Monthly Archives: July 2013

University of Texas at Austin Sociology

The Sociology Department Welcomes Three New Assistant Professors in Fall 2013!

Leave a comment

Three new Assistant Professors will join the Sociology Department beginning this fall.

Daniel Fridman’s current research focuses on the intersections between culture, economic expertise, and the economy. He is working on a book manuscript about the role of best-selling financial success books in shaping economic actors, based on a two-year ethnography with groups of readers of financial self-help in New York City and Argentina. He is also working on a project about boxing cultures in Latin America with historian David Sheinin. Daniel’s articles have appeared in the journals Qualitative Sociology, Economy and Society, Left History, Latin American Essays, and Apuntes de Investigación. Daniel received his PhD in Sociology in 2010 from Columbia University, where he was a Mellon Fellow at the Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy (ISERP). He previously studied sociology at the University of Buenos Aires and worked for the National Statistics Institute in Argentina.

Ken-Hou Lin studies inequality, finance, organization, race, and quantitative methods, with a particular interest in unconventional data and statistical graphics. His research examines the connection between the rise of finance and growing inequality in the United States. His other research projects explore how race, gender, education, and sexual orientation jointly shape the interaction among millions of internet daters on a mainstream dating website. Lin received his BA in sociology from National Taiwan University and his PhD from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2013.

Harel Shapira is an ethnographer who writes about political identity with an emphasis on right-wing politics in the United States. His book Waiting for José: The Minutemen’s Pursuit of America (Princeton, 2013) examines the civilian volunteers who patrol the United States-Mexico border. Currently, he is conducting research on the National Rifle Association in order to better understand why people own guns. His articles and reviews have appeared in Contemporary Sociology, Public Culture, and Sociological Quarterly. Professor Shapira holds a PhD from Columbia University (2010) and for the past two years has been a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University.

ASA, Austin, University of Texas at Austin Sociology

UT Austin SOC presenting at ASA

Leave a comment

2013logo

The University of Texas at Austin is well-represented once again at the American Sociological Association‘s Annual meeting in New York, New York. You can find the Annual meeting program schedule here. Listed below are UT Austin students and faculty who will be presenting their work August 10-13.  Abstracts of their work

Adjepong, Lady Anima
Regular Session. Race, Class, and Gender
Unit: Race, Class, and Gender
Scheduled Time: Tue Aug 13 2013, 8:30 to 10:10am
Presenter on individual submission: What Do You Call a Woman with One Blackeye? Readings Bruises on Women Rugby Players

Angel, Jacqueline L.
Table 04. Living Arrangements
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Aging and the Life Course / Section on Aging and the Life Course Roundtables
Scheduled Time: Sun Aug 11 2013, 2:30 to 4:10pm
Non-Presenter on individual submission: Contextualizing Older Mexican American Living Arrangements: The New Old Age and the Constraints of Culture

Angel, Ronald J.
Journal of Health and Social Behavior Editorial Board
Scheduled Time: Mon Aug 12 2013, 8:30 to 10:10am
Session Submission Role: Participant

Arevalo, Ellyn Margaret
B. Table 20. Sex and Gender
Unit: Open Referreed Roundtables
Scheduled Time: Sun Aug 11 2013, 10:30 to 12:10pm
Session Submission Role: Table Presider
Presenter on individual submission: The Self-Perceived Effects of Pornography by Those Who Use It

Averett, Kate H.
Regular Session. Family and Kinship: Gender and Families
Unit: Family and Kinship
Scheduled Time: Sun Aug 11 2013, 8:30 to 10:10am
Presenter on individual submission: Raising Them to Be Who They Truly Are: LGBTQ Parents Resisting Heteronormative Gender
Table 10. Fathering and Labor Force Participation
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on the Sociology of the Family / Section on the Sociology of the Family Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Tue Aug 13 2013, 10:30 to 11:30am
Session Submission Role: Table Presider

Beaver, Travis
Table 06. Music and Culture
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Sociology of Culture / Section on Sociology of Culture Roundtables
Scheduled Time: Sun Aug 11 2013, 8:30 to 10:10am
Session Submission Role: Table Presider
Presenter on individual submission: Devo’s “Standardized Computer Rock”?: The Influence of Critiques of Mass Culture on Music Criticism

Brown, Letisha
Section on Race, Gender, and Class Paper Session. The (Un) Anticipated Consequences of Race, Class, and Gender Surveillance in Public Space
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Race, Gender, and Class / The (Un) Anticipated Consequences of Race, Class, and Gender Surveillance in Public Space
Scheduled Time: Sat Aug 10 2013, 4:30 to 6:10pm
Presenter on individual submission: Sporting Bodies in Descent: An Intersectional look at Black Female Athletes
Student Forum Paper Session 1
Unit: Student Forum Sessions
Scheduled Time: Sun Aug 11 2013, 8:30 to 10:10am
Session Submission Role: Presider


