Interrogating Inequality: UC Sociologists Present Research at National Meeting

University of Cincinnati faculty and graduate students are among national researchers who are examining how inequality characterizes contemporary societies. The 108th annual meeting of the

American Sociological Association

takes place Aug. 10-13, in New York, N.Y

.

The 2013 meeting is themed, “Interrogating Inequality: Linking Macro and Micro.”

Sociology is defined as the scientific study of society and the various groups that make up a society.  Presentations and sessions at the annual ASA meeting will examine what inequality is, how it comes about and what can be done to change it.

UC research by faculty as well as graduate students is regularly screened and selected to be presented at the annual meeting, which draws more than 4,500 sociologists.

Here are highlights of some of that UC research:

From My Living Room to Yours: UC Research Examines Race and Social Media Discussions

UC Researcher: Russell Spiker, UC doctoral student

A trend arises from a study of top-trending videos – involving themes of racism, stereotyping and hostility.

Music and Social Movements: Historical Hip-Hop Participation Frames and Modern Rap as Social Movement Participation

UC Researcher: Todd Michael Callais, assistant professor

Research on music and social movements has focused on music’s role in framing movement issues and encouraging movement participation. This research finds that current members of the hip-hop community identify themselves as contesting current political identity splits in black, impoverished communities by carrying on the original intent of the hip-hop founders – redefining poor and minority groups by challenging the dominant conceptions of those groups.

Expecting Embodiment: Pregnancy Symptoms and the Cultural Mythologies of Pregnancy

UC Researcher: Danielle Bessett, assistant professor

Morning sickness, shiny hair and bizarre and intense cravings for pickles and ice cream – what expectations do pregnant women impose on their bodies, and how are those expectations influenced by cultural perspectives on pregnancy? Although previous surveys have indicated that women turn to medical sources to find out what to expect when they’re expecting, Bessett’s research found that women are strongly influenced by common hearsay in their social circles and in media.

Masculinities and Sexuality in Sport: An Examination of Masculinity in “Sports Illustrated” and “Compete” Magazines

UC Researchers: Jodi Stooksberry and Jennifer Carter, UC doctoral students

New research provides a rare look at the construction of masculinity on the covers of mainstream and gay-themed sports magazines.

White-Collar Men and the Meanings of “Metrosexual”

UC Researcher: Erynn Masi de Casanova, assistant professor

The early 2000s saw the rise of the social label of the “metrosexual”—an urban, professional man who puts effort into making his body attractive and dressing stylishly. Based on 30 interviews with a diverse group of corporate men in three U.S. cities (New York, San Francisco, and Cincinnati), this ASA presentation explores what the word “metrosexual” means to these men – whether in their opinion the term corresponds to some social reality of men’s bodily presentation – and how this social category intersects with others that are commonly used to label men’s style and sexual orientation. When the term “metrosexual” was raised in interviews, the research participants provided both positive and negative definitions of this social category and remarked on the increasing normalization of practices labeled as metrosexual. Digging deeper into professional men’s accounts of the folk category “metrosexual” and their experiences of dressing for work and play highlights the importance of self-identified or perceived sexuality, and the particular urban context, for masculine presentations of self. The men from San Francisco were the most likely to say that they often heard men called metrosexual, a finding that may be linked to the prominence of gay men in the urban space. Examining metrosexuality, a label that could easily be dismissed as trivial, nonsensical, or a marketing gimmick, sheds light on how white-collar men “do” and view masculinity.     

Crossing the Bridge: Race, Meritocracy and Timing of College Completion

UC Researcher: Ervin (Maliq) Matthew, assistant professor

Among the most cited reasons for persistent racial inequality in socioeconomic status in the U.S. is disparity in college completion rates of racial minorities relative to whites. Many efforts have been made to improve access to postsecondary education for high school graduates regardless of background, but differences in the amount of time spent pursuing college degrees also have implications for racial inequality over the life course. In an analysis of data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study (1988 – 2000), this preliminary research reveals that black and Hispanic students lag significantly behind whites in time to degree when they attend similar postsecondary institutions, while Asians are quicker to the finish line. Contrary to popular arguments, these differences are not explained away by race-neutral factors such as social class, academic merit (grades and standardized exam scores), or characteristics of the high school from which the students emerged, although all of these factors matter in their own rights. The effects of predictor variables appear to be stronger on some gaps between racial groups than on others, but this requires further examination.

Tell Me a Story – Research Examines How Parents Can Use Books to Have a Positive Impact on Their Children’s Social Struggles

UC Researcher: Jennifer Davis Bowman, a recent graduate of the UC special education doctoral program

New research explores the healing effects of reading as part of a parental intervention strategy for children struggling with social issues. Parents not only feel responsible about taking action when their children struggle with social issues, but also are influenced by their own childhood memories.

Domestic Violence Before and After the Arab Revolution

UC Researcher: Rasha Aly, doctoral student in the Department of Sociology

Although many Middle Easterners are excited about the Arab Spring Revolution, the new governments may bring women a step backward rather than forward. For instance, Egyptians passed a new Constitution which discriminates more against women than the previous Constitution. Libya’s likely adoption of a Sharia Constitution may make domestic violence against women more likely. This paper examines three of the countries that were the sites of “Arab Spring” uprisings (Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia) with the aim of explaining why we might be witnessing backlash in Egypt and Libya, but not in Tunisia. By focusing on the issue of domestic violence rather than women’s rights more generally, we can get a clearer picture about how domestic violence can be prevented in the Middle East.

Racial Oppression and Resistance in Post-Emancipation Executions in the South

UC Researcher: Annulla Linders, associate professor

Newspaper coverage of executions in the late 19th and early 20th century South reveal how white authorities used the criminal justice system to control and oppress the black population, and also reveal how the execution also served as a critical site of black resistance. This paper shows how the execution of black convicts was subverted unto a distinct black cultural event where white authorities receded into the background. The distinction between lawmakers and audience members was at least partially erased, and an oppositional reading of the criminal justice system was fostered.

About the American Sociological Association

The ASA is a non-profit membership association dedicated to serving sociologists in their work, advancing sociology as a science and profession and promoting the contributions and use of sociology to society.

UC’s

Department of Sociology

in the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences has nationally recognized faculty with award-winning publications and research grants.