Society for the Study of Society Problems Community Research and Development Division Winter 2021 Newsletter In this issue: Message from the Chair 2021 Annual Meeting Program Theme CRD’s 2021 Conference Sessions (UPDATED) Call for Student Paper and Community Partner Paper Award Submissions SSSP CRD Member Publications Special Calls, Invitations, and Announcements Message from the Division Chair It seems that we face a new crisis and related social problems with each newsletter greeting I write. Indeed, we are living through exceptionally tumultuous and trying times. The pandemic, political upheavals, future uncertainty, and persistent structural inequality continue to challenge us every day. But they are also opportunities to apply our critical insights into social problems at the community level. I hope you will take advantage of the virtual format of the 2021 SSSP annual meeting, and submit a proposal. The Community Research and Development Division is sponsoring and co-sponsoring a wide array of sessions that address current critical issues as well as long-standing social problems in local and global communities, including the pandemic, public health and inequality, loss and healing, isolation and resilience, policing, criminal justice reform, social movements and activism, migration, gentrification, and community development in the classroom. I also encourage graduate students to submit a paper to the Community Research and Development Division Graduate Student Paper Award Competition. All CRD members who work with community partners on research may submit a paper to the Community Research and Development Division Community Partner Paper Award Competition. The deadline for paper proposals for the conference and award competitions is January 15, 2021. Please see the full call for submissions on the SSSP website at https://www.sssp1.org/. We are still seeking nominations for the next division chair. In addition to this opportunity to lead the division, you can also shape the division by submitting conference papers, proposing future conference sessions, serving on our graduate student paper award and community partner paper award committees, volunteering to be a discussant on a paper panel, and contributing to the division newsletter. If you would like to nominate someone (or yourself) to run for division chair or get more involved with the CRD Division in other capacities, please email me at halaszj@newpaltz.edu. Thanks in advance to the conference session organizers, paper competition committee members, and our newsletter editor Molly Clark-Barol for their contributions to the division. Best wishes, Judy Judith R. Halasz, Ph.D. Chair, Community Research and Development Division Associate Professor, Sociology Department, State University of New York at New Paltz 2021 Annual Meeting Program Theme Revolutionary Sociology: Truth, Healing, Reparations, and Restructuring The way to right wrongs is to shine the light of truth on them.   --Ida B. Wells, A Red Record (1895) Wouldn’t a better use of our labor be to create a system of justice based on healing, redemption and real accountability, a system that empowers us to stand up and put things right?   --Rosado, et. al., Larger Than Life (2018) IF WE THINK of reparations as part of a broad strategy to radically transform society — redistributing wealth, creating a democratic and caring public culture, exposing the ways capitalism and slavery produced massive inequality — then the ongoing struggle for reparations holds enormous promise for revitalizing movements for social justice.   --Robin D.G. Kelley, Freedom Dreams (2002) Can social science still be the brash, young, vital, productive, unsettling, even revolutionary pursuit it has been in its most valuable periods?   --Al McClung Lee, Social Problems (1954) We build on the past--stand on the broad shoulders of giants--but our vision and our actions are shaped by the ideological frameworks and institutional structures that constitute what Cooley called the “social mind.” Of course, sociologists such as W.E.B. Du Bois and Jane Addams had already developed a much more sophisticated and dialectical theory of identity, social consciousness and social forces well before Cooley’s published work. The tragedies of Du Bois, Addams, and others’ exclusion from the field was not just the overt racism and patriarchy that lay behind it--although such acts were purposeful and reprehensible. A similarly troubling result from the triumph of white male professionalized (or corporate) sociology was its repression of the discipline’s most radical and engaged efforts at being a revolutionary force for global justice. As our most recent presidents have stated, the Society for the Study of Social Problems [SSSP] was born out of the struggle to rescue and revitalize a relevant sociology for “the people” and use social science as a weapon for a just world. In 2015, Marlese Durr argued that our work must actively “pursue a just society [if we] may alter the most pressing problems carried across centuries.” In 2018, Luis Fernandez encouraged us to be bold in not only studying social problems, but in developing ways to abolish them, “eliminat[ing] systems of subjugation” and “reimagining social justice.” When Heather Dalmage claimed last year that “resistance alone [would] not create a new world with new possibilities,” she called on us to build pathways, solidarity, political engagement and pedagogies of liberation to “create the structural changes that bend toward justice.” She asked, “Where does our scholar activism, as we live it through SSSP, fit into our dreams of transformation, toward building new worlds?” Unfortunately, SSSP itself has too often fallen short in meeting the radical aspirations of its members and leaders.  