Butler, John Sibley
A. Table 29. Political Economy
Unit: Open Referreed Roundtables
Scheduled Time: Sat Aug 10 2013, 2:30 to 4:10pm
Presenter on individual submission: Hi-Tech and Military Capital- Israel’s Economic Development Model
Regular Session. Blacks and African Americans
Unit: Blacks and African Americans
Scheduled Time: Mon Aug 12 2013, 8:30 to 10:10am
Presenter on individual submission: Old Southern Codes in New Legal Bottles? Race, Sexual Harassment and Organizational Science

Cantu, Phillip
Section on Disability and Society Paper Session. Interrogating Disability as an Axis of Inequality
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Disability and Society / Interrogating Disability as an Axis of Inequality
Scheduled Time: Tue Aug 13 2013, 12:30 to 2:10pm
Presenter on individual submission: Meritocracy for some: Disability and Bachelor’s Degree Attainment.

Cavanagh, Shannon
Regular Session. Social Class and the Early Life Course
Unit: Children/Youth/Adolescents
Scheduled Time: Sun Aug 11 2013, 8:30 to 10:10am
Session Submission Role: Session Organizer
Regular Session. Social Connections and Adolescent Development
Unit: Children/Youth/Adolescents
Scheduled Time: Sun Aug 11 2013, 2:30 to 4:10pm
Session Submission Role: Session Organizer
Table 02. Gender and Sexuality
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Communication and Information Technologies / Section on Communication and Information Technologies Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Sat Aug 10 2013, 4:30 to 5:30pm
Presenter on individual submission: Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained: Gender, Agency, and Homophily in Online Dating
Table 17. Gender Ideologies, Differences, and Norms
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Sociology of Sex and Gender / Section on Sex and Gender Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Mon Aug 12 2013, 8:30 to 9:30am
Session Submission Role: Table Presider

Charrad, Mounira Maya
Regular Session. Arabs and Arab Americans
Unit: Arabs and Arab Americans
Scheduled Time: Mon Aug 12 2013, 10:30 to 12:10pm
Session Submission Role: Presider
Regular Session. Sociology of Middle East and Muslim Societies
Unit / Sub Unit: Middle East and Muslim Societies, Sociology of / Sociology of Middle East and Muslim Societies
Scheduled Time: Tue Aug 13 2013, 2:30 to 4:10pm
Presenter on individual submission: WOMAN FRIENDLY REFORMS OF ISLAMIC LAW UNDER AUTHORITARIANISM: Tunisia from the 1950s TO 2010

Chen, Wenhong
Section on Communication and Information Technologies Paper Session. Who’s Lonely Now? Examining the Impacts of Technology Use on Social Connections and Relationships
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Communication and Information Technologies / Who’s Lonely Now? Examining the Impacts of Technology Use on Social Connections and Relationships
Scheduled Time: Sat Aug 10 2013, 2:30 to 4:10pm
Presenter on individual submission: Communication Matters: Usage Pattern, Social Capital, and ICT Impacts in the American Workplace
Table 03. Health and Healthcare
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Communication and Information Technologies / Section on Communication and Information Technologies Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Sat Aug 10 2013, 4:30 to 5:30pm
Presenter on individual submission: Correlates of Informational and Participatory eHealth Behaviors
Table 10. The Social Media Landscape – China and Korea
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Communication and Information Technologies / Section on Communication and Information Technologies Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Sat Aug 10 2013, 4:30 to 5:30pm
Session Submission Role: Table Presider

Chen, Yu
Table 04. International Cities, Segregation and Neoliberalism
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Community and Urban Sociology / Section on Community and Urban Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Mon Aug 12 2013, 10:30 to 11:30am
Presenter on individual submission: What is Unique about Fraccionamientos? Study of a settlement type in Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, Mexico

Collins, Caitlyn McKenzie
Table 08. Work/Family Balance
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on the Sociology of the Family / Section on the Sociology of the Family Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Tue Aug 13 2013, 10:30 to 11:30am
Session Submission Role: Table Presider
Presenter on individual submission: Just How Family Friendly? Women’s Experiences with Work-Family Policies in Germany

Cozzolino, Elizabeth
Student Forum Paper Session 1
Unit: Student Forum Sessions
Scheduled Time: Sun Aug 11 2013, 8:30 to 10:10am
Presenter on individual submission: Bringing God into the Bedroom: Weber’s Religious Rejections of the World and Evangelical Sex Manuals

