Tenure-Track Position in Sociology at Memorial University

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY

POSITION#: VPA-SOCI-2012-001

The Department of Sociology at Memorial University in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, invites applications for a tenure-track position in the areas of deviance, law, and criminology. The person appointed will be able to demonstrate excellence in both teaching and research and will have a strong record of scholarly achievement. The successful candidate will be prepared to teach undergraduate,   honours and graduate students. Please forward a letter of application, a curriculum vitae, a teaching dossier, and the names and addresses of three persons who can supply a letter of reference, as well as two examples of written work (either published or unpublished, but at least one example must be single authored) to: Dr. Karen Stanbridge, Head, Department of Sociology,   Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada,  A1C 5S7; Phone (709) 864-7457;  Fax (709) 864-2075;  Email: kstanbri@mun.ca.

The position will commence July 1, 2013, subject to budgetary approval, and will be made at the rank of Assistant Professor. The positions normally require a completed doctoral degree in the appropriate discipline. A completed earned doctorate (or recognized terminal qualification in the discipline) is required for the appointee to receive the rank of Assistant Professor and to be in a tenure-track position.  (If a successful candidate has not completed an earned doctorate, he/she shall be appointed to a regular term, non-renewable three-year appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor.  If the candidate completes all the requirements for the doctorate during the first 24 months of the term appointment, he/she shall begin a tenure-track appointment following completion of the requirements of the degree.). The application must provide evidence of excellence in teaching and research. 

Applications should reach the Head no later than October 26, 2012.

Sociologists in the news: Theda Skocpol

… and how the Globe and Mail gets things wrong.

In her column in today's Report on Business section of the Globe and Mail, Chrystia Freeland uses Theda Skocpol's work, and interviews her, about the different situations faced by Obama and FDR.  But, confusingly, the article keeps referring to “his essay” and “he describes.” A look at Freeland's blog post shows that it was not her error (she did interview Skocpol after all), as she always refers to “Dr. Skocpol”: an editor at Report on Business changed some of them to the masculine pronoun. Like the Harper government, the Globe and Mail seems intent on marching us back to the 1950s.

Sadly, Freeland refers to Skocpol as a political theorist, not a sociologist. A Globe article in the past year called Erving Goffman a psychiatrist — we just can't get any respect.

Send me your Sociologists in the News items if they pertain (even loosely) to CNSIMC's agenda.

Mayer N. Zald (June 17, 1931 – August 7, 2012)

Mayer N. Zald, whose seminal work is familiar to all readers of this blog — his name will always be associated with resource mobilization theory — passed away on Tuesday August 7.
There is an interview here, and an appreciation by Jeff Goddwin here

"Greece's 'potato movement' grows in power: A growing group of grassroots activists are cutting out agricultural middlemen and connecting farmers and shoppers"


Read about them here: aljazeera.com

Robert Michels returns - in The Nation. Christoper Hayes observes "The Iron Law of Meritocrcy."

"And we might ask what a society that has been corrupted entirely by the Iron Law of Meritocracy would look like. It would be a society with extremely high and rising inequality yet little circulation of elites. A society in which the pillar institutions were populated and presided over by a group of hyper-educated, ambitious overachievers who enjoyed tremendous monetary rewards as well as unparalleled political power and prestige, and yet who managed to insulate themselves from sanction, competition and accountability; a group of people who could more or less rest assured that now that they have achieved their status, now that they have scaled to the top of the pyramid, they, their peers and their progeny will stay there.

...It would, in other words, look a lot like the American elite in the first years of the twenty-first century."

