Sociology Ruins Everything

You pay your taxes, you vote, and you follow the laws. Does that make you a good citizen? If you said yes, according to a 2019 Pew Center Research survey, most Americans agree with you. However, do these things make you civically engaged? This episode explores what it means to be a civically engaged social scientist and how we now need engaged researchers more than ever. Show Notes Philip Cohen [https://www.philipncohen.com/] on social media ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/philipncohen.com⁠ [https://bsky.app/profile/philipncohen.com] ⁠https://x.com/familyunequal⁠ [https://x.com/familyunequal] Cohen, Philip (2025). Citizen Scholar: Public Engagement for Social Scientists. https://cup.columbia.edu/book/citizen-scholar/9780231204194/ [https://cup.columbia.edu/book/citizen-scholar/9780231204194/] Lynd, Robert (2016). Knowledge for what: The Place of Social Science in American Culture. https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691648088/knowledge-for-what?srsltid=AfmBOooZ52chxPtWIMMbwPgf9X8f6qHRJd5S_3CajC0cA-svipnDrOEq [https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691648088/knowledge-for-what?srsltid=AfmBOooZ52chxPtWIMMbwPgf9X8f6qHRJd5S_3CajC0cA-svipnDrOEq] Putnam, Robert (2000). Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community http://bowlingalone.com/ [http://bowlingalone.com/] SocArXiv https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv [https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv]

What can a sociology podcast say about fire? This episode delves into the social and cultural dimensions of fire and the institutions that have changed our relationship with it. While it touches on climate change, this episode is more about the power dynamics, social inequalities, and cultural values that influence decision-making and resource allocation in fire and forest management. Today's wildfires are a tragedy in the making, going back over 100 years. Patrick Wright, the director of the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Taskforce, joins me as we talk about the vital next steps in protecting communities. Show notes California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Taskforce https://wildfiretaskforce.org/ [https://wildfiretaskforce.org/] Treatment Dashboard https://wildfiretaskforce.org/treatment-dashboard/ [https://wildfiretaskforce.org/treatment-dashboard/] Sedlar, Matthew. Living with Disaster: Risk, Housing Instability, and Post-Disaster Migration. N.p., 2022. Print. https://mars.gmu.edu/items/bd414407-1351-4220-8bc2-a9db39dbe89a [https://mars.gmu.edu/items/bd414407-1351-4220-8bc2-a9db39dbe89a]

This month, I want to tell you a story about Concord Park, a suburb of Philadelphia. Concord Park was intentionally designed to combat the systemic forces that fostered segregation and inequality in postwar American cities. So when more and more people were being separated, Concord Park brought people together. But geography, or putting people in homes next to each other, isn’t enough. Communities are built on interaction, shared interests, and experiences. In the case of Concord Park, it was through the Wonderland Puppet Theater. That’s right. This month, we’re talking about puppets. But also housing, inequality, and community. This is a sociology podcast, after all. Paulette Richards joins the podcast as we talk about how art can bring community together. Show Notes Richards, P. (2024). Object performance in the Black Atlantic: The United States. Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Object-Performance-in-the-Black-Atlantic-The-United-States/Richards/p/book/9781032054865 [https://www.routledge.com/Object-Performance-in-the-Black-Atlantic-The-United-States/Richards/p/book/9781032054865] Patterson, Orlando.  Slavery and Social Death:  A Comparative Study.  Cambridge:  Harvard UP, 1982. https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674986909 [https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674986909] Piggot, W. Benjamin and W. Benjamin Pigott. “The ‘Problem’ of the Black Middle Class: Morris Milgram's Concord Park and Residential Integration in Philadelphia's Postwar Suburbs” The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Apr., 2008, Vol. 132, No. 2 (Apr., 2008), pp. 173-190 https://www.jstor.org/stable/20093996 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/20093996]

Sociologist Stephanie Canizales joins the podcast to discuss the complex realities unaccompanied migrant youth face, the factors that lead them to embark on such journeys, the risks they encounter, and the challenges they face in adapting to new surroundings. The episode also discusses how communities and organizations can provide support and opportunities for these vulnerable youth. Show notes Canizales, Stephanie. 2024. Sin Padres, Ni Papeles: Unaccompanied Migrant Youth Coming of Age in the United States https://www.ucpress.edu/books/sin-padres-ni-papeles/paper [https://www.ucpress.edu/books/sin-padres-ni-papeles/paper]

Places are unique to us. We become attached to them. And when you ask people to name a place that means a lot to them, there’s a good chance they’ll talk about home. Our homes are full of stuff, from practical items like vacuum cleaners and chairs to sentimental treasures such as photo albums and heirlooms inherited through generations. All these objects help make a space a place. But what happens when we lose them? And how does the loss of even mundane objects, seemingly insignificant items, impact our emotional well-being? Surprisingly, there isn’t a whole lot of research in this area. This episode examines furniture poverty. What is it, how does it affect people and their ability to connect with others, and what can we do about it? https://awidercircle.org/ https://komsomolfilms.com/inventory/