Crosnoe, Robert
Regular Session. Challenges in Policy and Practice
Unit: Education
Scheduled Time: Mon Aug 12 2013, 8:30 to 10:10am
Session Submission Role: Session Organizer
Regular Session. Paths to College
Unit: Education
Scheduled Time: Tue Aug 13 2013, 12:30 to 2:10pm
Session Submission Role: Session Organizer
Regular Session. Race, Class, and Gender in Education
Unit: Education
Schedule Time: Sun Aug 11 2013, 2:30 to 4:10pm
Session Submission Role: Session Organizer
Table 19. Families and Child Well-being
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on the Sociology of the Family / Section on the Sociology of the Family Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Tue Aug 13 2013, 10:30 to 11:30am
Non-Presenter on individual submission: Maternal Employment Trajectories and Early Childhood Academic Achievement

Dondero, Molly
Table 03. Immigrants and Education
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on International Migration / Section on International Migration Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Sat Aug 10 2013, 10:30 to 11:30am
Presenter on individual submission: Immigrant-Native Differences in Saving for College

Gabriel, Paige
Section on Sex and Gender Roundtable Session (one-hour). Table 01. Art, Representation, and Images I
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Sociology of Sex and Gender / Section on Sex and Gender Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Mon Aug 12 2013, 8:30 to 9:30am
Presenter on individual submission: Handguns and High Heels: Male and Female Agency in Movie Posters

Garcia, Marc Anthony
Table 06. Immigration and Health
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Medical Sociology / Section on Medical Sociology Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Sat Aug 10 2013, 4:30 to 6:10pm
Presenter on individual submission: Nativity Differentials in the Prevalence of Comorbidity and Disability among Elderly Latinos

Glass, Jennifer L.
Author Meets Critics Session. Counted Out: Same-Sex Relations and American’s Definitions of Family (Russell Sage, 2010) by Brian Powell, Catherine Bolzendahl, Claudia Geist, and Lala Carr Steelman
Unit: Author Meets Critics
Scheduled Time: Tue Aug 13 2013, 10:30 to 12:10pm
Session Submission Role: Session Organizer
Awards Ceremony and Presidential Address
Unit: Plenary and Presidential Panels
Scheduled Time: Sun Aug 11 2013, 4:30 to 6:10pm
Session Submission Role: Presider
Thematic Session. Shifting Meanings of Family and Work
Unit: Thematic Sessions
Scheduled Time: Tue Aug 13 2013, 12:30 to 2:10pm
Session Submission Role: Discussant

Ha, Hyun Jeong
Regular Session. Sociology of Middle East and Muslim Societies
Unit / Sub Unit: Middle East and Muslim Societies, Sociology of / Sociology of Middle East and Muslim Societies
Scheduled Time: Tue Aug 13 2013, 2:30 to 4:10pm
Non-Presenter on individual submission: WOMAN FRIENDLY REFORMS OF ISLAMIC LAW UNDER AUTHORITARIANISM: Tunisia from the 1950s TO 2010

Hayward, Mark D.
Section on Aging and the Life Course Invited Session. Life Course Studies and Biology: Opportunities and Challenges
Unit: Section Invited
Scheduled Time: Sun Aug 11 2013, 10:30 to 12:10pm
Session Submission Role: Panelist
Section on Aging and the Life Course Invited Session. Matilda White Riley Lecture (one-hour)
Unit: Section Invited
Scheduled Time: Sun Aug 11 2013, 12:30 to 1:30pm
Session Submission Role: Session Organizer
Section on Sociology of Population Paper Session. The Social Demography of Race-Ethnicity
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Sociology of Population / The Social Demography of Race-Ethnicity
Scheduled Time: Mon Aug 12 2013, 4:30 to 6:10pm
Session Submission Role: Discussant

Hummer, Robert A.
Table 06. Physical Functioning
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Aging and the Life Course / Section on Aging and the Life Course Roundtables
Scheduled Time: Sun Aug 11 2013, 2:30 to 4:10pm
Non-Presenter on individual submission: Race/Ethnic and Nativity Differentials in Physical Functioning during Middle and Late Life

Humphries, Melissa
Table 03. Immigrants and Education
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on International Migration / Section on International Migration Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Sat Aug 10 2013, 10:30 to 11:30am
Non-Presenter on individual submission: Immigrant-Native Differences in Saving for College
Table 13. Higher Education 3
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Sociology of Education / Section on Sociology of Education Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Sat Aug 10 2013, 4:30 to 5:30pm
Session Submission Role: Table Presider
Presenter on individual submission: Exploring the Connection between College Credits and Young Adult Health

