Greetings, Returning and New Social Problems Theory (SPT) Division Members! To begin this newsletter, I would like to congratulate and introduce you to the SPT Division Chair-elect, Arthur McLuhan. Arthur is currently a Research Fellow and Instructor in the Graduate Program in the Department of Sociology at York University. His research emphasizes pragmatic, ethnographic methods, and interactionist sociology. His recent work examines perceived character competence and incompetence in the social problems process. Arthur also is a past winner of the Graduate Student Paper Competition from the SPT Division. Recently, his research has been accepted for publication in Symbolic Interaction and Sociological Focus. Please join me in welcoming Arthur as the Chair-elect. If you would like to contact Arthur, then you can reach him at: mcluhan@yorku.ca. Preparations for the 2018 SSSP annual meetings in Philadelphia are already underway. Concerning the meetings, this newsletter includes the SPT Division’s call for papers (p. 3), program theme (p. 2), call for the Outstanding Book Award (p. 3), call for the Graduate Student Paper Competition (p. 3), and a list of sessions sponsored by the SPT Division (p. 4). Also, you will find information about recent member publications (p. 5-6). David C. Lane University of South Dakota Social Problems Theory Division Chair (2016-2018) SOCIAL PROBLEMS THEORY DIVISION of the Society for the Study of Social Problems WINTER 2018 NEWSLETTER MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR THEORY DIVISION CHAIR 2016-2018 DAVID C. LANE Anthropology and Sociology University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD dave.lane@usd.edu # 2018 Calls for Papers SOCIAL PROBLEMS THEORY DIVISION IN THIS ISSUE: 2018 SSSP Program Theme Page 2 Calls for Papers Page 3 Division-sponsored Sessions Page 4 Recent Member Publications and Other Announcements Pages 5-6 BOOKS: Athens, Lonnie. 2017. The Creation of Dangerous Violent Criminals. 2nd ed. New York: Transaction, an imprint of Francis and Taylor Group, 2017 Rosino, Michael L. (forthcoming). Debating the Drug War: Race, Politics, and the Media. New York: Routledge Press ARTICLES: Lane, David C. 2017. “Understanding Body Modification: A Process Based Framework.” Sociology Compass DOI: 10.1111/soc4.12495 McLuhan, Arthur. 2017. “Generic Processes in Aligning the Multiple Bases of Identity: Becoming a Ministry Student.” Symbolic Interaction DOI: 10.1002/symb.345     Menard, Jean-Patrick. 2017. “Otero, Marcelo, Les fous dans la cité. Sociologie de la folie contemporaine.” Canadian Journal of Sociology 42(1):135-38. (In English) https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/cjs/index.php/CJS/article/view/29193/21291  Menard, Jean-Patrick. 2015. “Entrevue: « Conversations avec Prof. Marcel Fournier ».” McGill Sociological Review 5:57- 62. https://www.mcgill.ca/msr/msr-volume-5/entrevue-marcel-fournier Rosino, Michael L. 2017. “‘A Problem of Humanity’: The Human Rights Framework and the Struggle for Racial Justice.” Sociology of Race and Ethnicity DOI: 10.1177/2332649217708429 Rosino, Michael L. and Matthew W. Hughey. 2017. “Speaking through Silence: Racial Discourse and Identity Construction in Mass Mediated Debates on the ‘War on Drugs’.” Social Currents 4(3):246-264. DOI: 10.1177/2329496516663223 Savelsberg. Joachim J. 2018. “Punitive Turn and Justice Cascade: Mutual Inspiration from Punishment & Society and Human Rights Literatures.” Punishment & Society 20(1):73-91. DOI: 10.1177/1462474517737049 BOOK CHAPTERS: Khoshneviss, Hadi and Robert Benford. 2018. “Social Movements.” In Sage’s Handbook of Political Sociology, edited by Stephen Turner and William Outhwaite, 828-844. London: Sage Publications. Joachim J. Savelsberg. 2018.  “Criminology in the United States.” In: Handbook of the History and Philosophy of Criminology, edited by Ruth Triplett. Wiley, pp. 437-452. Joachim J. Savelsberg and Wahutu Siguru. 2017. “Media Reports and African Genocide.” In: Crime, Media, and Popular Culture, Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice (online). RECENT MEMBER PUBLICATIONS SOCIAL PROBLEMS THEORY DIVISION 2018| University of California 256 pages $29.95 paperback JOEL BEST is Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at the University of Delaware. He is the author of Damned Lies and Statistics, Flavor of the Month, Stat-Spotting, and Everyone’s a Winner and coauthor of The Student Loan Mess.  