Sociologists Talking Real Sh*t

Raul Perez drops by to talk about this new book, The Souls of White Jokes: How Racist Humor Fuels White Supremacy.  Raúl Pérez is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of La Verne, and was previously an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Criminology at the University of Denver. His scholarship has been awarded and supported by the American Sociological Association, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, the University of California Center for New Racial Studies, the Working Class Studies Association, and the American Humor Studies Association. His research has been published in journals such as American Behavioral Scientist, Discourse and Society, Ethnicities, and Sociological Perspectives. His first book, The Souls of White Joke: How Racist Humor Fuels White Supremacy has been recently published by Stanford University Press. His work has also been featured in various media, including The Washington Post, TIME, NBC, AXIOS, The Grio, Remezcla, Latino Rebels, and Zócalo Public Square.

Join Dr. Leland Saito and I as we discuss his new book "Building Los Angeles; The Politics of Race and Place in Urban America.  It is a tale of displacement, gentrification, race, place, and resistance.  Dr. Leland Saito grew up in Boyle Heights, and then Montebello. Montebello is right next to Monterey Park, and the changes in that city in the 1980s as it went from White to Latino and Asian American, sparked his interest and became his dissertation and first book. He went to East Los Angeles Community College and UC Berkeley for his BA, in sociologyHe then went to Cal State LA for a high school teaching credential, and an MA in sociology, before completing his PhD in Sociology at UCLA.  Currently he is an associate professor in sociology at the university of southern California and is here to discuss his recently published book “Building Downtown Los Angeles: the Politics of race and place in Urban America. His next project is looking at gentrification in the multiracial communities of Leimert Park and USC in South Los Angeles.

Join Dr. Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo and me as we discuss race and space in historic South Central Los Angeles. Don't believe the hype; this is a story of not just pain and desperation but one of love, hope, and cooperation.  Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo is the Florence Everline Professor of Sociology at USC Dornsife, where she has worked for thirty years. As a qualitative sociologist who relies on interviews and ethnography, Los Angeles and Southern California have provided a rich social setting for developing a research trajectory spanning four areas:  Gender and migration; informal sector work in the immigrant city; religion and immigrant integration; and Latina/o sociology. She has published ten books and over fifty journal articles and book chapters on these topics.   Her most recent book, co-authored with Manuel Pastor, is South Central Dreams: Finding Home and Building Community in South L.A. (2021). In 2015, she received the Distinguished Career Award from the American Sociological Association, International Migration Section, and in 2018 she received the Julian Samora Distinguished Career Award from the American Sociological Association, Latina/o Sociology Section.

It's Black History Month; Myron Strong joins me in discussing race in Reality TV, Sci-Fi, comics, and Afrofuturism.  Myron T. Strong is an award-winning sociologist, who is currently an Associate Professor of Sociology at the Community College of Baltimore County in Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated with his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of North Texas in 2014. His research explores Afrofuturism, race, gender and other social factors in modern comics and popular culture. In 2019, he won the Eastern Sociological Society Barbara R. Walters Community College Faculty Award for his article "The Emperor Has New Clothes:​ ​How Outsider Sociology Can Shift the Discipline" published in Sociological Forum. He recently published book chapters; The first examines the construction in modern reality television shows in Race in American Television: Voices and Visions that Shaped a Nation. The second explores the way the Dora Milaje represent a continuation of these traditions and shows how Pan Africanism and collective memory are important to not only understanding Black identity in Afrofuturism and Black Panther: Gender Identity and Re-Making of Blackness.

Join Dr. David Embrick and me as we discuss the Rittenhouse and Ahmaud Abery cases, vigilantes, masculinity, and guns.  In other words, it's an All-American podcast! Dr. David G. Embrick holds a joint position as Associate Professor in the Sociology Department and African Studies Institute at the University of Connecticut. Prior to UConn, he spent a decade at Loyola University Chicago as faculty in the Sociology Department. He received his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University in 2006.  He is a former American Sociological Association Minority Fellow; Past-President of the Southwestern Sociological Association; current Vice President of the Society for the Study of Social Problems; and current President of the Association for Humanist Sociology.  In addition, Dr. Embrick serves as the Founding Co-Editor of Sociology of Race and Ethnicity; Founding Book Series Editor of Sociology of Diversity, with Bristol University Press; and Founding Book Series Co-Editor of Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, with Georgia University Press.Dr. Embrick’s research has centered largely on the impact of contemporary forms of racism on people of color.  While most of his research is one what he has labeled “diversity ideology” and inequalities in the business world, he has published on race and education, racial microaggressions, the impact of schools-welfare-and prisons on people of color, and issues of sex discrimination. Dr. Embrick has published in a number of journals including American Behavioral Scientist, Critical Sociology, Race and Society, Sex Roles, Social Problems, Sociological Forum, and Symbolic Interaction, among others. He has been invited to give talks and workshops on diversity; racism in the workplace; racism and space; racial microaggressions; and various issues of academic professionalism in over 125 venues, both academic and public.

