Democracy and culture

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    Social justice themed sermons from civic-minded clergy can push churchgoers towards greater activism to improve racial equality

Social justice themed sermons from civic-minded clergy can push churchgoers towards greater activism to improve racial equality

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Religion plays an important role in the lives of many Americans. But what role does religion and religious institutions play in motivating Americans to participate in politics? In their new book, R. Khari Brown, Ronald E. Brown, and James S. Jackson look at the role the spiritual and political efforts made by churches to improve human rights. They find […]

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    Book Review: The New Age of Empire: How Colonialism and Racism Still Rule the World by Kehinde Andrews

Book Review: The New Age of Empire: How Colonialism and Racism Still Rule the World by Kehinde Andrews

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In The New Age of Empire: How Colonialism and Racism Still Rule the World, Kehinde Andrews explores how the intellectual, political and economic frameworks inherited from colonialism are still governing today’s world, resulting in a new age of empire that perpetuates racism, white supremacy and global economic inequalities. This compact and comprehensive book challenges the grand narratives of the Enlightenment, […]

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    Book Review: Causal Inference: The Mixtape by Scott Cunningham

Book Review: Causal Inference: The Mixtape by Scott Cunningham

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In Causal Inference: The Mixtape, Scott Cunningham offers a new guide to methods for determining cause and effect in the social sciences. In summarising, systematising and prioritising methodological tools for researchers, this book will be of use to all social scientists looking to validate their quantitative findings, recommends Simeon Mitropolitski. 

Causal Inference: The Mixtape. Scott Cunningham. Yale University Press. 2021.

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    Respectability politics doesn’t increase straight support for LGB rights

Respectability politics doesn’t increase straight support for LGB rights

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Does showcasing LGBTQ people as being in ‘respectable’ heteronormative relationships increase support for the LGBTQ movement? In new research, Phil Jones examines how straight people react to LGB people who are portrayed as not being respectably monogamous. He finds that straight people’s feelings of similarity with, and support for, LGB people are largely unaffected by the relationship type they […]

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    Book Review: What Do We Know and What Should We Do About Fake News? by Nick Anstead

Book Review: What Do We Know and What Should We Do About Fake News? by Nick Anstead

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In What Do We Know and What Should We Do About Fake News?, Nick Anstead explores what we mean by fake news and possible ways to address it. Situating fake news in its historical context and providing clear and brief summaries of the current scholarly work on the subject, this concise book will provide a solid touchpoint for people looking to understand […]

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    How surveillance technologies and neighborhood watch apps are capturing and reflecting communities’ prejudices 

How surveillance technologies and neighborhood watch apps are capturing and reflecting communities’ prejudices 

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Alongside the rise of social media, the last decade has seen significant growth in home surveillance technologies and community surveillance apps. Stefano Bloch takes a close look at one such app, Nextdoor, finding that it worsens neighborhood paranoia around imagined threats, which are often racialised, and operates as an unsanctioned surveillance tool for many US police forces.

Surveillance technologies, once the domain of heavily guarded […]

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    Book Review: It Can Happen Here: White Power and the Rising Threat of Genocide in the US by Alexander Laban Hinton

Book Review: It Can Happen Here: White Power and the Rising Threat of Genocide in the US by Alexander Laban Hinton

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In It Can Happen Here: White Power and the Rising Threat of Genocide in the US, Alexander Laban Hinton challenges the myth of exceptionalism that has led many to believe that genocide cannot happen in America, exploring contemporary white power extremism in the US. This nuanced and noble account encourages readers to carefully and critically attend to the longer histories and […]

Can govtech help promote democracy?

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Many nations and tech-related startups are leading the way for govtech—a public-private partnership to deal with public problems. Chetan Choudhury writes that, by optimising government efficiency, govtech can boost the accountability of—and trust in—government, strengthening democracy and technological sovereignty, and freeing nations from undue dependence on foreign corporations.

Advanced technology is changing the way people communicate, study, work, shop and […]

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    Book Review: Expanded Visions: A New Anthropology of the Moving Image by Arnd Schneider

Book Review: Expanded Visions: A New Anthropology of the Moving Image by Arnd Schneider

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In Expanded Visions: A New Anthropology of the Moving Image, Arnd Schneider explores the generative potential of experimental film as and through anthropology. Highlighting the significance of meaning-making, affect and formal experimentation in the social sciences, the book is a welcome and eloquent contribution to research on the intersection of anthropology and the arts, writes Sander Hölsgens.

Expanded Visions: A New Anthropology of the […]

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    Book Review: The Public and their Platforms: Public Sociology in an Era of Social Media by Mark Carrigan and Lambros Fatsis

Book Review: The Public and their Platforms: Public Sociology in an Era of Social Media by Mark Carrigan and Lambros Fatsis

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In The Public and their Platforms: Public Sociology in an Era of Social Media, Mark Carrigan and Lambros Fatsis explore the discipline of sociology at a time when public life is increasingly shaped by social media platforms. Published in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, this timely book argues that contemporary interactions between sociology, publics and social media platforms demand […]

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