Read the rest: Why Elites Fail

Rick Salutin "What we owe the striking Quebec students"

What we owe the striking Quebec students
BY RICK SALUTIN | JUNE 8, 2012

… We owe them for taking a shot at saving our national honour in the eyes of the world.
… We owe them for striking a blow on behalf of public discourse. I'm thinking here of the term entitlements, which has replaced rights in the discussion.
Read more on rabble.ca

Tenure-track positions in Sociology at Saint Mary's University

Social Movements, Social Change and Political Economy
The Department of Sociology and Criminology at Saint Mary’s University invites applications for a tenure-track position in Sociology at the rank of Assistant Professor. A strong record of research and teaching in Social Movements, Social Change and Political Economy is required. The successful candidate will hold a PhD in Sociology and by way of a teaching portfolio must demonstrate ability and effectiveness in teaching core undergraduate courses in qualitative methods. The appointment will begin on July 1, 2013. Read the full advertisement here

Prisons and Punishment
The department is also advertising a position in Criminology, specializing in Prisons and Punishment.  Read the full advertisement here

Kathleen Rodgers & Willow Scobie on criminalizing legitimate political dissent

Excellent letter to the Toronto Star by Kathleen Rodgers and Willow Scobie, on the Conservative government's backing for a bill aimed at masked protesters:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters/article/1176566--bill-masks-vindictive-intentions

and an Op-ed in the Ottawa Citizen:
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion/op-ed/Intentions%20of%20anti-mask%20bill%20must%20be%20revealed/6630804/story.html

Howard Ramos on temporary foreign worker program

He's too modest to mention it, so I will: Howard Ramos was quoted in today's Globe and Mail article “Does temporary foreign workers program create second class of labourers?”:

Howard Ramos, who studies social justice and equity at Dalhousie University, says he is “really worried that Canada as a country is beginning to move away from immigration.”
If the commitment to bringing in people who are not bound to a particular job and have more rights really is being eroded, he says, the change in direction is unprecedented and will have an impact that is “bad for the long-term future of Canadian nation-building.”  

Good work, Howard!

Cuts to Canadian Civil Society

Howard Ramos and James Ron

“The 2012 federal budget has put Canada’s social justice groups on notice: the era of government-supported good deeds is over. Over the short term, many state-funded groups will shrink or disappear, while those that survive will lose their autonomy. If you care about critical thinking and social justice, this is bad news. Over the long term, however, the Conservatives may have done Canada a favour.”

Short version (“Funding cuts could unshackle Canadian civil society,”Toronto Star, April 14 2012) 

Long version (“Revolutionizing the Canadian social justice sector,” Open Democracy, April 15, 2012)

New book: Seeing Politics Differently by Karen Stanbridge and Howard Ramos

Seeing Politics Differently
A Brief Introduction to Political Sociology
Karen Stanbridge and Howard Ramos
Oxford University Press
Series : Themes in Canadian Sociology

Seeing Politics Differently introduces students to political sociology - the study of how power is distributed within society. Arguing that politics is about much more than the debates and decisions of government, this concise text reveals how political struggles are inextricably tied to everyday life. Through thoughtful discussions of key perspectives and approaches, the authors demonstrate the importance of questioning who holds power in our society, where that power comes from, and how individuals and groups can bring about change. Publisher's web page

New book: Making Meaning Out of Mountains by Mark Stoddart

Making Meaning Out of Mountains
The Political Ecology of Skiing
Mark Stoddart
UBC Press

In Making Meaning out of Mountains, Mark Stoddart draws on interviews, field observations, and media analysis to explore how the ski industry in British Columbia has helped transform mountain environments and, in turn, how skiing has come to be inscribed with multiple, often conflicted meanings informed by power struggles rooted in race, class, and gender. Corporate leaders promote the skiing industry as sustainable development, while environmentalists and some First Nations argue that skiing sacrifices wildlife habitats and traditional lands to tourism and corporate gain.  Read more

Call for Papers - McGill Sociological Review

The McGill Sociological Review, a peer reviewed journal managed by graduate and postdoctoral students, is publishing a volume on Nationalism, Nations, and States. You can read the call for papers here. Submissions are due by March 30th.