Dana Williams and I discuss "trust." In particular, we discuss the trust of government, science, the vaccine, and each other.  For good measure, we threw in a conversation on anarchy.  Join us! Dana Williams is an associate professor of sociology at California State University, Chico. He is the author of Black Flags and Social Movements: A Sociological Analysis of Movement Anarchism and co-author of Anarchy & Society: Reflections on Anarchist-Sociology, as well as the author or co-author of over 30 research articles and book chapters on topics ranging from aging and longevity in radical movements, attitudes towards police violence, Critical Mass bike rides, municipal-level climate change policy, racial reconciliation coalition-building, Black anarchism, American attitudes about the use of military force, Amazon and technology, Native American mascots and nicknames, and anarchist studies. He has recently completed a new book manuscript entitled In Us We Trust: The Benefits of Solidarity and Anti-authoritarianism.

Join Karen Sabbah and me as we discuss her personal experiences with IVF.  We discussed the meanings of motherhood, costs, and tribulations of In Vitro Fertilization.  Karen Sabbah holds an MA in sociology from Califonia State University Northridge (2015) and has worked as an adjunct in the Los Angeles Community College District and College of the Canyons since 2016. She teaches courses in crime, human sexuality, gender, and race & ethnicity. Her focus in graduate school was on human sexuality and gender. Her thesis was titled "Dare to Derby: A Story of the Discovery of Empowerment through Roller Derby and Community." She is the production editor for the Journal of Positive Sexuality, a peer reviewed academic journal and a huge advocate for racial and gender inequalities. In 2020, while on the scholarship committee at Pierce, she noticed there wasn't a scholarship for single parents, so she established one called "A Single Parent's Journey" and has issued two scholarships per year for the last two years. 

Returning guests Celene Fuller, Tiffany Lanoix, and Rebecca Romo join me to discuss the new anti-abortion law in Texas.    Celene Fuller is a doctoral candidate at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and specializes in the sociological subfields of gender and sexuality and social psychology, emphasizing stigmatized sexual and gender identities. Celene’s dissertation research centers on the experiences of sexual and reproductive health stigma surrounding access to abortion and reproductive healthcare in Nevada. She is currently working with several nonprofit organizations to conduct sociological research that may be used to support and influence policies aimed at increasing access to reproductive healthcare at the state level.Tiffany Lanoix holds an MA in sociology from UC Irvine (2005) and has worked as a tenured sociology professor in the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) for over 13 years. Currently, she serves as Associate Professor of Sociology at West Los Angeles College where she teaches courses in racial and ethnic relations, social problems, intersectionality, and related topics. Community activism and social awareness are core to her activities as a scholar and professor. She has facilitated a number of workshops throughout LACCD on the topics of culturally inclusive teaching, decolonizing spaces, and microaggressions.Dr. Rebecca Romo is an Associate Professor at Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California. She earned her doctorate in sociology at the University of Santa Barbara. She is a former Ronald E. McNair Scholar, and fellow in the American Sociological Association Minority Fellowship Program. Her research focuses on the social construction of multiracial identities, and she has published work on Blaxican or Black-Mexican multiraciality and experience.

Jake Alimahomed-Wilson and Julio Tsuha discuss the hesitancy for workers to get back to their jobs, quality of life issues, and a crack in capitalism.    Jake Alimahomed-Wilson is a Professor of Sociology at California State University, Long Beach. His research focuses on race, gender, labor, logistics, and global workers’ struggles. He is the co-editor of The Cost of Free Shipping: Amazon in the Global Economy (Pluto Press, 2020 and co-editor of Choke Points: Logistics Workers Disrupting the Global Supply Chain (Pluto Press, 2018). He is the author of Solidarity Forever? Race, Gender, and Unionism in the Ports of Southern California (Lexington Books, 2016) and co-author of Getting the Goods: Ports, Labor, and the Logistics Revolution (Cornell University Press, 2008). Julio Tsuha is a Professor of Sociology at Los Angeles Pierce College of the LA Community College District. Prior to this, he served as Executive Director of the Dolores Huerta Labor Institute. He decided to get his Ph.D. at UC Riverside after an internship with the AFL-CIO, where his love for labor organizing and social justice activism was forged. He has been a union member and activist for the past 20 years.

