Calls for Papers: Publications
The Michigan Sociological Review—the official, peer-reviewed publication of the Michigan Sociological Association—is seeking submissions for its fall 2024 issue. It publishes research articles, essays, research reports, and book reviews on a range of topics. Submissions will be accepted until May 31, 2024. For more information, visit the website.
The Sociology Studies of Children and Youth series invites paper contributions to its upcoming volume titled Uprooted! The Wellbeing and Social Integration of Migrant Children and Youth. This peer-reviewed, annual volume invites research from different contexts and regions, and from varied methodological and theoretical orientations. Topics include how children and/or youth perceive migration, the root causes of migration, children and/or youth as internal, rural-urban, circular, forced, or international migrants, the social integration and acceptance of children and/or youth migrants, and children’s/youth’s rights in migration contexts. Read the full call for proposals and detailed guidelines here. The submission deadline is July 1, 2024.
The British Journal of Industrial Relations invites contributions for a special issue on the theme “Technological Change, Power, and Work,” that apply comparative perspectives with a focus on Europe and North America (specifically the USA and Canada). It seeks submissions that explore both the theoretical and empirical aspects of different and emerging technologies that are currently transforming workplaces, including both traditional technological tools such as automation and new tools such as digitalization, robotization, and AI, with particular attention to the technologies affecting frontline workers. The publication’s main focus is on understanding how these technologies are socially integrated within particular sectors and workplaces. Abstracts are due July 31, 2024, and complete papers are due February 28, 2025. To read the complete call for papers, click here.
Contemporary Perspectives in Family Research, a series which focuses upon cutting-edge topics in family research around the globe, is seeking manuscript submissions for two special volumes. A volume on the theme “Sex and Sexuality within the Family Context” welcomes diverse theoretical and methodological submissions that explore issues of sex and sexuality within the family and is interested in a variety of themes. To read the complete call for papers, click here. The deadline for submissions is August 31, 2024. A volume on the theme “Immigration and Families: Examining the Causes, Processes, and Consequences of Migration” will be a broad examination of immigrant families. It welcomes empirical, theoretical, and policy-oriented papers. To read the complete call for papers, click here. The deadline for submissions is September 15, 2024. Authors are encouraged to submit a brief abstract prior to the manuscript deadlines.
Calls for Papers: Conferences
The Center on Knowledge Translation for Disability and Rehabilitation Research invites abstract submissions for its 2024 virtual knowledge translation (KT) conference, October 14, 16, and 18, 2024. This year’s programming will focus on how to ensure full and equitable inclusion in KT of people with disabilities from a wide range of disabilities, as well as how KT activities can address intersections of disability with and among gender/sexual orientation, racial/ethnic identity, socioeconomic background, rurality, religion and/or national origin. For more about the conference and to read the complete call, click here. The submission deadline is May 3, 2024.
Vibrant Emotional Health invites submissions for this year’s conference on the theme “We the Resilient: A Conference on Disaster Behavioral Health and Building a Truly Resilient Community” to be held October 1-3, 2024, in Nashville. Those interested in being panelists or presenters may share observations and findings as speakers or panelists, or by creating a poster showcasing research, program development, or other collaborative undertakings. The new, extended deadline is May 14, 2024. For more information, visit the website.
The Workshop on Changing Demographics and Housing Demand, organized by Fannie Mae’s Economic and Strategic Research Group and the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s Consumer Finance Institute, will be held October 24‒25, 2024, in Washington, D.C. The workshop will examine the evolving relationship between demographic change, housing demand, and housing finance. It seeks policy-relevant research papers on several topics. Read more about the workshop and the topics of interest here. The submission deadline is June 1, 2024.
Call for Book Review Editors
Sociology of Health and Illness is recruiting two book review editors to begin in October 2024. The core activities are identifying relevant books for review, seeking and liaising with reviewers, and reviewing and editing contributions. The journal publishes approximately 35 reviews a year; this is usually 4-5 reviews, each review being approximately 800 words, across eight journal issues. The book review editors will receive nominal compensation each year to support their own research activities. Applications are welcome from individuals in academic positions and particularly encouraged from early career colleagues and colleagues located outside the UK, especially the Global South. Applications are due April 30, 2024. Read more about the positions and how to apply here.
