Recently, the United States has witnessed incredible progress toward equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people, as well as the inevitable backlash following such a challenge to the status quo.
C’est avec grand plaisir que je vous acceuille dans mon bout de pays, “La Belle Province.” That we meet in Montréal to debate “Culture, Inequality, and Social Inclusion across the Globe” is particularly fitting as these very topics have been at the center of the construction of the Canadian community since 1608, in the context of multiple ethno-national and colonial conflicts. Today, many perceive Canadian society as exemplary when it comes to collective wellbeing, immigration policy, and multiculturalism.
This summer, the stewardship of SPQ transitions to a new dynamic duo, Matthew E. Brashears and Brent Simpson. Brashears and Simpson will become the 25th editor(s)-in-chief of the journal. This editorial transition will take the journal to the University of South Carolina, a powerhouse in the subfield of social psychology for decades.
The ASA Annual Meeting Bulletin is now available for download. In her greeting, President Michele Lamont expands on her theme, "Culture, Inequalities, and Social Inclusion Across the Globe," and invites attendees to the 2017 Annual Meeting plenary sessions. Be sure to check out the Presidential Panels and the Presidential Sessions on Current Societal Issues. Is there a book you have a few questions about? Check out the listing of Authors Meets Critics Sessions. And don't forget to learn more about the ASA Town Halls.
ASA and the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) are pleased to introduce the five new scholars who comprise MFP Cohort 44. The MFP Advisory Panel met this spring in Washington, DC, to review the large and highly competitive pool of applications. Keeping with tradition, MFP Cohort 44 consists of talented PhD candidates with strong and diverse sociological research interests. The new Fellows will officially begin their participation in MFP on August 1, 2017.
In recent discussions with sociological colleagues who work in universities across the United States, in both research- and teaching-oriented institutions, two related topics come up. One is the rise of “performance metrics” that are used to assess faculty performance, and the other involves questions about tenure processes and standards, and whether those are equitable.
Harassment—sexual, racial, and other forms—has been a pervasive issue in higher education and we often hear of such misconduct at professional meetings, including ASA’s Annual Meeting.