American Nightmares: Social Problems in an Anxious World JOEL BEST Description: In an accessible and droll style, well-known sociologist Joel Best shines a light on how we navigate these anxious, insecure social times. While most of us still strive for the American Dream—to graduate from college, own a home, work toward early retirement—recent generations have been told that the next generation will not be able to achieve these goals, that things are getting—or are on the verge of getting—worse. In American Nightmares, Best addresses the apprehension that we face every day as we are bombarded with threats that the social institutions we count on are imperiled. Our schools are failing to teach our kids. Healthcare may soon be harder to obtain. We can’t bank on our retirement plans. And our homes—still the largest chunk of most people’s net worth—may lose much of their value. Our very way of life is being threatened! Or is it? With a steady voice and keen focus, Best examines how a culture develops fears and fantasies and how these visions are created and recreated in every generation. By dismantling current ideas about the future, collective memory, and sociology’s marginalization in the public square, Best sheds light on how social problems—and our anxiety about them—are socially constructed. Reviews: “American Nightmare offers a brilliant study of the narrative of gloom that pervades contemporary culture. Joel Best has written an important sociological study of how America’s social problems are constructed.”—Frank Furedi, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, University of Kent, Canterbury   “Joel Best reflects on one of the central and enduring paradoxes of U.S. civic culture: that collective anxiety—for the past, present, and future—shrouds the unabashed optimism of the ‘American dream.’ With his typical even-handedness, Best shows how activists and elites, liberals and conservatives use this anxiety to advance their competing agendas. American Nightmares is a book of and for these times. It articulates the tensions and fears underlying U.S. politics and provides a careful, sociological perspective on them.”—Jared Del Rosso, author of Talking about Torture: How Political Discourse Shapes the Debate   “If you’re tired of overheated and polarized arguments, American Nightmares provides an edifying respite. Joel Best’s brand of critical thinking helps us see through pessimism coming from the left and the right—and from social scientists as well. In clear and engaging prose, Best shows how ‘diametrically opposed’ advocates often employ nearly identical rhetorical strategies to persuade audiences to take stances against perceived dangers. Politicians on the left and the right, journalists and activists, natural and social scientists—no one is off-limits in Best’s pursuit of rationality and reasoned dialogue.”—Scott R. Harris, author of How to Critique Journal Articles in the Social Sciences RECENT MEMBER PUBLICATIONS SOCIAL PROBLEMS THEORY DIVISION Insert picture of me here. Editors: Margaret McGladrey and David C. Lane Session # Session Title Sponsor(s) Organizers 5 CRITICAL DIALOGUE: Social Action and Liberation: Community Partnerships (THEMATIC) Community Research and Development Drinking and Drugs Social Problems Theory Kathryn Nowotny Kathryn.Nowotny@Miami.edu 26 Developments and Controversies in Crime Theory and Methods Crime and Juvenile Delinquency Social Problems Theory Ashley K. Farmer, akfarme@ilstu.edu Andrew C. Gray, grayac@udel.edu (co-organizers) 48 Problems in Higher Education: Resistance and Transformation (THEMATIC) Educational Problems Social Problems Theory Keith R. Johnson keithjohnson101@gmail.com 70 CRITICAL DIALOGUE: Uncertainty in Political Discourse Global Social Problems Theory Jason A. Smith jsm5@gmu.edu 78 Theoretical Approaches to Medicalization and Mental Health Health, Health Policy, and Health Services Social Problems Theory Society and Mental Health Hwa-Yen Huang hhuang@sociology.rutgers.edu Morena Tartari morena.tartari@unipd.it (co-organizers) 89 The Rise of Adjunct Faculty: The Elephant in the Room Labor Studies Social Problems Theory Nicholas Pagnucco npagnucco@gmail.com Gina Petonito, petonig@miamioh.edu (co-organizers) 96 Theorizing Resistance and Social Justice Action(THEMATIC) Law and Society Social Problems Theory Margaret McGladrey mlmc229@uky.edu 110 New Work in Social Problems Theory Social Problems Theory Joshua H. Stout hstout@udel.edu 111 Memory, Identity, and Emotion in Social Problems Social Problems Theory David C. Lane dlane@udel.edu 112 CRITICAL DIALOGUE: Abolitionism and the State (THEMATIC) Social Problems Theory Jennifer Carlson jennifercarlson@email.arizona.edu Lester H. Andrist les.andrist@gmail.com (co-organizers) 2018 SESSIONS SPONSORED BY THE SOCIAL PROBLEMS THEORY DIVISION SOCIAL PROBLEMS THEORY DIVISION Luis A. Fernandez Northern Arizona University SSSP President (2017-18) PROGRAM THEME STATEMENT “Be faithful, be vigilant, be untiring in your efforts to break every yoke, and let the oppressed go free.” –William Lloyd Garrison “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” –Frederick Douglass “Fight for the right to live, love, and work wherever you please.” –The Repeal Coalition of Arizona (an immigrant rights group) In the 18th and 19th centuries, abolitionists developed strong movements demanding the end of slavery. In the United States, individuals like Gerrit Smith, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, the Grimke sisters, and John Brown called for the immediate end to the enslavement of their fellow humans and were unrelenting in