From the late 1960s onward, presidents complained about the organization’s conservative tendencies and the ways in which fighting for professional status and scientific legitimacy too often limited the revolutionary imagination and political interventions of the organization. By its 25th Anniversary, founders suggested that SSSP had become a “mini ASA” losing both its analytical focus on power and structure and its political focus on policy applications and movement activism. By its 50th Anniversary in 2001, many wondered whether the organization then suffered from its own institutionalized and rigid orthodoxies. That year, Ellen Reese (2001) issued SSSP a Call to Action for a more politically engaged professional organization. Twenty years later we echo that call with even greater immediacy and purpose. SSSP can be a stronger, more active and transformative body that supports social movement work in our communities, in our nations, and around the world. But we must make it so. The 2021 Program Committee invites you to join us in Chicago to envision a more effective future for the forces of radical and revolutionary sociology. We must be bold and persistent, not in dogma, but in passion, commitment and action towards global justice. We call for papers that ask--and try to answer--the questions posed so many years ago: “sociology for what?” (Lynd, 1936) and the “sociology for whom?” (Lee, 1951). We invite scholars looking to reach out to, and work with, community groups and social movement organizations—whom we hope will have a strong presence at meeting sessions and at conference events throughout the city. We hope to inspire innovative, interdisciplinary and collaborative efforts at what Nancy Naples (2007) called “research that matters.” While we cannot predict now what next summer’s social and political context will be, we know that pandemics and racist police murders are symptoms of the already existing structures of oppression and violence that SSSP members (and the organization itself) must work to end. Finally, in part as a response to possible pandemics but also as a strategy to increase our global vision and inclusivity, we will have a virtual component to this year’s conference. While attendance will be open to all members, virtual sessions are specifically targeted to those who could not otherwise attend in person.  We believe this mechanism and strategy will help us increase the participation of international and low-income professionals, graduate students, and young scholars who might otherwise not be able to participate in person. As we answer former President David Smith’s (2016) call to increase our global presence and analysis, we also understand that the forces of inequality and patriarchy, white supremacy and violence, have always been global in nature. The formation of a revolutionary sociology focused on both a new abolitionism and a new vision of radical democracy and redistribution must also be international. We look forward to having these conversations, dialogues, debates, and celebrations next year in Chicago. Please join us. Corey Dolgon, SSSP President, Stonehill College All Virtual CRD Sessions at 2021 SSSP Annual Conference Social Impact of and Responses to the Covid-19 Pandemic in Global Communities (vcritical dialogue), Organizer: Judith R. Halasz, State University of New York at New Paltz  Beyond Migration: The Role of (Im)mobility in Community Inclusion and Exclusion (paper panel), Organizers: Nathalie Rita, University of Hawaii at Manoa, and Eberhard Raithelhuber, University of Salzburg, Co-Sponsored by the Transnational Initiatives Committee  Gentrification, Migration, and Decline: Recent Changes and the Future of Cities and Communities (paper panel), Organizers: Judith R. Halasz, State University of New York at New Paltz, and Meghan Ashlin Rich, University of Scranton  Shifting Demographics, Race, Ethnicity, and Community Identity in the Current Political Climate (critical dialogue), Organizer: Felicia Sullivan, Jobs for the Future  Activist Café: Community Activists and Scholars in Dialogue (critical dialogue), Organizers: Amy Foerster, Pace University, and Ebonie Cunningham Stringer, Penn State University, Co-Sponsored by the Gender and Conflict, Social Action, and Change Divisions  Community Public Health and Racial, Ethnic, and Socio-economic Inequality (paper panel), Organizers: Matthew McLeskey, State University of New York at Buffalo, and Josephine Greenbrook, University of Edinburgh, Co-Sponsored by the Health, Health Policy, and Health Services Division  Social Control and Policing Communities and Cities (paper panel), Organizers: Amy Foerster, Pace University, and Luis Nuńo, California State University-Los Angeles, Co-Sponsored by the Racial and Ethnic Minorities; Law and Society; and Crime and Juvenile Delinquency Divisions  Loss and Healing in the Community (critical dialogue), Organizer: Michael O. Johnston, William Penn University, Co-Sponsored by the Sociology and Social Welfare; Family; Youth Aging and Life Course; Society and Mental Health Divisions  Vulnerable Populations, Social Isolation, and Resilience (paper panel), Organizer: Sarah Stanlick, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Co-Sponsored by the Sociology and Social Welfare; Family; Society and Mental Health Divisions  Social Movements and Community Organizing for Criminal Justice Reform (paper panel), Organizers: Molly Clark-Barol, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Victoria Faust, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Co-Sponsored by the Racial and Ethnic Minorities; Law and Society; Crime and Juvenile Delinquency; and Conflict, Social Action, and Change Divisions  Classroom community development: Fostering Healing, Hope, and Revolution in the Classroom (critical dialogue), Organizers: Abby Templer Rodrigues, Missouri