SSHA Book Symposium: How Civic Action Works

Lichterman, Paul. 2021. How Civic Action Works: Fighting for Housing in Los Angeles. Princeton University Press. Notes for Paul: How Civic Action Works Ann Mische University of Notre Dame It’s such a joy to have the chance to read and reflect on “How Civic Action Works”!  I remember discussing this project with Paul over a decade ago when it was still a twinkle in his … Continue reading SSHA Book Symposium: How Civic Action Works

Diversity and Inclusion Committee Report

In Winter 2022, the Diversity and Inclusion Committee conducted a survey of section membership regarding demographics and diversity-related issues. The 2021-2022 D&I committee consisted of Barbara Combs, Mikki Liu, Daniel Karell, Elisabeth Becker Topkara, Elena Ayala-Hurtado, and myself as committee chair. We conducted this survey in order to get a “temperature check” on diversity and inclusion issues as they relate to our section. Thanks to … Continue reading Diversity and Inclusion Committee Report

Book Review: Ruling Culture

By Tania Aparicio Morales, PhD Full-Time Lecturer, Program in Arts Administration Teachers College Columbia University How did Italy become a global cultural power? In Ruling Culture, Fiona Greenland argues that Italian state patrimony became an influential culture powerhouse because of unique dynamics of internal disputes and intimidation among tomb robbers, artifacts, policies, policing, and soil. Her book is the result of many transformations: the natural … Continue reading Book Review: Ruling Culture

Book Review: Figures of the Future

By Mari Sanchez PhD Candidate, Department of Sociology Harvard University Amidst Census predictions of an impending minority-majority future, scholars and pundits across the political spectrum have taken demographic trends at face value to debate the implications for American society. Figures for the Future: Latino Civil Rights and the Politics of Demographic Change (Princeton University Press 2021), a co-winner of the Mary Douglas Award for Best … Continue reading Book Review: Figures of the Future

Four Questions with Talia Shiff

Manning Zhang (Brandeis University) interviews Talia Shiff (Tel Aviv University) about her research projects, and how legal studies and cultural sociology intersect in her work and life. Manning Zhang: First I want to congratulate you on receiving the 2022 Culture Section Clifford Geertz Award for your paper “A Sociology of Discordance: Negotiating Schemas of Deservingness and Codified Law in U.S. Asylum Status Determinations”! For today’s … Continue reading Four Questions with Talia Shiff

Letter from the Chair – Vanina Leschziner

Hello to all Culture Section members! I hope you have all had a good start to the new year, and that your new academic term is moving along smoothly. To those living in the Northern Hemisphere, the countdown towards the end of the winter is on and we can look forward to longer and brighter days. All Culture Section committees have been hard at work, … Continue reading Letter from the Chair – Vanina Leschziner