Jensen, Katherine Christine
Regular Session. Sociology of Law
Unit / Sub Unit: Law, Sociology of / Sociology of Law
Scheduled Time: Tue Aug 13 2013, 2:30 to 4:10pm
Presenter on individual submission: A Critique of Credibility: The Asylum-Screening Process in Brazil

Kasun, Paul Stanley
Table 06. Religion and/or Fertility in Family Life
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on the Sociology of the Family / Section on the Sociology of the Family Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Tue Aug 13 2013, 10:30 to 11:30am
Session Submission Role: Table Presider
Table 16. Migration and Religion
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on International Migration / Section on International Migration Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Sat Aug 10 2013, 10:30 to 11:30am
Presenter on individual submission: Immigration Laws Broken and Functioning: Religious and Racial Worldviews

Keith, Robyn Alexandra
Regular Session. Internet and Society 2
Unit: Internet and Society
Scheduled Time: Mon Aug 12 2013, 4:30 to 6:10pm
Presenter on individual submission: Which Niche? Agency and Homophily in Online Voluntary Organizations

Kendig, Sarah M.
Table 19. Families and Child Well-being
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on the Sociology of the Family / Section on the Sociology of the Family Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Tue Aug 13 2013, 10:30 to 11:30am
Non-Presenter on individual submission: Maternal Employment Trajectories and Early Childhood Academic Achievement

Kilanski, Kristine
Regular Session. Affirmative Action
Unit: Affirmative Action
Scheduled Time: Sun Aug 11 2013, 10:30 to 12:10pm
Presenter on individual submission: The Problem with Corporate Diversity

Kim, Yujin
Table 09. Families in East Asia
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on the Sociology of the Family / Section on the Sociology of the Family Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Tue Aug 13 2013, 10:30 to 11:30am
Presenter on individual submission: Bridal Pregnancy and Women’s Educational Attainment in South Korea

Kirk, David S.
Section on Crime, Law, and Deviance Invited Session. Crime and the Financial Crisis
Unit: Section Invited
Scheduled Time: Mon Aug 12 2013, 8:30 to 10:10am
Presenter on individual submission: Economic Insecurity, and the Proliferation of Concealed Handgun Licenses in Texas

Lariscy, Joseph
Regular Session. Mortality
Unit: Mortality
Scheduled Time: Sun Aug 11 2013, 12:30 to 2:10pm
Presenter on individual submission: The Significance of Differential Record Linkage for Understanding Black-White Survival Inequality

Lee, Jinwoo
Table 09. Families in East Asia
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on the Sociology of the Family / Section on the Sociology of the Family Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Tue Aug 13 2013, 10:30 to 11:30am
Presenter on individual submission: Bridal Pregnancy and Women’s Educational Attainment in South Korea

Lodge, Amy C.
Section on Body and Embodiment Paper Session. The Body and Embodiment
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Body and Embodiment / The Body and Embodiment
Scheduled Time: Sat Aug 10 2013, 10:30 to 12:10pm
Presenter on individual submission: Gendered, Raced Body Projects: Body Image Concerns and Exercise Over the Life Course
Table 06. Physical Functioning
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Aging and the Life Course / Section on Aging and the Life Course Roundtables
Scheduled Time: Sun Aug 11 2013, 2:30 to 4:10pm
Presenter on individual submission: Family of Origin and Physical Activity Trajectories over the Life Course: A Qualitative, Intersectional Analysis

Maldonado, Amias Shanti
Table 09. Relationships of Power
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Sociology of Sexualities / Section on Sociology of Sexualities Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Tue Aug 13 2013, 10:30 to 11:30am
Session Submission Role: Table Presider
Presenter on individual submission: Erotic Domination and Protest Masculinity: Fixing Crises in the Gender Order
Table 15. Work and Labor I
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Sociology of Sex and Gender / Section on Sex and Gender Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Mon Aug 12 2013, 8:30 to 9:30am
Presenter on individual submission: Work, Weddings, and Promises: Gender in Long Term Cohabitation

Marteleto, Leticia
Sociology of Education Editorial Board
Unit: Meetings
Scheduled Time: Sun Aug 11 2013, 8:30 to 10:10am
Session Submission Role: Participant

Melvin, Jennifer
Table 06. Physical Functioning
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Aging and the Life Course / Section on Aging and the Life Course Roundtables
Scheduled Time: Sun Aug 11 2013, 2:30 to 4:10pm
Presenter on individual submission: Race/Ethnic and Nativity Differentials in Physical Functioning during Middle and Late Life