State University, and Amie Thurber, Co-Sponsored by the Teaching Social Problems Division  Call for Paper Award Submissions The CRD Division sponsors a graduate student paper award and a community partner paper award. Take a look at the call for papers below and consider submitting a paper. The deadline for submissions is January 15, 2021. Community Research and Development Division Graduate Student Paper The Community Research and Development Division announces its 2021 Graduate Student Paper Competition. Paper topics can focus on various aspects of communities, including their capacity, development, renewal, and relationship with other social issues or problems. Qualitative and quantitative empirical analyses, applied research, and theoretical papers are welcome. To be eligible for submission, a paper must not be published nor accepted for publication. Papers must be student-authored; they may be authored by a single student or co-authored by more than one student, but may not be co-authored by a faculty member or other non-student. Papers must not exceed 25 double-spaced pages (including all notes, references, and tables), and should include a brief abstract. To be eligible for the award, the author(s) must make a commitment to present the paper at a session during the 2021 SSSP Annual Meeting in San Francisco. To be considered, submit (a) a copy of the manuscript, (b) a cover letter specifying that the paper is to be considered in the Community Research and Development Division Graduate Student Paper Competition, and (c) a short letter from each author’s advisor certifying the person’s status as a student and including some brief comments about the research. All materials must be submitted electronically to the Annual Meeting Call for Papers on the SSSP conference website by January 15, 2021 and also sent to the Committee Chair, Dr. Michael O. Johnston at johnstonmo@wmpenn.edu. Please note that students may only submit to one division. The winner will receive a $100 cash award, a one-year student membership to SSSP, conference registration fees, and a plaque of recognition at the conference awards ceremony. Community Research and Development Division Community Partner Paper The Community Research and Development Division announces its 2021 Community Partner Paper Competition. Consistent with our division’s mission, this paper award is intended to recognize rigorous academic work that has practical implications for members of marginalized communities and specifically, to celebrate community-engaged work. Paper topics can focus on various social issues and problems related to community, such as the causes and consequences of communities’ exclusion or marginalization from processes and resources, the capacities and strengths of communities and community movements, and the development and changes within communities. Qualitative and quantitative empirical analyses, applied research, and theoretical papers are welcome. To be eligible for submission, a paper must not be published or accepted for publication. Papers must be coauthored with a community partner; they may be coauthored by more than one faculty member and/or student, but must include at least one community partner. Community partners are characterized by any community-based entity that is outside of the academy. Papers must not exceed 25 double-spaced pages (including all notes, references, and tables), and should include a brief abstract. To be eligible for the award, the author(s) must make a commitment to present the paper at a session during the 2021 SSSP Annual Meeting in San Francisco. To be considered, submit (a) a copy of the manuscript, (b) a cover letter specifying that the paper is to be considered in the Community Research and Development Division Community Partner Paper Competition, and (c) a brief letter from the community partner commenting on his or her role in the paper. All materials must be submitted electronically to the Annual Meeting Call for Papers on the SSSP conference website by January 15, 2021 and also sent to the Committee Co-Chairs, Olanike Ojelabi at olanike.ojelabi001@umb.edu and Matthew H. McLeskey at mhmclesk@buffalo.edu. The winner will receive a $100 cash award and a plaque of recognition at the Community Research and Development Division business meeting. SSSP CRD Member Accomplishments: Two related publications may be of interest to CRD Members: Gaddis, Jennifer E., Amy K. Coplen, Molly Clark-Barol, Allea Martin, Claire K. Barrett, Lauren Lubowicki. 2020. “Incorporating local foods into low-income families’ home-cooking practices: The critical role of sustained economic subsidies”. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. 10(1): 117-132. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2020.101.019 Clark-Barol, Molly, Jennifer E. Gaddis, Claire K. Barrett. 2021. “Food agency in low-income households: A qualitative study of the structural and individual factors impacting participants in a community-based nutrition program”. Appetite 158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2020.105013 Please share news of publications, dissertations, job changes, upcoming conferences, and other relevant updates with your CRD Division colleagues. Send information about recent news to clarkbarol@wisc.edu for inclusion in the next division newsletter. Special Calls, Invitations, and Announcements Would you like to contribute to the CRD Division newsletter? We are looking for interviews with scholars, practitioners, or community activists working on community-related issues and short essays on timely community-related research. Interested? Please email Molly at clarkbarol@wisc.edu. Society for the Study of Social Problems Community and Research Development Division https://www.sssp1.org/index.cfm/pageId/1329/m/464 Winter 2021 Newsletter •