Ecofeminism, hegemonic masculinity, and environmental movement participation

Mark C. J. Stoddart & D. B. Tindall
Ecofeminism, hegemonic masculinity, and environmental movement participation in British Columbia, Canada, 1998-2007: “Women always clean up the mess” Sociological Spectrum 31, 3, 2011, Pages 342 - 368
DOI: 10.1080/02732173.2011.557065
Abstract
This article draws upon two waves of interviews with environmental movement members in British Columbia, Canada, in order to examine participants' interpretations of the relationship between gender and environmental politics. Four claims emerge from this analysis. First, our results support the notion that there is an affinity between environmental politics and feminism. Second, despite recent critiques of ecomaternalism and the dual subjugation of nature and women within ecofeminism, these discourses remain useful as interpretive resources for research participants. Third, while ecomaternalism is a recurrent theme, it appears to be declining in relative importance as a discursive resource. Finally, notions of hegemonic masculinity are becoming more salient as an interpretive framework. While the first two claims emphasize continuity in participants' interpretive framework, the latter findings describe shifts in participants' understandings of gender and environmental politics.

CFP: Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change

Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change, a peer-reviewed volume published by Emerald Group Publishing/JAI Press, encourages submissions for Volume 33 of the series. This volume will have both thematic and open-submission sections and will be guest edited by Jennifer Earl (University of California, Santa Barbara) and Deana Rohlinger (Florida State University). For the open-submission/non-thematic section, submissions appropriate to any of the three broad foci reflected in the series title will be considered.

The special section of Volume 33 will focus on "new" and "old" media in social movements, conflicts, and change. We encourage submissions on the relationship between older media (e.g., newspapers, books, music, radio and network and cable television) and social movements, conflicts, or change, or between "new" media (e.g., the Web) and social movements, conflicts, or change.

Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change (RSMCC) is a fully peer-reviewed series of original research that has been published annually for over 30 years. We continue to publish the work of many of the leading scholars in social movements, social change, and peace and conflict studies. Although RSMCC enjoys a wide library subscription base for the book versions, all volumes are now published both in book form and are also available online to subscribing libraries through Emerald Insight. This ensures wider distribution and easier online access to your scholarship while maintaining the esteemed book series at the same time.

RSMCC boasts quick turn-around times, generally communicating peer reviewed-informed decisions within 10-12 weeks of receipt of submissions.

To be considered for inclusion in Volume 33, papers should arrive by May 16, 2011.

Send submissions as a WORD document attached to an email to BOTH Jennifer Earl and Dena Rohlinger, guest RSMCC editors for Volume 33, at jearl@soc.ucsb.edu and drohling@fsu.edu.

Remove all self-references (in text and in bibliography) save for on the title page, which should include full contact information for all authors. Include the paper's title and the abstract on the first page of the text itself. For initial submissions, any standard social science in-text citation and bibliographic system is acceptable.

RSMCC Website

CFP: Association for the Study of Ethnicity and Nationalism

Forging the Nation: Rituals and Performances in the (Re)production of Nations
The Association for the Study of Ethnicity and Nationalism (ASEN) is holding its 21st Annual Conference, entitled “Forging the Nation”, from the 5th – 7th of April 2011 at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

The fundamental purpose of this conference is to address the role of performances and rituals in the production and reproduction of national identity. This is an important issue for the study of nations and nationalism, however, it remains under-theorised. It is therefore the intention of the conference to gain a deeper understanding of this issue by moving beyond written texts.

We are delighted to announce our confirmed plenary speakers:
Professor Jeffrey Alexander (Yale)
Professor Carol Duncan (Ramapo)
Dr. Jon Fox (Bristol)
Professor Anthony Smith (LSE)
Additional plenary speakers to be announced soon.

For additional enquiries, please email asen.conference2011@lse.ac.uk

Click here to see the call for papers

Music videos!

