Sociology is Definitely Pumped Up on Inequality Research
We're Probably Doing Too Much Stratification Research
From ASA via the Family Inequality Blog/Philip Cohen
Philip Cohen recently commented on trends in ASA membership overall and section memberships. The story is pretty simple. ASA peaked in 1970 (~15k members), reached another peak around 2008 (also ~15k), and then dipped to a 20 year low in 2022 of about 10k. Philip then noticed that many sections that experienced growth were inequality and race related - Race, Gender and Class; Race and Ethnic Minorities; Inequality, Poverty, and Mobility; Asia & Asian America; Latino/a; & Indigenous Peoples and Native Nations.) The exceptions seem to be Mathematical (!) and Communication and Information Technology. In other words, while ASA shrinks, inequality grows.
Once again, I repeat, inequality research is a core concern of sociology and that’s a good thing. Still, its value is relative. If you studied Black-White college completion differences in 1960. you’re probably on the cutting edge. If you studied the same topic in 2020, you’re probably repeating what others, maybe hundreds of others, have said.
What to do? Disciplines don’t magically change overnight, but a few things can be done. A few thoughts:
Sociology instructors can emphasize non-inequality topics in survey courses so students at all levels understand there is more to life than the “holy trinity” of race, class, and gender.
More established scholars can publish non-inequality research in open access venues like Socius and Sociological Science. That way, you don’t need to risk your career or burn precious time trying to get new topics into the discussion.
Funders can establish pots of money for non-inequality topics. In other words, rather than go with the trend, outsiders can promote disciplinary health by encouraging research topic diversity with hard cash.
What are your thoughts? Too much inequality work - or do we need more??
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