their actions to reach their goals. These were zealots, individuals who were unapologetic about their demands. For instance, in 1855, abolitionists issued a call for an inaugural convention of Radical Abolitionists. It stated: “We want [people] at this crisis who cannot be frightened from the advocacy of our 'radical' doctrines, because of their unpopularity . . . Let us not, then, grow weary, but believing that 'whatever is RIGHT, IS PRACTICAL,' go forth with renewed determination to conquer, though we die in the conflict.” (In The Black Hearts of Men, John Stauffer, p. 12) Facing modern social problems, we can find inspiration in the Abolitionist Movement. As we see Latino, Black, and Indigenous youth killed and imprisoned at disproportionate rates, we need strategies to stop racial subjugation. As we witness the call for larger walls at our borders, we need new thoughts of liberation. As we confront patriarchy and economic inequality, we require stronger practices. To that end, the theme for the 2018 SSSP annual meeting is Abolitionist Approaches to Social Problems.  The SSSP has a long history of experimentation, inviting critique of ideas and concepts as it pushes toward a continual reimagining of social justice. In the current incarnation, we invite participants to help us develop ways to abolish social problems entirely, to think through what is required to eliminate systems of subjugation, and to document the current struggles that are already leading the way in these efforts. This will require not just a rethinking of how to confront social problems, but also a rediscovering of buried histories, of hidden struggles, and of ideas that are submerged below the surface. It is time, once again, to remember that what is right is practical and to be unafraid of principles that are unpopular. To this end, the program committee will be inviting speakers, organizing thematic sessions, and assembling panels of scholar-activists who are confronting capitalism, colonialism, patriarchy, and other forms of subjugation. We also invite you to submit proposals that match the theme. It is our hope that this year’s theme provides us with an opportunity to have an earnest discussion about the possibilities of developing and implementing strategies that eradicate subjugation. We invite you to engage in our efforts. We hope to see you in Philadelphia, a city steeped in an abolitionist tradition.  Luis A. Fernandez, SSSP President Northern Arizona University  ? To this end, the program committee will be inviting speakers, organizing thematic sessions, and assembling panels of scholars-activist who are confronting capitalism, colonialism, patriarchy, and other forms of subjugation.  We also invite you to submit proposals that match the theme. It is our hope that this year’s theme provides us with an opportunity to have an earnest discussion on the possibilities of developing and implementing strategies that eradicate subjugation.  We invite you to engage in our efforts.  We hope to see you in Philadelphia, a city steeped in an abolitionist tradition.   ABOLITIONIST APPROACHES TO SOCIAL PROBLEMS August 10-12, 2018 Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown Hotel Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 2018 ANNUAL MEETING SOCIAL PROBLEMS THEORY DIVISION “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” –Frederick Douglass “Fight for the right to live, love, and work wherever you please.” –The Repeal Coalition of Arizona (an immigrant rights group) In the 18th and 19th centuries, abolitionist developed strong movements demanding the end of slavery.  In the United States, individuals like Gerrit Smith, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, the Grimke sisters, and John Brown called for the immediate end to the enslavement of their fellow humans, and were unrelenting in their actions to reach their goals.  These were zealots, individuals who were unapologetic about their demands.  For instance, in 1855, abolitionists issued a call for an inaugural convention of Radical Abolitionists. It stated, "We want [people] at this crisis who cannot be frightened from the advocacy of our 'radical' doctrines, because of their unpopularity . . . Let us not, then, grow weary, but believing that 'whatever is RIGHT, IS PRACTICAL,' go forth with renewed determination to conquer, though we die in the conflict." (In The Black Hearts of Men, John Stauffer, p. 12) As we face modern social problems, we can find inspiration in the Abolitionist Movement.  As we see Latino, Black, and Indigenous youth killed and imprisoned at disproportionate rates, we need strategies to stop racial subjugation.  As we witness the call for larger walls at our borders, we need new thoughts of liberation.  As we confront patriarchy and economic inequality, we require stronger practices.  To that end, the theme for the 2018 SSSP Annual Meeting is Abolitionist Approaches to Social Problems.  The SSSP has a long history of experimentation, inviting critique of ideas and concepts as it pushes towards a continual reimagining of social justice.  