The Global Sociology Blog

“The Beninese philosopher Paulin Hountondji describes a pattern in colonial science, carried forward to the postcolonial world, where data-gathering and application happen in the colony, while theorising [sic] happens in the metropole. Most social science still follows this pattern. (…) Metropolitan sciences, continuously updated at home, continues to be exported. The trade now includes Foucault [...]

I knew I had spotted Scott Jaschik at the ASA (I always do, somehow). Years ago, when Michael Burawoy was president and the meeting theme was public sociology, one of the presidential panels had Barbara Ehrenreich. One of the points that Ehrenreich made was that, as a columnist, she would love to have access to [...]

With a much better audio than my little videos (h/t Mike): Wed 8.12.09| Men and Gender Equality | Against the Grain: A Program about Politics, Society and Ideas via kwout

Todd Krohn has a really neat tradition. He selects one sociologist to showcase every semester. This term’s selection? The Power Elite: New Sociologist of the Semester via kwout I confess to knowing nothing of Michael Welch. Criminology is definitely not my area. But Todd’s post certainly picked my curiosity and I hope he posts more [...]

Children Underground is one of the most powerful documentaries I have ever seen on the consequences of totalitarian reproductive policies and their consequences after state collapse. It takes place in Romania, a few years after the fall of the Ceaucescu regime. During his reign, Ceaucescu set the goal to have a numerous workforce. So, in [...]

The following videos are Raewyn Connell’s responses to the panelists. Connell has a low and very whispery voice, so, you might want to, gain, crank up the volume on your computers. Part 2: And part 3, where she gets a little more personal than is customary in these settings: The following two clips are excerpts [...]

As part of the Gender and Sex sessions, Michael Messner had put together a tribute to Raewyn Connell. Connell herself was in attendance. The panel was composed of Patricia Yancey Martin, Joan Acker, and Raka Ray. In this first part, you will find videos segments of PYM’s contribution as well as Raka Ray’s. I apologize [...]

I have to say that this year’s ASA was a bit disappointing. As I mentioned before, I did not find this year’s theme really inspiring and I did find its premises misguided. Indeed, I completely disagree with ASA President Patricia Hill Collins’s view of Obama’s election as something new and revolutionary, and a bringing together [...]

Here are the first three parts of Patricia Hill Collins’s Presidential Address at the ASA. She is the one who promoted the theme of New Politics of Communities and that is what she addresses here. Apologies for the shaky camera at times, but the people in front of me kept moving their giant heads! Part [...]

Well, folks, I am at the ASA. I arrived yesterday, late of course, because my flight was delayed, which blew a couple of sessions I wanted to attend. Oh well. I am glad to report that said flight was indeed no kid-free but indeed freak-free. And the kids kept quiet, miraculously. Anyway, the session I [...]

I am flying out early tomorrow morning to the ASA Annual meeting. As I did last year, I will be writing reports on the sessions I attend. This time, I am bringing my camera, so it will be reports + photos! I am not really all that interested in this year’s topic (to be frank [...]

It seems that sociology communities are starting to appear across the Internet and that they might be useful and interesting if they are not just short-lived fads. Beyond Academia.edu, there are a couple I joined that are specifically sociological: Sociologically.net | towards an international sociological community via kwout Sociologically.net seems to have a nice international [...]

Paul Langley‘s The Everyday Life of Global Finance: Saving And Borrowing in Anglo-America is obviously a very relevant book for our times and a very illuminating one at that. The starting point of the book is this: “It is only over the last quarter of a century or so that stock market investment has become [...]

That’s what human babies are indeed and Mother Jones blog, the Blue Marble, has been all over it for months, creating some controversy on this topic. Nothing gets people more defensive than babies. The initial post by Julia Whitty that started it all suggested what is actually basic reality: “Tiniest of Baby Booms” A Monster [...]

It’s almost that time of the year again! Courtesy of Kieran Healy, the ASA Bingo card 2009. So, who’s going?