Call for Proposals
The Urban Institute’s Student Upward Mobility Initiative seeks proposals for a multiyear initiative designed to develop an understanding of the skills and competencies in PK–12 education that educators and policymakers can use to shape practices, programs, interventions, and broader systems change to support students’ upward mobility. It seeks proposals that develop new or improved PK–12 measures or that connect measures of PK–12 skills and competencies to economic mobility across the domains of academic achievement, “noncognitive” factors, health and well-being, social capital, and career preparation. The institute expects to fund $3 million in research grants, ranging from $50,000 to $500,000, through this year’s request for proposals. All interested applicants must submit a mandatory letter of inquiry by April 30, 2024. Find out more on the website.
Call for Prize Nominations
The Berggruen Institute is now accepting nominations for the 2024 Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture. Established in 2016 by philanthropist Nicolas Berggruen, the prize is a $1 million award given annually to an individual whose ideas have profoundly shaped human self-understanding and advancement in a rapidly changing world. Each year, it welcomes submissions of candidates whose ideas have both intellectual depth and long-term social and practical value across geographies and disciplines. Last year’s laureate was Dr. Patricia Hill Collins. The deadline to submit nominations is July 31, 2024. Find out more on the website.
Fellowships and Scholarships
The Russell Sage Foundation Visiting Researcher Fellowship provides office space for short-term researchers who are several years beyond the PhD and have a project that is relevant to the foundation’s program areas. These positions do not come with any financial support and are available for visits up to five months, September 1-June 30, as space permits. Visiting Researchers are provided with an office at the foundation, computers and software, and library access. Applicants from outside the greater NYC area may be provided with a partially subsidized apartment near the foundation, if available. The application deadline is May 7, 2024. More information about the program and applying can be found here.
The Russell Sage Foundation Visiting Scholars Program provides a unique opportunity for select scholars in the social, economic, political, and behavioral sciences to pursue their research and writing while in residence at the foundation in New York City. Visiting Scholars must be at least two years beyond the PhD at the time of application and typically work on projects related to the foundation’s core programs and special initiatives. Scholars are provided with an office at the foundation, computers and software, library access, and supplemental salary support. Scholars from outside NYC are provided with a partially subsidized apartment near the foundation. The fellowship period is September 1-June 30, and the application deadline is June 25, 2024. Get more information on the website.
Events
2024 ICPSR Summer Program registration is now open. General Sessions run June 10-July 5 and July 8-August 2, 2024. Each session features one week of introductory math and computing lectures and three weeks of methods courses. All courses and lectures are available in person or online, live or asynchronous. Topical Workshops will cover a single subject and run for either 20 or 40 hours in just three, five, or 10 days, and run from May through August. Modality varies among workshops: most are online only, some are in-person or online, and a few are in person only. Class materials for both General Sessions and Topical Workshops, including recorded lectures, will be available through December 31, 2024. Find out more and register here.
Penn State’s 19th Annual De Jong Lecture in Social Demography will be held October 15, 2024. Associate Professor of Economics Dean Spears from the University of Texas-Austin will present, “The World’s Population May Peak in Your Lifetime. What Happens Next?” Ashton Verdery and Megan Sweeney will participate as discussants. The lecture will be held on the University Park campus in and will be livestreamed. The event is free, but online registration is required to attend in person or livestream the event. Read more about the lecture on the website.
In the News
Wesley Cohoon, Midwestern State University, was interviewed for the April 3, 2024, piece “MSU Professor Launches Podcast to Teach Listeners About Social Behaviors” on News Channel 6 in Wichita Falls, TX.
Caitlyn Collins, Washington University in St. Louis, was a guest on the March 22, 2024, episode of the Ezra Klein Show titled “The Deep Conflict Between Our Work and Parenting Ideas.”
Sarah Damaske, Pennsylvania State University, was quoted in the April 8, 2024, article “Content Creation Holds Appeal for Laid-Off Workers Seeking Flexibility” from the Associated Press.
