Marta SoligoUniv. of Nevada – Las Vegas When, on March 11, the Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte announced a strict stay-at-home order for the whole country, media worldwide broadcasted pictures of unusually empty Italian piazzas (squares). Those images, which soon became the symbol of COVID-19 in Italy, mirrored the shock of a society for whom urban social life is vital. For centuries, urban centers—especially piazzas—represented … Continue reading Urban Social Life on Hold: Italian Communities and COVID-19

Rebecca Jean EmighCorey O’MalleyUC, Los Angeles In the time of COVID-19, tools for remote learning, exemplified by the now-ubiquitous videoconferencing platform Zoom, have gone from convenience to necessity. As faculty rushed to move classes online, they have become suddenly aware of the drawbacks and potentials of such tools. How can they be used effectively to promote learning? The format (manuscripts, books, electronic media, etc.) of … Continue reading Face-to-Face with Zoom?: Remote Teaching During the Coronavirus

Anna DurnováInstitute for Advanced Studies, Vienna As a response to COVID-19 pandemic, governments all over the world induced several social distancing measures to flatten the curve of spreading the disease. Although these measures have differed from country to country, all included some form of ‘stay-at-home’ directives. Among others, such directives have recalled the dominant public discourse in Western societies of a home as a private … Continue reading Cultural Sociology of “Home” as a Research Program for the Post COVID-19 Sociology

I consider myself lucky to have been at the helm of the culture section this year. While devastated by the impact of COVID on our communities, and drained/exhilarated/consumed by the anti-racism protests of this spring and summer, we have also been able to take actions to address these crises, thanks to many people – section leadership such as Ruthie Braunstein and Terry McDonnell as well … Continue reading Letter From the Chair, Summer 2020

I write this amidst the coronavirus pandemic, with the uncertainties swirling around us.  Every day the situation changes for academics as for the rest of the nation, and there is a lot that we do not know right now:  How long will we be social distancing? What’s the right mix of compassion and substantive work in a class suddenly moved online? What will be the … Continue reading Letter From the Chair, Spring 2020

Dear Culture Section,  Hello from your new newsletter editors, Yu Ching Cheng (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science), Johnnie Lotesta (Harvard Kennedy School), and A.J. Young (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis). With this being our first issue, we wanted to take the opportunity to introduce ourselves, explain what you can expect in the issues ahead, and solicit your input and contributions.  We are honored to … Continue reading Letter From the Editors, Spring 2020