In the current incarnation, we invite participants to help us develop ways to abolish social problems entirely, to think through what is required to eliminate systems of subjugation, and to document the current struggles that are already leading the way in these efforts.  This will require not just a rethinking of how to confront social problems, but also a rediscovering of buried histories, of hidden struggles, and of ideas that are submerged below the surface.  It is time, once again, to remember that what is right is practical and to be unafraid of principles that are unpopular. Student Paper Competition Deadline: 1/31/18 The Social Problems Theory Division invites papers for its annual Student Paper Award Competition. To be eligible, papers must (a) be authored or co-authored by students, (b) make an original and innovative contribution to the theoretical understanding of social problems, (c) not have been accepted for publication, and (d) must be submitted through the annual meeting Call for Papers process as a condition for consideration, preferably to a SPT Division session. Papers co-authored with faculty are not eligible. Self-nominations are welcome. Manuscripts should be limited to fewer than 10,000 words (not including references). The winner will receive membership dues, annual meeting registration, a plaque, and (subject to budgetary approval) a cash prize. The winner also will be invited to present their paper at the 2018 SSSP meetings. Please also note that students may only submit a paper for consideration to one SSSP division. A paper submitted to multiple divisions will not receive consideration for the SPT Division Award. Please send the submission as an e-mail attachment to the Student Paper Competition Committee Chair: Jared Del Rosso, University of Denver, Jared.DelRosso@du.edu. Questions may be addressed to David Lane, Chair, SPT Division, dlane@udel.edu. Outstanding Book Award Deadline: 2/15/18 The Social Problems Theory Division requests nominations for its Outstanding Book Award. The Division welcomes books that critique or advance the ongoing scholarly and public dialogue about social problems theorizing. More information regarding the Division’s vision is provided in our Mission Statement (https://www.sssp1.org/index.cfm/pageid/1240/m/464). Eligible books must have been published between 2015 and 2017. Single- or multiple-authored books will be accepted. Authors are encouraged to nominate their own work. Nominees must be members of SSSP. Please send a brief nomination letter and arrange to have three copies of the book sent directly to the Outstanding Book Award Committee Chair: Keith Johnson, keithjohnson101@gmail.com. Questions may be addressed to David Lane, Chair, SPT Division, dlane@udel.edu. 2018 Annual Meeting Call for Papers Deadline: 1/31/18 Each participant is permitted to submit one sole-authored paper and one sole-authored critical dialogue paper, but additional co-authored papers may be submitted. Critical dialogue sessions include short (5-minute) presentations by up to 8 authors followed by facilitated dialogue that critically explores connections among the papers. The audience will have an opportunity to participate in the dialogue as well. Emphasis is placed on exploring interesting connections between papers with a broadly similar theme. The hope is that both presenters and the audience will have an opportunity to make new and deeper connections as a result of this presentation format. Critical dialogue sessions will not have audio-visual equipment. Click here to submit an extended abstract (required) and paper (optional) or to view your added or submitted abstracts/papers. For assistance with the 2018 Call for Papers process, read our Frequently Asked Questions. All papers must be submitted by midnight (EST) on January 31, 2018, in order to be considered. MEETING MENTORSHIP PROGRAM The Meeting Mentor Program is designed to facilitate interaction between new members or graduate students and SSSP veterans at the annual meeting. Mentors provide valuable knowledge about the SSSP and annual meeting activities as well as insight into their own experiences as scholar-activists. Have you been involved in SSSP in a meaningful way? Do you have an hour of time to talk to a new member during the annual meeting? Being a mentor is fun, doesn't require much time, and allows you to welcome a less seasoned member to the Society. It is recommended that pairs communicate prior to or early in the meeting so that mentees can get the most out of this program. Although this mentoring program is not designed to be a long-term commitment, the conversations and connections made through the program have lasting effects for both mentors and mentees. The application to serve as a mentor can be found here. To be matched with a mentor, please apply here. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Meghan G. McDowell at mcdowellmg@wssu.edu . The application deadline is June 30, 2018.