Muller, Chandra
Regular Session. Affirmative Action
Unit: Affirmative Action
Scheduled Time: Sun Aug 11 2013, 10:30 to 12:10pm
Non-Presenter on individual submission: The Problem with Corporate Diversity
Table 09. STEM Issues
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Sociology of Education / Section on Sociology of Education Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Sat Aug 10 2013, 4:30 to 5:30pm
Non-Presenter on individual submission: Sports as Protective Gear for Women in STEM Fields

Pattison, Evangeleen
Table 09. STEM Issues
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Sociology of Education / Section on Sociology of Education Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Sat Aug 10 2013, 4:30 to 5:30pm
Session Submission Role: Table Presider
Presenter on individual submission: Sports as Protective Gear for Women in STEM Fields

Paxton, Pamela M.
2014 Jessie Bernard Award Selection Committee
Unit: Meetings
Scheduled Time: Sat Aug 10 2013, 2:30 to 4:10pm
Session Submission Role: Participant
Regular Session. Religion and Prosocial Behavior
Unit: Religion
Scheduled Time: Mon Aug 12 2013, 2:30 to 4:10pm
Presenter on individual submission: Volunteering and the Dimensions of Religiosity: A Cross-National Analysis

Perez, Marcos Emilio
Regular Session. Ideology and Identity in Social Movements
Unit: Social Movements
Scheduled Time: Sat Aug 10 2013, 8:30 to 10:10am
Presenter on individual submission: Iron Fellows: Commitment and Disengagement in a Poor People’s Movement

Popan, Adrian Teodor
Table 19. Political Leadership and Socialization
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Political Sociology / Section on Political Sociology Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Mon Aug 12 2013, 4:30 to 5:30pm
Presenter on individual submission: Cult of Personality: Social Actors Behind the Stage

Powers, Daniel A.
Section on Sociology of Population Paper Session. The Social Demography of Race-Ethnicity
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Sociology of Population / The Social Demography of Race-Ethnicity
Scheduled Time: Mon Aug 12 2013, 4:30 to 6:10pm
Presenter on individual submission: Erosion of Advantage: Decomposing Race/Ethnic Differences in Infant Mortality Rates among Older Mothers

Prickett, Kate C.
Table 04. Living Arrangements
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Aging and the Life Course / Section on Aging and the Life Course Roundtables
Scheduled Time: Sun Aug 11 2013, 2:30 to 4:10pm
Presenter on individual submission: Contextualizing Older Mexican American Living Arrangements: The New Old Age and the Constraints of Culture
Table 19. Families and Child Well-being
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on the Sociology of the Family / Section on the Sociology of the Family Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Tue Aug 13 2013, 10:30 to 11:30am
Presenter on individual submission: Maternal Employment Trajectories and Early Childhood Academic Achievement

Raley, Kelly
Section on Sociology of Population Paper Session. The Social Demography of Race-Ethnicity
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Sociology of Population / The Social Demography of Race-Ethnicity
Scheduled Time: Mon Aug 12 2013, 4:30 to 6:10pm
Session Submission Roles: Presider, Session Organizer
Section on the Sociology of the Family Paper Session. Family Stratification
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on the Sociology of the Family / Family Stratification
Scheduled Time: Tue Aug 13 2013, 2:30 to 4:10pm
Session Submission Roles: Presider, Session Organizer

Ramos-Wada, Aida Isela
Section on Sociology of Religion Paper Session. Intersections II – Religion/Race/Ethnicity
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Sociology of Religion / Intersections II – Religion/Race/Ethnicity
Scheduled Time: Mon Aug 12 2013, 2:30 to 4:10pm
Presenter on individual submission: Testing and Developing Theories of Religious Conversion among US Latinos

Regnerus, Mark D.
Special Session. Gender Politics in Heterosexual Sex
Unit: Special Sessions
Scheduled Time: Sun Aug 11 2013, 2:30 to 4:10pm
Session Submission Role: Panelist

Reith, Nicholas E.
Regular Session. Religion and Prosocial Behavior
Unit: Religion
Scheduled Time: Mon Aug 12 2013, 2:30 to 4:10pm
Presenter on individual submission: Volunteering and the Dimensions of Religiosity: A Cross-National Analysis

Riegle-Crumb, Catherine
Regular Session. Paths to College
Unit: Education
Scheduled Time: Tue Aug 13 2013, 12:30 to 2:10pm
Session Submission Role: Discussant

