New Books in Sociology

Professor Brett Bowden from Western Sydney University discusses his new book, which critiques our fixation on the present. He introduces the concept of tempocentrism, arguing it distorts our view of history and progress, often displaying bias. The conversation explores the clash between human urgency and geological timelines, questioning labels like the Anthropocene. Bowden advocates for patience over immediacy in decision-making, emphasizing the need to reflect on our place in nature rather than viewing civilization as its conqueror.

Fatima Rajina, a senior fellow at the Stephen Lawrence Research Centre, discusses her book on British Bangladeshi Muslims in the East End. She examines how factors like the global war on terror have reshaped men's sartorial choices and language use. Rajina highlights the historical and cultural significance of clothing, exploring its evolution from tradition to modern identity markers, particularly among younger generations. The conversation challenges mainstream narratives by showcasing the community's rich cultural expressions and the impact of imperial legacies.

Samantha A. Vortherms, an Assistant Professor at UC Irvine, dives deep into China's hukou system. She discusses how authoritarian regimes manipulate citizenship to control rights access, revealing stark inequalities in socio-economic privileges. Vortherms also highlights the plight of internal migrants and the systemic hurdles they face. Through compelling examples, she explores the balance between political stability and economic development, unpacking the intricate relationship between local governance, security, and citizenship.

Tom Scott-Smith, Director of the Refugee Studies Centre at Oxford, specializes in humanitarianism and refugee needs. He explores the diverse and often innovative solutions for refugee housing post-2015 migration crisis. Scott-Smith highlights unusual living spaces, from abandoned hotels to shipping containers, and discusses the political ramifications of these shelters. He advocates for incorporating refugees in the design process, emphasizing the balance between functionality and beauty, and questions the paternalistic approaches of current humanitarian aid.

Sabrina Strings, a sociologist and author of "The End of Love: Racism, Sexism, and the Death of Romance," dives deep into the state of modern relationships. She argues that the rise of 'situationships' stems from historical sexism and racism. Strings critiques how men are redefining attraction through a lens of whiteness, impacting Black women particularly. She discusses the evolution of masculinity, tracing the shift from playboys to 'fuckboys,' and emphasizes the need for a broader understanding of love that challenges traditional norms.

In this enlightening conversation, Nick Butler, a Professor of Business Administration at Stockholm University, delves into the intricate dynamics of humor in contemporary politics. He examines how jokes can shift power structures and spark discussions, particularly in the context of divisive events like the 2016 U.S. election and Brexit. Butler contrasts the humor styles of different political factions, exploring cultural nuances and the risks of offensive jokes. He also discusses algorithmic leadership and its implications for workplace engagement, making for a thought-provoking listen.

How does a Black man in Austin get sent to prison on a 70-year sentence for stealing a tuna sandwich, likely costing Texas taxpayers roughly a million dollars? In America, your liberty--or even your life--may be forfeit not simply because of what you do, but where you do it. If the same man had run off with a lobster roll from a lunch counter in Maine it's unlikely that he'd be spending the rest of his life behind bars.The U.S. incarcerates more people than any other industrial democracy in the world. We have more ex-prisoners than the entire population of Ireland, and more people with a felony record than the populations of Denmark, Norway, New Zealand and Liberia combined. Why did the United States become the world's biggest jailer? And, just as importantly, what has it done to us? What are the costs--socially, economically, and politically--of having the world's largest population of ex-prisoners? And what can we do about it?In The Jailer's Reckoning: How Mass Incarceration Is Damaging America (Rowman & Littlefield, 2024), Kevin B. Smith explains that the United States became the world's biggest jailer because politicians wanted to do something about a very real problem with violent crime. That effort was accelerated by a variety of partisan and socio-demographic trends that started to significantly reshape the political environment in the 1980s and 1990s. The force of those trends varied from state to state, but ultimately led to not just historically unprecedented levels of incarceration, but equally unprecedented numbers of ex-prisoners. Serving time behind bars is now a normalized social experience--it affects a majority of Americans directly or indirectly. There is a clear price, the jailer's reckoning, to be paid for this. As Smith shows, it is a society with declining levels of civic cohesion, reduced economic prospects, and less political engagement. Mass incarceration turns out to be something of a hidden bomb, a social explosion that inflicts enormous civic collateral damage on the entire country, and we must all do something about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

Lauren D. Olsen, an Assistant Professor at Temple University, dives into the systemic issues of U.S. medical schools in her discussion. She highlights how good intentions in incorporating humanities and social sciences often backfire, reinforcing existing inequalities. Olsen argues that the way medical students learn perpetuates individualistic approaches to societal problems. The conversation emphasizes the need for reforms that truly integrate equity and empathy, advocating for a curriculum that prepares reflective medical professionals ready to challenge the status quo.

Devotional Fanscapes: Bollywood Star Deities, Devotee-Fans, and Cultural Politics in India and Beyond (Rowman and Littlefield, 2023) examines how fans worship film stars as deities. Focusing on temples dedicated to Bollywood (Hindi cinema) stars and the artifacts produced by Hindi and Tamil cinema fans, Shalini Kakar illustrates how the fan constructs their identity as a devotee and that of the star as a deity. Extending her research from India to the US, Kakar highlights the transnational dimensions of this phenomenon to demonstrate the degree to which devotional fan practices (fan-bhakti) and fan artifacts can help us rethink art, religion, and politics. With its interdisciplinary approach, this book addresses how fan-bhakti is performed in the global landscape, in the process augmenting new religious models and identities based on the idea of the “cinematic sacred.”For more information, go here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

In 2022, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced it was training “robot dogs” to help secure the U.S.-Mexico border against migrants. Four-legged machines equipped with cameras and sensors would join a network of drones and automated surveillance towers—nicknamed the “smart wall.” This is part of a worldwide trend: as more people are displaced by war, economic instability, and a warming planet, more countries are turning to AI-driven technology to “manage” the influx.Based on years of researching borderlands across the world, lawyer and anthropologist Petra Molnar’s The Walls Have Eyes: Surviving Migration in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (New Press, 2024) is a truly global story—a dystopian vision turned reality, where your body is your passport and matters of life and death are determined by algorithm. Examining how technology is being deployed by governments on the world’s most vulnerable with little regulation, Molnar also shows us how borders are now big business, with defense contractors and tech start-ups alike scrambling to capture this highly profitable market.With a foreword by former UN Special Rapporteur E. Tendayi Achiume, The Walls Have Eyes reveals the profound human stakes of the sharpening of borders around the globe, foregrounding the stories of people on the move and the daring forms of resistance that have emerged against the hubris and cruelty of those seeking to use technology to turn human beings into problems to be solved.Additional resources can be found here.Michael O. Johnston, Ph.D. is a Assistant Professor of Sociology at William Penn University. He is the author of The Social Construction of a Cultural Spectacle: Floatzilla (Lexington Books, 2023) and Community Media Representations of Place and Identity at Tug Fest: Reconstructing the Mississippi River (Lexington Books, 2022). His general area of study is at the intersection of space, behavior, and identity. He is currently conducting research about the negotiation that humans make between their identity and the spaces they inhabit. To learn more about Michael O. Johnston you can go to his website, Google Scholar, Twitter @ProfessorJohnst, or by email at johnstonmo@wmpenn.edu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology