Tag: Sociology

Libya’s declared adherence to Sharia law: What does it mean?

November 2, 2011

This map displays those countries that use Sharia law and to what extent. Here, author Zakia Salime looks at the different interpretations of Sharia law. Image from Creative Commons. BY ZAKIA SALIMEAssistant professor of sociology and women’s and gender studies at Rutgers University Should the West worry about Mustapha Abdul-Jalil’s declaration that Libya shall embrace … More Libya’s declared adherence to Sharia law: What does it mean?

Alondra Nelson: Health care and the 99 percent

October 28, 2011

The Black Panther Party’s 40th reunion in 2006 in Oakland, California. October 2011 marks the 45th anniversary of The Black Panther Party’s founding. From the beginning of today’s Occupy Wall Street movement, Alondra Nelson argues, activists have raised the issue of health-care reform with underappreciated deliberation in a manner that also suggests the influence of … More Alondra Nelson: Health care and the 99 percent

Feature documentary film PINK RIBBONS, INC. seeks a new way to talk about breast cancer

September 29, 2011

Last October, author Samantha King (Pink Ribbons, Inc.) wrote a blog post for us about the ways in which breast-cancer marketing has now become a year-round industry (What’s next — Pink Cigarettes for the Cure?, Oct. 2010). This year, Pink Ribbons, Inc., has become a feature documentary film by award-winning Quebec filmmaker Léa Pool. The … More Feature documentary film PINK RIBBONS, INC. seeks a new way to talk about breast cancer

Schools vs. Prisons: How zero-tolerance and other punitive disciplinary policies are hurting students

August 4, 2011

As zero-tolerance discipline policies have been instituted at high schools across the country, police officers are employed with increasing frequency to enforce behavior codes and maintain order, primarily at poorly performing, racially segregated urban schools. Actions that may once have sent students to the detention hall or resulted in their suspension may now introduce them … More Schools vs. Prisons: How zero-tolerance and other punitive disciplinary policies are hurting students

Almost two decades after the dismantling of apartheid in South Africa, the country still has a long way to go.

July 13, 2011

A beach in Cape Town, South Africa. In a recent report, South Africa received a lowest-possible rating for its lack of progress in addressing xenophobia. Image from Creative Commons. BY TONY ROSHAN SAMARAAssociate professor of sociology and anthropology at George Mason University Recent news out of South Africa that the rainbow nation received the lowest … More Almost two decades after the dismantling of apartheid in South Africa, the country still has a long way to go.

What’s next — Pink Cigarettes for the Cure?

October 20, 2010

Samantha King is associate professor of kinesiology, health studies and gender studies at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. She is author of Pink Ribbons, Inc.: Breast Cancer and the Politics of Philanthropy. This article first appeared on the Breast Cancer Action Montreal‘s Fall 2010 bulletin. ——- With the annual pinkfest that marks October — Breast … More What’s next — Pink Cigarettes for the Cure?

Activism and the new agricultural biotechnologies

September 29, 2010

This week’s author feature is from the authors of Fighting for the Future of Food: Activists versus Agribusiness in the Struggle over Biotechnology, which tells the story of how a group of social activists, working together across tables, continents, and the Internet, took on the biotech industry and achieved stunning success. Rachel Schurman is associate … More Activism and the new agricultural biotechnologies

How the Philippine government propagates a model of "labor brokerage," even in a time of global economic crisis.

September 22, 2010

Robyn Magalit Rodriguez is assistant professor of sociology at Rutgers University. She is author of Migrants for Export: How the Philippine State Brokers Labor to the World. ——- Despite an unprecedented global economic crisis, Filipinos are leaving the Philippines in the thousands for employment in hundreds of countries overseas. It seems rather paradoxical; how is … More How the Philippine government propagates a model of "labor brokerage," even in a time of global economic crisis.

On the crisis of public education

September 17, 2010

If you regularly keep up on education issues or the latest documentary releases or are an all-around movie aficionado, you’ve likely seen this compelling and emotional preview for the much-talked-about documentary Waiting for Superman, which is directed by An Inconvenient Truth‘s Davis Guggenheim and opens nationwide in October. What you might not have heard is … More On the crisis of public education

"No One Loves a Loser" — life on the streets in San Francisco.

August 25, 2010

The following is an excerpt drawn from the new book Hobos, Hustlers, and Backsliders: Homeless in San Francisco, by Teresa Gowan. Gowan will be giving a talk and signing books tonight at University Press Books in Berkeley, CA, and tomorrow night at Modern Times Bookstore in San Francisco. Find more event info on our website. … More "No One Loves a Loser" — life on the streets in San Francisco.