Robinson, Brandon Andrew
Section on Sociology of Sexualities Paper Session. Interrogating Inequalities within LGBTQ Communities: Secondary Marginalization
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Sociology of Sexualities / Interrogating Inequalities within LGBTQ Communities: Secondary Marginalization
Scheduled Time: Tue Aug 13 2013, 8:30 to 10:10am
Presenter on individual submission: The Beauty of Online Dating: Quotidian Practices of Sexual Racism on a Gay Dating Site

Robinson, Keith D.
Sociology of Education Editorial Board
Unit: Meetings
Scheduled Time: Sun Aug 11 2013, 8:30 to 10:10am
Session Submission Role: Participant

Rodriguez, Nestor P.
Regular Session. Immigration Enforcement, Deportations, and Exclusion
Unit: Immigrant Communities/Families
Scheduled Time: Sat Aug 10 2013, 2:30 to 4:10pm
Session Submission Role: Presider
Presenter on individual submission: Deportations in the United States: Implications for Immigrant Communities
Section on Latino/a Sociology Paper Session. Immigrants, Illegality and Belonging
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Latino/a Sociology / Immigrants, Illegality and Belonging
Scheduled Time: Mon Aug 12 2013, 10:30 to 12:10pm
Non-Presenter on individual submission: American State “Reforms” to Manage its Undocumented Immigrant Population, 1920-2012

Ross, Catherine E.
Table 06. Health and Well Being 2
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Inequality, Poverty and Mobility / Section on Inequality, Poverty, and Mobility Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Tue Aug 13 2013, 10:30 to 11:30am
Presenter on individual submission: Reconceptualizing the Association between Food Insufficiency and Body Weight: Distinguishing Hunger from Economic Hardship

Rudrappa, Sharmila
Contexts Editorial Board
Unit: Meetings
Scheduled Time: Sat Aug 10 2013, 4:30 to 6:10pm
Session Submission Role: Participant

Ryan, Tricia S.
C. Table 15. Health Care Policies and Practices
Unit: Open Referreed Roundtables
Scheduled Time: Mon Aug 12 2013, 10:30 to 12:10pm
Presenter on individual submission: Medical Education in Kyrgyz Health Care Reform: The Case of Unexpected Out Migration from Rural Kyrgyzstan

Sakamoto, Arthur
Regular Session. Asians and Asian Americans
Unit: Asians and Asian Americans
Scheduled Time: Mon Aug 12 2013, 8:30 to 10:10am
Session Submission Roles: Presider, Session Organizer
Table 10. Class, Status, and the Pursuit of Mobility
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Race, Gender, and Class / Section on Race, Gender and Class Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Sat Aug 10 2013, 2:30 to 3:30pm
Non-Presenter on individual submission: The Socioeconomic Attainments of Filipino, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, and Thai Americans

Salinas, Viviana
Table 06. Religion and/or Fertility in Family Life
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on the Sociology of the Family / Section on the Sociology of the Family Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Tue Aug 13 2013, 10:30 to 11:30am
Presenter on individual submission: Union Transitions after the First Birth in Chile

Shafeek Amin, Neveen Fawzy
Table 06. Immigration and Health
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Medical Sociology / Section on Medical Sociology Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Sat Aug 10 2013, 4:30 to 6:10pm
Presenter on individual submission: Immigrant Health: A Comparison between Middle Eastern Immigrants and US-born Whites

Skalamera, Julie
Regular Session. Social Class and the Early Life Course
Unit: Children/Youth/Adolescents
Scheduled Time: Sun Aug 11 2013, 8:30 to 10:10am
Session Submission Role: Presider

Smith, Chelsea
Section on Children and Youth Paper Session. The Changing Transition to Adulthood: Developing Skills, Capacities and Orientations for Success
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Sociology of Children and Youth / The Changing Transition to Adulthood: Developing Skills, Capacities and Orientations for Success
Scheduled Time: Sun Aug 11 2013, 8:30 to 10:10am
Presenter on individual submission: The Push and the Pull: Adolescents’ Expectations for Early Pregnancy

Sobering, Katie
Table 13. Movement-state Interactions
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Political Sociology / Section on Political Sociology Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Mon Aug 12 2013, 4:30 to 5:30pm
Presenter on individual submission: ¡Mierda…todo! (Shit…all of it!): Science, Embodiment and the Fight Over Environmental Contamination in Northwest Argentina

Sullivan, Esther
Section on Inequality, Poverty, and Mobility Paper Session. What Can Ethnography Teach Us About Inequality, Poverty and Mobility?
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Inequality, Poverty and Mobility / What Can Ethnography Teach Us About Inequality, Poverty and Mobility?
Scheduled Time: Mon Aug 12 2013, 4:30 to 6:10pm
Presenter on individual submission: Half-way Homeowners: Eviction and Forced Relocation among Homeowners in Manufactured Home Parks in Florida

