Contexts, the quarterly magazine that makes cutting-edge sociology research accessible to general readers, has officially transitioned from print to a fully digital publication. Published by the American Sociological Association (ASA), the magazine’s new editorial team promises to continue the publication’s mission of serving as the public face of sociology through its expanded, online-only format.
The Winter 2026 issue will be available April 20 under the leadership of Editor David Grazian, professor of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania, and Managing Editor Elena G. van Stee, also of Penn.
“With the move online, Contexts enters a new chapter—one that broadens our reach and deepens our ability to engage a public hungry for evidence-based perspectives on the most pressing social issues of our time,” Grazian writes in this issue.
Each new issue of Contexts will be completely free to read for the first 30 days after publication, with one featured article remaining open access forever. The author(s) of the featured article may also be interviewed by the ASA Publications team for the Contexts podcast, which will be published soon after the issue goes live. In the Winter 2026 edition, the free-forever article—”DIY Faith” by Landon Schnabel et al.—discusses the transformation of religious life among young Americans. The magazine also features a timely mix of research, commentary, and essays that illuminate contemporary social life and democratic challenges. Highlights include a Q&A with sociologist Mabel Berezin on rising authoritarianism, an essay by Rodney Benson examining pressures on media independence, and new research on topics ranging from economic inequality to informal school discipline. Additional features explore how people justify inequality, how legal frameworks around sexual harm could be rethought, and how Indigenous dance functions as cultural resistance.
The editorial team acknowledged the contributions of outgoing editors Amin Ghaziani and Seth Abrutyn, and managing editor Letta Page, whose leadership strengthened the magazine’s tradition of public engagement. Read the Winter 2026 issue of Contexts online. To subscribe, visit the Contexts website.