The Global Sociology Blog

While I was in Kenya, my driver / guide noticed that I was interested in politics, so, every day, he’d get me a different newspaper to read we’d discussed Kenyan politics or he’d explain the disastrous effects of global warming on Kenyan agriculture, hoping that Obama would ratify the Kyoto Protocol. That made for pretty [...]

That’s right! I am almost done packing and will catch an early morning flight tomorrow to London then to Nairobi. I will be spending most of my time in Kenya, then to Zambia.

I will be offline (literally, no computer, no cellphone, no TV) for about two weeks. See you then! I will have tons of [...]

Star Trek 2009 is, as far as I am concerned the first Star Trek movie, that is the only movie that truly captures the essence of the original series. The only other tolerable ST movie was Wrath of Khan. All the other movies, including the ST-TNG movies were really really bad and got worse as [...]

The Grumpy Sociologist has a great post that explains the legacy of colonialism in the current conflict in Sri Lanka between the Tamil Tigers and the government. As with many new wars, this one is also devastating on the civilian population. And as with many stealth conflicts, it is poorly reported in the media (actually, [...]

Radoslav Banga, Rom and proud to claim the heritage, will represent the Czech Republic at the Eurovision with a song "Supergypsy" that makes fun of all the stereotypes applied to Roms. His selection, according to Le Monde, has enraged the Czech neo-nazi who cannot stand the thought of a Rom representing the country (I told [...]

I don’t blog often on microsociology and symbolic interactionism. Fortunately, others do that very well. Case in point, this post over at the Sociology Lens, based on the merger of two of the largest talent agencies, William Morris and Endeavor (thereby creating the very large William Morris Endeavor):

Talent Agencies as Cultural Gatekeepers « Sociology [...]

Robert J. Sawyer is one of my favorite science-fiction writer ever since I discovered the Neanderthal Parallax trilogy: Hominids / Humans / Hybrids (highly recommended). I have worked my way through almost everything he has written and getting a new book by him is always a source of great anticipation.
His latest book, WWW: [...]

When the social structure fails…

Witch hunts, murder and evil in Papua New Guinea – Australasia, World – The Independent via kwout

And indeed, the rise in witch-hunting is not random, it corresponds with deteriorating social conditions:

Witch hunts, murder and evil in Papua New Guinea – Australasia, World – The Independent via kwout

But it is not [...]

Shocking and surprising, I know (via Carlos Serra). The following is an interview with Mwila Chigaga, the regional senior gender specialist at the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) African headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Q&A: African Women Worst Affected by Global Economic Crisis via kwout

And it is hard to avoid the correlation with this:

ECHIDNE OF THE [...]

This was hilarious (lame excuse: let’s use this as an opportunity to explore the phenomenon of fanhood):

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Phil BC has a great post on the Eurovision 2009. Apparently, he has watched and listened to all the entries (and survived it!) and he gives his expert opinion (alogn with some geopolitical analysis):

A Very Public Sociologist: Countdown to Eurovision via kwout

His favorite is the Finnish entry:

You know, I can remember a time when all [...]

Yes, I have been a fan of the Pet Shop Boys ever since "Suburbia" and their latest album is groovy:

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When something is a scarce resource and in high demand, it is very likely that it will be trafficked at redirection of distribution of said resource. Case in point, children, and especially boys in China.

Chine, le pays des enfants volés – Libération via kwout

As the article states, between 8,000 and 15,000 children (75% boys) [...]

Formerly colonial African societies are still marked by major racial and ethnic stratification. They are perfect illustrations of the difficulty of overcoming legacies of racial privileges and disadvantages. Case in point:

White mischief Cholmondeley gets its comeuppance – Africa, World – The Independent via kwout

For the pun contained in the title of the article, see this [...]

Oh boo-freakin’-hoo:

BBC NEWS | Africa | Kenyan sues over sex ban ’stress’ via kwout

Dude, go work out, take cold showers and quit whining. You’ll live. Oh, and maybe, just maybe, you might to ask your wife why she’s on strike and discuss gender inequalities with her. Empathy and gender equality work wonders for happy [...]