Sutton, April M.
Table 02. Labor Markets
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Sociology of Education / Section on Sociology of Education Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Sat Aug 10 2013, 4:30 to 5:30pm
Session Submission Role: Table Presider
Presenter on individual submission: Learning to Labor or Preparing For Power? Local Labor Contexts and Differential Opportunities to Learn

Swed, Ori
A. Table 29. Political Economy
Unit: Open Referreed Roundtables
Scheduled Time: Sat Aug 10 2013, 2:30 to 4:10pm
Session Submission Role: Table Presider

Thomeer, Mieke Beth
Regular Session. Mental Health 2
Unit: Mental Health
Scheduled Time: Sat Aug 10 2013, 10:30 to 12:10pm
Presenter on individual submission: Chronic Conditions and Distress within Marriage: A Dyadic Approach
Table 15. Family and Health
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on the Sociology of the Family / Section on the Sociology of the Family Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Tue Aug 13 2013, 10:30 to 11:30am
Session Submission Role: Table Presider

Umberson, Debra
Author Meets Critics Session. Invisible Families Gay Identities, Relationships and Motherhood among Black Women (University of California Press, 2011) by Mignon R. Moore
Unit: Author Meets Critics
Scheduled Time: Mon Aug 12 2013, 2:30 to 4:10pm
Session Submission Role: Critic
Special Session. Sociological Research on Happiness
Unit: Special Sessions
Scheduled Time: Tue Aug 13 2013, 8:30 to 10:10am
Presenter on individual submission: Gender and Happiness

Wheatley, Christine
Section on Latino/a Sociology Paper Session. Immigrants, Illegality and Belonging
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Latino/a Sociology / Immigrants, Illegality and Belonging
Scheduled Time: Mon Aug 12 2013, 10:30 to 12:10pm
Presenter on individual submission: American State “Reforms” to Manage its Undocumented Immigrant Population, 1920-2012

Williams, Christine L.
Regular Session. Affirmative Action
Unit: Affirmative Action
Scheduled Time: Sun Aug 11 2013, 10:30 to 12:10pm
Non-Presenter on individual submission: The Problem with Corporate Diversity
Thematic Session. The Micropolitics of Domination
Unit: Thematic Sessions
Scheduled Time: Tue Aug 13 2013, 2:30 to 4:10pm
Session Submission Roles: Discussant, Presider and Session Organizer

Young, Michael P.
Table 15. Political Organizing and Social Protest
Unit / Sub Unit: Section on Political Sociology / Section on Political Sociology Roundtables (one-hour)
Scheduled Time: Mon Aug 12 2013, 4:30 to 5:30pm
Non-Presenter on individual submission: Religious Activism in Tocqueville’s America: The Temperance and Anti-Slavery Movements in New York State, 1828-1838

Austin, Crime, Law and Deviance, Uncategorized

Journeys with Jaster: Exploring the Prison Economy of Huntsville, TX

Leave a comment

DSC_0602

By Dan Jaster

In an attempt to distance myself both mentally and physically from graduate life and sociology (a key skill to have if one is to successfully navigate the passage between the Charybdis of performing personal research an the Scylla of teaching/classwork responsibilities), I recently spent 36 hours in Huntsville, Texas. I opted to take the camera that my partner and I share and do what I love to do most: wander about taking pictures, documenting the beauty and banality of life.

Since many may not be familiar with Huntsville, it is largely known for three things: 1) it DSC_0551was the home of Sam Houston (See photo at right); 2) consequently, it is home of Sam Houston State University (SHSU); and 3) it is a hub for the Texas state prison system. I figured this would be a prime chance to observe life in a town where the prison was a central cultural landmark.

As has been documented by Foucalt (1977), the prison is site of ultimate domination: everything is observed and controlled. While the Huntsville units were not panoptic in the strict sense, the boundaries of this control were not limited to within its brick-lined walls. As Comfort (2007) illustrated, the controlling tentacles of the prison system extend beyond the lives of the prisons, shaping and regulating the lives of prisoners’ significant others and families. Indeed, the power of the prison system permeates throughout Huntsville, oddly juxtaposing its past and current history with the ideals associated with the man that made the town famous.