Thanks to Bill Carroll, my call for social movement music (Sociology needs blues songs!) has been answered, twice:

So Said Tony Hayward


Do we pull the monster down?

New publications

Two new publications by CNSIMC members:

Mark Stoddart and David Tindall, 'We've Also Become Quite Good Friends': Environmentalists, Social Networks and Social Comparison in British Columbia, Canada. Social Movement Studies 9, 3: 253 - 271

Abstract: Social networks influence social movement recruitment and individuals' ongoing participation in social movement organizations. In this article, we use a qualitative approach to explore the meaning of social networks for environmental movement participants in British Columbia, Canada. Our analysis draws on interviews with 33 core members of the movement. Environmental group participation creates multiplex social networks, encompassing work, leisure and friendship. Social movement networks are conduits for information exchange among environmental groups and they amplify the political power of individual participants. Ties to government workers and forest company management are more intense - based on frequency of contact - than ties to forestry labour or First Nations groups. However, forestry workers and First Nations are viewed more positively than government or forest company management. This illustrates how the intensity of social network ties can be distinguished from the subjective meanings attached to them by network participants.

Kathleen Rodgers, 'Anger is Why We're All Here': Mobilizing and Managing Emotions in a Professional Activist Organization. Social Movement Studies 9, 3: 273 - 291.

Abstract: The emotions involved in social activism are central factors in the recruitment to, motivation for, and sustainability of social movements. But this perspective on the role of emotions within social movements contrasts with studies of emotions within mainstream organizations where employees are called on to manage their own emotions and those of others. Thus, while much social movement research focuses on how activists actively cultivate emotional expression, these ideas rarely intersect with the organizational research that examines how a diminished quality of working life may result from the need for employees to modify, suppress or emphasize emotions. Using in-depth interviews with activists at Amnesty International, this article bridges this theoretical divide by examining emotional labour and emotional regulation among paid activists in a professional social movement organization. I explore the ways in which employees struggle with the emotional component of their work and the implications of these emotions for the quality of their working life, the stability of such organizations and the maintenance of social movements.

DALHOUSIE POSTDOCTORAL POSITION-ENVIRONMENT AND MARITIME STUDIES

I'm in the process of looking for a post-doc to help, starting in July, with a new oceans-related project.

The position we're looking at (funding confirmed by our Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) is a 2-year postdoctoral appointment (minimum) which involves work on the Ocean Tracking Network (OTN) at Dalhousie University. David VanderZwaag from Law and I represent the social science contingent on a large, natural science project oriented to electronic tracking of marine mammals and various fish species, especially ones considered to be endangered. David and I are looking at the social and legal dimensions of creating a global network in this area (Dalhousie maintains an OTN website via our main page, and I'd recommend looking at it). I'll be happy to provide other substantive information.

The salary, as per SSHRC rules for research positions, is $31,500 a year. A recent ruling from the federal government indicates this money is taxable-why, we are not yet sure.

We expect the postdoctoral candidate to do two basic things: (1) develop a research program of their own around the project; and (2) take the lead in organizing one, and perhaps two, academic conferences, one of which will be used to build an Multiple Collaborators Research Initiative (MCRI) grant proposal to SSHRC. The project is international; we will be looking at an international assemblage of academics. It is crucial that they complete your doctoral work as of July 1, as these sorts of projects (major CFI/NSERC/SSHRC funding) move quickly.

I'd appreciate a resume/cv, a writing sample, and a list of references. Detailed information on postdoctoral work at Dalhousie, and the draft research postdoctoral letter of appointment, may be viewed at:

http://dalgrad.dal.ca/postdoctoral/forms/

I will be happy to discuss specific issues at (902) 494-2020 or apostle@dal.ca

If you know of anyone, or might have connections to someone who’s graduating, or who has graduated recently, I'd appreciate it if you would circulate the information.

Richard Apostle

Sociology and Social Anthropology

Dalhousie University

Halifax, N. S.

B3H 4P9