Join Celene Fuller and me as we discuss alternatives to monogamy.  Professor Fuller breaks down open relationships and polyamory.  Celene Fuller is a doctoral candidate at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and specializes in the sociological subfields of gender and sexuality and social psychology, emphasizing stigmatized sexual and gender identities. Celene’s dissertation research centers on the experiences of sexual and reproductive health stigma surrounding access to abortion and reproductive healthcare in Nevada. She is currently working with several nonprofit organizations to conduct sociological research that may be used to support and influence policies aimed at increasing access to reproductive healthcare at the state level.

Dr. Paul E Calarco Jr. joins me to discuss COVID vaccinations, being a White ally, and so much more.  Paul is a Ph.D. sociologist with a specialization in gender, he has dedicated the majority of his academic career to addressing inequality and through his true passion lecturing undergraduates, attempting to elicit social change through expanding their minds, unblocking their creativity and imagination, and making them sharper, more mindful citizens.

Nadia Kim joins me to discuss her new book "Refusing Death: Immigrant Women and the Fight for Environmental Justice in LA."   We talk about the central role that courageous Asian and Latinx immigrant women play in the environmental justice movement in Los Angeles.  Nadia Y. Kim is Professor of Sociology and of Asian & Asian American Studies at Loyola Marymount University. Her research focuses on nativist racism with respect to Korean/Asian Americans, South Koreans, Latinx groups (esp. women), Los Angeles, and environmental racism and classism. Throughout her work, Kim’s approach centers (neo)imperialism, transnationality, and intersectionality. Kim is the author of the multi-award-winning Imperial Citizens: Koreans and Race from Seoul to LA (Stanford, 2008) and of Refusing Death: Immigrant Women and the Fight for Environmental Justice in LA. She has (co)authored articles in anthologies and volumes of Social Forces, Social Problems, International Migration Review, and The Du Bois Review. She and/or her work have also appeared on National and SoCal Public Radio, Radio Korea and in The Washington Post, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Boston Globe, The Korea Times, and NYLON Magazine. She's a music and animal lover, singer and avid karaoke-er, and ocean-worshipper; and has lived in Seoul, Newfoundland Canada, Florence Italy, and comes from a family of South Koreans and Korean Brasilians.  

Dr. Michael Messner joins me to discuss his new book "Unconventional Combat: Intersectional Action in the Veterans’ Peace Movement."  We discuss the way in which veterans who are women, racial, and sexual minorities have affected the military and the Veterans for Peace movement.  We also discuss how these transformations serve as a cautionary tale to all social justice movements.  Michael Messner is a professor of sociology and gender studies at the University of Southern California. He has been honored with the Pursuit of Justice Award from the California Women’s Law Center for his research and advocacy for girls and women in sport; the Feminist Mentoring Award from the Sociologists for Women in Society; and the Jessie Bernard Award from the American Sociological Association in recognition of contributions to the understanding of women’s lives.  Messner is the author or editor of nineteen books, and has in recent years focused his research on U.S. military veterans who become lifelong advocates for peace and social justice. The first book based on this research, Guys Like Me: Five Wars, Five Veterans for Peace, was published by Rutgers University Press in 2019. The new book, Unconventional Combat: Intersectional Action in the Veterans’ Peace Movement is hot off the press from Oxford University Press. The website is https://unconventionalcombat.com

Professor Renato Jimenez and I talk about our relationships with our fathers and sociology and how it shapes us as men and fathers.  Renato Jimenez is an associate professor of sociology at East Los Angeles College. He identifies as a 1.5 generation immigrant from Guatemala. Renato was raised in Santa Ana, California, attended Santa Ana College, UC Irvine (B.A. Sociology), and CSU Fullerton (M.A. Sociology). His research interests include sociology of families, sociology of sports, gender, sex and sexuality, and racially/ethnic identities. He teaches the only class offered in the LACCD on masculinities entitled Issues of Manhood in the U.S. He is currently working on developing biweekly equity-minded podcasts for ELAC through the office of professional development. He is an avid lover of music and vinyl record collector. He is the proud father of two young boys, ages 5 and 6. 