My first experience with the permeable boundaries of the prison domination complex was related to the very thing that I was using to temporarily free myself from the weight of graduate school: my photography. The most well-known and easily identifiable prison in the Huntsville complex (the Walls Unit) was within walking distance of the SHSU campus; you can see the prison from campus, and hear the sirens when shift changes are occurring

View of an abandoned prison building across from the Walls Unit
View of an abandoned prison building across from the Walls Unit

In the sticky East Texas summer heat, I wandered the town in the early evening to see what was within near the hotel. Initially, the guards were friendly enough: I waved hello to them, and they waved back. It wasn’t until the next day that I was to truly experience how the prison controls all who surround it, even if they know nobody inside.

The next morning, I wandered back to the prison. I noticed a bunch of men wearing white jumpsuits working on a drainage ditch. Having toured the (inter)nationally famous Criminal Justice program building, I recognized them as prisoners. Huntsville uses the prisoners as cheap (captive) labor; as Wacquant (2009) noted, the state uses prisoners as a source of cheap labor, a much-needed commodity in the neoliberal era. Indeed, these prisoners provide not only cheap labor for basic city maintenance (I saw my fair share of prison buses transporting workers throughout the city), but it also uses them to build and maintain the historical buildings that draw tourists in. Whether or not this is exploitative is up to the reader: these men are learning skills, but wages and choice are questionable (and some skills, such as rebuilding a log cabin from remains, seem anachronistic in the modern economy). DSC_0599

As I approached the front of the prison, a guard in a watchtower confronted me. It turns out that taking pictures of a prison is suspicious activity (in full disclosure, this makes sense based on my outward appearance: I am fully bearded, and was wearing sunglasses and a fatigued baseball cap). He told me that taking photographs of the prison was only allowed in one area; I couldn’t understand where that area was, but it seemed to be in the general direction of the front of the prison. I continued on my way.

When I arrived at the front of the prison, another guard confronted me. Again, I was warned about taking pictures of the prison. She seemed to indicate that the area allowing photographs wasn’t the front, but somewhere else; that being said, I better understood where I WASN’T allowed to take pictures (the other three sides). The interrogation didn’t end there: she wanted to know why I was taking pictures. I explained to her that I like wandering around and taking pictures, but this didn’t satisfy her curiosity; it wasn’t until I explained that I had never been to Huntsville before that she reiterated where I wasn’t allowed to take pictures and let me on my way, albeit with a suspicious gaze. I knew at that point that around each complex, the prison would dictate where I was allowed to go due to my possession of a camera.

These experiences make Huntsville a city of seemingly contradictory fame. On the one hand, the prison system dominates the local economy and rhythms of life. The prison employs many people, and prisoners supply cheap labor for the maintenance of the tourism industry (additionally, while I wasn’t able to make it, one could visit the Texas State Prison Museum). The presence of the prison is ubiquitous; its specter haunts and looms over almost every aspect of the town. However, the town is also well known for its association with Sam Houston, a key leader in the fight for Texas’ independence. The city thus constitutes an awkward juxtaposition for the tourist: it is a place to celebrate a hero and a group of people fighting for their freedom, while also highlighting their dependence on and enslavement by the incarceration system. Ultimately, this juxtaposition also symbolizes a sociologist’s relationship with society: while one can attempt to gain temporary solace from the sociological imagination, it can be difficult to turn off one’s mind, involuntarily illuminating the social world around us.

 

Sources cited:

Comfort, Megan. 2007. Doing Time Together: Love and family in the shadow of the prison. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

Foucault, Michel. 1977. Discipline and Punish. New York: Vintage.

Wacquant, Loïc. 2009. Punishing the Poor. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.

Out of My Habitus, Race and Ethnicity, University of Texas at Austin Sociology

Maymester in Leeds with Dr. Ben Carrington

Leave a comment

From Dr. Ben Carrington’s Maymester Study Abroad trip to Leeds, England

Globalization and Development, Latin American Studies, Political Sociology

“When the Bullets Aren’t Rubber: Racism and Violence in Brazil’s Protests,” by Katherine Jensen

Leave a comment
Photo courtesy of Racism Review.
Photo courtesy of Racism Review.

Sociology PhD candidate Katherine Jensen wrote a blog post today for Racism Review on the recent street protests in São Paulo, Brazil.  Katie is currently living and doing research in Brazil.

Excerpt:

“On June 13, Brazilian military police shot journalist Giuliana Vallone in the eye with a rubber bullet. That night police violently repressed a street protest in São Paulo, Brazil where thousands had gone to demand the reversal of a recent 7% bus fare increase. Local media and organizations like Amnesty International denounced the police’s “excessive use of force,” including its indiscriminate use of tear gas and rubber bullets. News of the police repression in São Paulo sparked indignation across the country.”

Read the post.