New Books in Sociology

Alicia M. Walker is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Missouri State University, and Arielle Kuperberg teaches at the University of Maryland, focusing on sexuality. They share fascinating insights from their research on BDSM, highlighting how practitioners find happiness through clear boundaries, consent, and open dialogue. The duo debunks myths about BDSM, showing it’s not solely about sex but also about identity and creativity. Their approachable findings offer valuable lessons on communication and building authentic connections that can enhance all relationships.

Mike Rowe, a senior lecturer in public sector management at the University of Liverpool, discusses his groundbreaking research on street-level bureaucracy. He explores how contextual factors shape the discretion of frontline workers, especially in police and social welfare roles. Rowe highlights the value of interpretive methodologies and ethnographic approaches in understanding decision-making patterns. He also reflects on his unique experiences transitioning from practitioner to researcher, revealing insights into bureaucratic practices in various global contexts.

Orthodox Choreographies: Boundaries, Borders and Materiality in Jerusalem's Old City (Gorgias Press, 2024) offers a comprehensive anthropological study of lived Christianity in Jerusalem’s Old City, with a special focus on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or the Church of the Anastasis. Based on in-depth ethnographic fieldwork, the study explores the experiences of the Rum Orthodox community, examining their internal dynamics and relationships with other Christian groups. Within the Church of the Anastasis, complex interplays emerge, as fragile legal agreements intermingle with ethnic and theological considerations, resulting in a complex reality of shared spaces and coexistence. A materialist lens is employed to study these dynamics, suggesting that the material aspects of religious practices play a crucial role in shaping borders and influencing perceptions of similarities and differences across them. Outside the Church's confines, in the Old City of Jerusalem, lay Christians, especially the local Palestinian Orthodox, engage in 'border-crossing practices', which often deviate from the Orthodox Church's approved practice. These practices reflect the flexible strategies local Christians adopt in their everyday lives in Israel, challenging established norms and boundaries. By capturing these dynamics, the book provides valuable insights into shared sacred spaces and offers a significant contribution to debates in the anthropology of Christianity and its material culture. Roberto Mazza is currently a visiting scholar at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Blusky and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

The Unforgotten Women of the Islamic State (Oxford University Press, 2024) by Dr. Gina Vale explores the governance of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization through the lives and words of local Iraqi, Syrian, and Kurdish women. While the roles and activities of foreign (predominantly Western), pro-IS women have garnered significant attention, the experiences and insights of local civilian populations have been largely overlooked. Drawing on the testimonies of 63 local Sunni Muslim and Yazidi women, Dr. Vale exposes the group's intra-gender stratified system of governance. Eligibility for the group's protection, security, 'citizenship', and entrance into the (semi-)public sphere were not universal, but required convergence with the gender norms of IS, through permanent erasure or at least temporary disguise of certain markers of difference. In some cases, this was directed by a pre-meditated 'divide and conquer' strategy, while in others, it manifested as unregulated violences at the hands of individual group members, including women. The structure follows the trajectory of IS's increasing control over its 'citizens' and captive populations: its militarization of society; imposition of law and order; provision of goods and services; and intervention in civilians' private lives. Analysis of diverse first-hand accounts and the group's documentation reveals that the presence, exclusion, and victimization of local civilian women were necessary to the functioning and legitimation of IS's 'caliphate' project, and the supremacy of affiliated men - and women. As a fledgling proto-state, IS needed local Iraqi, Syrian, and Kurdish women. Though far from represented or protected, they were by no means forgotten. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda’s interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks with Ashleigh Greene Wade, Assistant Professor of Digital Studies with a joint appointment in Media Studies and African American Studies at the University of Virginia, about her book, Black Girl Autopoetics: Agency and Possibility in Everyday Digital Practice. The book examines how black girls use social media posts to fashion self images that express the girls’ self-understandings, goals, and worldviews. Vinsel and Wade talk about the research methods and ethics of the project and end by talking about Wade’s current project on young social media influencers and how the digital content production and influencer industries are reshaping our conceptions of childhood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

In Ordinary Rebels: Rank-And-File Militants Between War and Peace (Oxford University Press, 2025), Kolby Hanson argues that these periods of state toleration do not simply change armed groups' behavior, but fundamentally transform the organizations themselves by shaping who takes up arms and which leaders they follow. This book draws on a set of innovative experimental surveys and 75 in-depth interviews tracing four armed movements over time in Northeast India and Sri Lanka. A powerful new theory of how conditions shape the trajectory of non-state armed groups, this book reshapes our understanding of why such organizations become more moderate over time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

Since the Reagan era, conservatives in the United States have championed cutting taxes, especially for wealthy individuals and corporations, as the best way to achieve economic prosperity. In his new book, Pay Up!: Conservative Myths about Tax Cuts for the Rich (Cambridge UP, 2025) John L. Campbell shows that while these claims are highly influential, they are also wrong. Using historical and cross-national evidence, the book challenges and refutes every justification conservatives have made for tax cuts - that American taxes are too high; they hurt the economy; they facilitate government waste; they constitute an unfair downward redistribution of income; and they threaten individual freedom - and conversely shows that countries can actually benefit from higher taxes, especially when tax increases fall most heavily on those most able to pay them. Through clear prose and a well-reasoned argument, Campbell's book provides an accessible, engaging, and much-needed perspective on the role of taxes in American society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

Jacinto Cuvi, an Associate Professor at Université Libre de Brussels, dives into the struggles of street vendors in São Paulo, Brazil. He uncovers how these workers navigate the complex web of legality, revealing a stark contrast between municipal laws and the vendors' lived experiences. Cuvi discusses the precarious nature of their rights and how it affects their strategies for survival. He also touches on the impact of cynical political practices on their livelihoods and hints at his future research exploring informality within bureaucracies.

Robert F. Carley, an Associate Professor at Texas A&M, specializes in cultural approaches to social movements and racial politics. He discusses how tactics in social movements serve as a public expression of injustice rather than just means to achieve goals. Drawing on Antonio Gramsci, Carley explores the relationship between race and mobilization, emphasizing the importance of ideological contention in shaping movement tactics. He also presents new concepts for analyzing the tactical practices of protests involving race, linking historical insights to contemporary issues.

In this engaging discussion, Xiang Biao, a social anthropologist and director at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, shares insights from his impactful book, Self as Method. He emphasizes the importance of intellectual activism for China’s youth, encouraging them to think independently. The conversation explores how social media influences polarization, the distinction between self-improvement and systemic change, and the significance of local observation for individual agency. Xiang also discusses the intersection of theory and public engagement, highlighting new research on ambition.