children & Pathologisation in the UK

What happens when a society, backed by powerful institutions, media and majority culture designates a minority population as inherently disordered? When that categorisation and stigma is weaponised to legitimise abuse and discrimination? A new study highlights the legacy of one example of such pathologisation, focusing on transgender children in the UK. Introduction Across the globe, growing numbers of transgender (trans) children are being supported to live authentically in childhood. Global healthcare consensus now recognises trans identities, including in childhood, as...

Opinion / Social Psychology & Lifecourse / Sociology of Children

Readiness for independent living of youth in residential childcare: A comparative study

Transition to adulthood has become an increasingly extended and complex period for young people, which is not usually completed until the late twenties in most European countries. However, for people who have been placed in alternative care during their childhood or adolescence after being separated from their families of origin, this process is especially difficult. In addition to their early adverse experiences (such as neglect, abuse, abandonment, etc.), they are usually forced to face a much more abrupt and compressed...

Books and arts / Gender & Sexuality / Opinion / Social Psychology & Lifecourse / Sociology of Children

Discarded Data

Data, if not saturated, Often are discarded. Data that affect are fated To be disregarded. * In my BA we were all taught Research starts with a gap. Sara Ahmed sparked a new thought: Why not start with a snap[1]? * I used a box to try to contain Data that were troubling. The lid came off under the strain; Spilt, the mess was bubbling. * The focus on relaxation Transformed into unrest. To defend such deviation: Put research skills...

Research Brief

Approaching normative coherence in development from different perspectives

We all have certain principles, values or norms in our lives that we follow. But what about those principles in politics? Especially since the launch of the 2030 Agenda and its set of sustainable development goals (SGDs), norms should be represented in policies ranging from the global to the local. The 2030 Agenda provides normative standards for development policies as well as sectors where the Agenda might not seem relevant at first glance. One policy can have (intended or unintended)...

Opinion / Social Movements / Social Change

We don’t remember the O-Platz migrant protest camp for the sake of it

  Nearly 10 years ago, dozens of refugees set up a protest camp on Oranienplatz, in Berlin Kreuzberg. The protest camp gave rise to the O-Platz refugee movement, which is still nowadays very much remembered by activists in Berlin. This article complements my recent publication in Sociology Compass.  I learnt for the first time about O-Platz in early 2014. I was then travelling around Germany to research racist hate crimes. The protest camp had often been the target of racist...