Peter J. Davidson, University of California-San Diego, was quoted in the April 9, 2024, article “This SoCal Hazardous Waste Facility Could Get a New Permit Despite Past Violations” in the Los Angeles Times.
Dana R. Fisher, American University, was quoted in the March 13, 2024, piece “Should Schools Teach Climate Activism?” in the Hechinger Report.
Amin Ghaziani, University of British Columbia, received coverage of his new book, Long Live Queer Nightlife (Princeton University Press 2024) in the March 25, 2024, review “Where Are All the Cool Gays Hanging Out?” in the New York Times.
Lauren Heberle, University of Louisville, was quoted in the April 3, 2024, article “The EPA Cleaned Up the ‘Valley of the Drums’ Outside Louisville 45 Years Ago. Why Did it Leave the ‘Gully of the Drums’ Behind?” in Inside Climate News.
Eric Klinenberg, New York University, discussed his new book 2020: One City, Seven People, and the Year Everything Changed (Knopf 2024) on the March 18, 2024, episode of Amanpour and Company and was quoted in the April 3, 2024, article “The True Cost of the Churchgoing Bust” in the Atlantic.
Michael A. Messner, University of Southern California (retired), was quoted in the April 3, 2024, article “Biden’s Exercise Routine a Mystery Amid Age Concerns” in the Hill.
Cristina Mora, University of California-Berkeley, was quoted in the April 9, 2024, article “Latinos Are Growing Frustrated and Angry About Migrants and the Border. Here’s Why” in the Sacramento Bee.
Marya T. Mtshali, Bucknell University, and Caroline Light, Harvard University, authored the March 5, 2024, article “Women, Your Privacy Rights Are Ephemeral When Fetal Personhood Becomes Law” in the Tampa Bay Times.
Marya T. Mtshali and Katharine McCabe, Bucknell University, authored the April 1, 2024, article “How Blocking the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Is Part of Texas’ Anti-Trans Agenda” in Ms. Magazine and the April 4, 2024, opinion piece “The Illusion of Choice—Florida’s Abortion Referendum and Erosion of Voting Rights” in Newsweek.
Christin L. Munsch, University of Connecticut, was quoted in the April 9, 2024, article “Why Women Can’t Overwork Themselves Out of Workplace Inequality” in Forbes.
Jason Owen-Smith, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, authored the March 13, 2024, article “Congress’ Failure So Far to Deliver on Promise of Tens of Billions In New Research Spending Threatens America’s Long-Term Economic Competitiveness” in the Conversation.
Kim Scheppele, Princeton University, was quoted in the March 8, 2024, article “Trump Meets with Hungary’s Leader, Viktor Orbán, Continuing His Embrace of Autocrats” from the Associated Press.
Sarah Shannon, University of Georgia, and Charis Kubrin, University of California-Irvine, authored the April 5, 2024, opinion piece “Laken Riley’s Killing Reflects a Broader Danger. But It Isn’t ‘Immigrant Crime’” in the East Bay Times.
Benjamin Shestakofsky, University of Pennsylvania, authored the March 13, 2024, article “The Messy Reality Behind a Silicon Valley Unicorn” in IEEE Spectrum.
Lakshmi Srinivas, University of Massachusetts-Boston, was quoted in the April 10, 2024, article “Bollywood Is Playing a Large Supporting Role in India’s Elections” in the Conversation.
Stefan Timmermans, University of California-Los Angeles, and Pamela Prickett, University of Amsterdam, received coverage of their book The Unclaimed (Penguin Random House 2024) in the April 3, 2024, article “There Is More Good Than Evil in This Country” in the Atlantic.
Zeynep Tufekci, University of North Carolina, authored the March 13, 2024, opinion piece “Kate Middleton’s Story Is About So Much More Than Kate Middleton” in the New York Times.
Bill Winders, Georgia Institute of Technology, was quoted in the March 13, 2024, article “Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature Turn Their ‘Anti-Woke’ Agenda on Lab-Grown Meat” in Fast Company.
New Books
Angela Cora Garcia, Bentley University, An Introduction to Interaction: Understanding Talk in the Workplace And Everyday Life, 2nd Edition (Bloomsbury 2023).