Dr. Nicole Wilms and I discuss women in sports, transgender women’s participation in sports, and the attack on critical race theory. Nicole Willms received her B.A. in Sociology/Anthropology and Spanish from Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Virginia. She later completed her studies at the University of Southern California, where she received her Master's and Ph.D. in Sociology, with a certificate in Gender Studies. Willms' research focuses on the intersection of gender and race in American Sports. Her 2017 book, When Women Rule the Court: Gender, Race, and Japanese American Basketball, explores a community context that produced stellar female athletes and new understandings about gender and sport. Born in Seattle, Washington, and resident of Spokane, Washington since 2011, Willms considers herself a Northwesterner at heart. Her favorite activities are jogging, kayaking, reading fiction, spending time with friends and family, and dabbling in her favorite sport, basketball, as a player, fan, or coach.

Join me in a reflexive conversation with Dr. Cara Gillis on the cannons of philosophy and sociology, teaching our disciplines to working-class students of color and women kicking men's ass in sports! Dr. Cara Gillis is a philosopher who specializes in ethics, particularly in the areas of animal ethics, environmental ethics, and the problem of harm.  She’s currently examining the relationship between moral psychology and motivation as it applies to biocentric and ecocentric conceptions of environmental ethics. She received a BA in philosophy from the University of Western Ontario, MAs in philosophy from Cal State Long Beach and UC Irvine, and a Ph.D. in philosophy from UC Irvine.  She’s taught in the Community College, Cal State, and University of California systems and is currently a professor of philosophy at Pierce College, where she’s also the Chair of Philosophy and Sociology Department.  Although born and raised in the Canadian Maritimes, she moved to southern California in the early aughts to evade the cold and pursue a “career” in road cycling.  Her life motto is “How hard can it be?” It turns out some things, particularly the self-reflection and introspection necessary to be an effective educator, are very hard indeed.

Join Dr. Rashawn Ray and me as we discuss how we actually get police reform.  Will the conviction of Derek Chauvin bring reform?  How do we not just hold police officers responsible but the policing system itself accountable?  If we cant pull the rotten tree of policing up at the roots, how do we begin to trim its rotten branches? 

Robert Wonser and I reopen our conversation about the Republican Party's war on “cancel culture."  We ask why now and how we can reach across the ideological rift.  Robert Wonser has been teaching sociology since 2006. He earned his BS in Business Administration with an option in Marketing and his MA in Sociology from California State University, Northridge. He is an Associate Professor of Sociology at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, CA. He teaches numerous sociology classes and is one of the coordinators for COC's Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. His research interests include culture, mass media, subcultures, popular culture, youth culture, consumerism, social stratification, gender, criminology, education, and social psychology. He has co-authored with Dr. David Boyns a book chapter in Cinematic Sociology 2nd Edition ‘The Caped Crusader: What Batman Films Tell Us about Crime and Deviance” and an article in The Sociological Quarterly called “Between the Living and Undead: How Zombie Cinema Reflects the Social Construction of Risk, the Anxious Self, and Disease Pandemic.”

Former Los Angels and Seattle City Planner Dick Platkin and I discuss how cities ignore the reports of their own city planners to the benefit of real estate developers, dealing with the homeless crisis, and the lack of low income affordable housing. Dick Platkin is a retired Los Angeles city planner with graduate degrees in city planning (University of Washington) and sociology (University of California Los Angeles).  Since retiring from the City of Los Angeles, he taught undergraduate classes at University of Southern California and California State University Northridge.  He also worked for community groups in Los Angeles as a city planning consultant and writes a weekly on-line Planning Watch column for CityWatchLA.  In his column, he draws on his training in sociology and his experience is working in and teaching about urban planning.  As a sociologist his interests were political sociology (fascism), racism and nationalism, and urban sociology.

Dr. Sabrina Alimahomed-Wilson joins me to discuss the Matrix of Gendered Islamophobia, why we shouldn't call those who stormed the capitol on January 6th terrorists, and the relationship of gender, war, and imperialism to the shootings of the Asian women in Georgia. Dr. Sabrina Alimahomed-Wilson is an Associate Professor of Sociology at California State University, Long Beach. She has published her research in various journals including Gender and Society, Critical Sociology, Race and Class, and Women, Gender, and Families of Color on the topics of gendered Islamophobia and state violence, racialized surveillance and counterterrorism, capitalism and the privatization of the domestic War on Terror.She is Affiliate Faculty at the Center for Security, Race, and Rights at Rutgers Law School. She previously served as an Honorary Research Fellow at University College London’s Centre for the Study of Education in Muslim Contexts and as a Research Fellow in the Civil Rights Division at the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA). She has received funding from the American Association for the University Women, Association for the Sociology of Religion, American Sociological Association, Society for the Study of Social Problems, and Sociologists for the Study of Women. She is currently serving on the National Minority Fellowship Program Advisory Board for the American Sociological Association and is the campus Chair for the California Faculty Association’s Racial and Social Justice Council.