Amin Ghaziani, University of British Columbia, Long Live Queer Nightlife (Princeton University Press 2024).
Eric Klinenberg, New York University, 2020: One City, Seven People, and the Year Everything Changed (Knopf 2024).
Merry Morash, Michigan State University, In a Box: Gender Responsive Reform, Mass Supervision, and Neoliberal Policies (University of California Press 2024).
Xiaoying Qi, Australian Catholic University, Entrepreneurs in Contemporary China: Wealth, Connections, and Crisis (Cambridge University Press 2023).
Silke Roth, University of Southampton; Bandana Purkayastha, University of Connecticut; and Tobias Denskus, Malmö University, Eds. Handbook on Humanitarianism and Inequality (Edward Elgar Publishing 2023).
Benjamin Shestakofsky, University of Pennsylvania, Behind the Startup: How Venture Capital Shapes Work, Innovation, and Inequality (University of California Press 2024).
Xiaoling Shu and Jingjing Chen, University of California-Davis, Chinese Marriages in Transition: From Patriarchy to New Familism (Rutgers University Press 2023).
Obituary
Alicia Cast
1968-2024
Gifted sociologist and social psychologist, Professor Alicia Cast passed away in Santa Barbara, CA, on February 22, 2024. The primary focus of Cast’s research was on how the self develops and changes, including in families. Some of her most impactful work drew upon data from a longitudinal survey of newly married couples that she helped collect as a PhD student at Washington State University. Intrigued by what the early stages of marriage can teach us about ourselves and intimate others, she published 11 significant articles from this project, many of which appeared in the leading Social Psychology Quarterly. This work showed us, among other things, how role-taking in the early years of marriage can result in more supportive and less disruptive interactions, and how spouses with more power in a marriage control the definition of the situation. She also developed a model of “farmer identities” through a series of innovative papers on environmental farming practices.
Cast enlightened us about identity change, for example how the birth of a child influences gender identity, how individuals’ self-views gradually align with their spouses’ views of them, and how depression can make identities become more negative. One of her most widely cited articles, published in Social Forces, explored self-esteem as an outcome of the identity verification process, revealing how self-esteem can build over time and serve as a “reservoir” to help buffer negative effects of identity nonverification.
Cast’s work expanded the boundaries of identity theory and identity scholarship. Rather than restricting attention to how identities guide behavior, she showed us how behavior can influence the formation of an identity—in other words, how “doing” can influence “becoming” a particular kind of person. And while identity theorists typically see emotions as an outcome of the identity verification process, Cast’s work on depression demonstrated that emotions can be a source of identity change. Another major contribution was her leadership in organizing and funding a workshop to develop the first Identity Module of the General Social Survey. Launched in 2014, this has had an enduring impact in the field.
Cast’s journey in sociology and social psychology started as an undergraduate at Beloit College and continued at Washington State University in its sociology PhD program, as well as in a postdoctoral program in identity, self, role, and mental health at Indiana University. A Midwesterner at heart, Cast’s first faculty position was at Iowa State University. In 2011, she joined the Sociology Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she quickly became widely respected and beloved as a scholar, departmental colleague, campus citizen, teacher, and mentor. She held multiple elected leadership roles in the American Sociological Association, including in the Social Psychology Section and Sociology of Emotions Section, of which she was chair in 2021.
Cast is survived by her sons, Benjamin and Oliver Potoski of Santa Barbara, CA; parents Larry and Beverly Cast of Elkhorn, NE; sister Melissa Cast-Brede and her husband Kent Brede, Omaha, NE; sister Shandra Cast and her husband Keith Eiler, Loveland, CO; friends Karl Wright, Trudy Aufderheide; and her former spouse, Matt Potoski. She also will be deeply missed by her many long-standing colleagues, students, and friends. Her kindness, empathy, and generosity were a unique gift that will continue on as an inspiring example. Taken too suddenly and too soon, Alicia Cast leaves a legacy of scholarly work that will be cited for years to come. But perhaps more important is that she worked and lived with such grace, devotion, generosity, and love.
Jan Stets, University of California-Riverside
