SOCIAL PROBLEMS THEORY DIVISION of the Society for the Study of Social Problems WINTER 2016-2017 NEWSLETTER MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR Welcome to those who have recently joined the Social Problems Theory Division, and greetings to our returning members! In this newsletter, you will find several updates regarding the division. With 2017 just around the corner, it is time to begin thinking about the annual meetings in Montreal. This issue includes a list of the sessions sponsored by our division at the annual meetings. You also will find the call for papers for the Graduate Student Paper Award and the Outstanding Article Award. Additionally, the meeting mentors program is looking for volunteers (see information at the bottom of this page). There also are general announcements included at the end the newsletter. I want to acknowledge the efforts of Jared Del Rosso, the outgoing chair of this division. During the past two years, he has worked to ensure that this division continues to thrive and be a core contributor to goals of SSSP. For those of us who have had the pleasure of working with Jared, we have come to know his deep commitment to understanding social justice issues through the constructionist perspective. I would like to thank Jared for his work with the division. David C. Lane University of South Dakota Social Problems Theory Division Chair (2016-2018) THEORY DIVISION CHAIR 2016-2018 Other Announcements BE A MEETING MENTOR! Each year, SSSP has lots of students and new members sign up for its meeting mentoring program. But the only way people can offer to be mentors is when they register for the meeting, and it’s easy for folks to forget to do that, so there aren’t enough volunteers. Because there aren’t enough mentors, it is hard to match the interests of willing mentors with people who want mentoring. I’m chairing the Lee Student Support Fund Committee (the group in charge of the mentoring program). I want to locate willing mentors from all of SSSP divisions. If you are planning to attend next year’s meeting in Montreal, and if you’d be willing to serve as a mentor, please send me an email message (joelbest@udel.edu). In your message, list the divisions that interest you. I’ll save your information and, next summer, I’ll try and identify (hopefully no more than one or two) mentees who share your interests. I’ve been a mentor every year since the program started, and I continue to keep in touch with some of those people. It is a great program, but we need your help to make it stronger. Thanks, Joel Best (joelbest@udel.edu) DAVID C. LANE Anthropology and Sociology University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD dave.lane@usd.edu IN THIS ISSUE: Narratives in the World of Social Problems Page 2 Calls for Papers Page 3 Division Sponsored Sessions Page 4 Recent Member Publications Pages 5-7 Other Announcements Page 7 Editors: Margaret McGladrey and David C. Lane PROGRAM THEME STATEMENT NARRATIVES IN THE WORLD OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS: POWER, RESISTANCE, TRANSFORMATION August 11-13, 2017 Montreal Bonaventure Hotel Montreal, Quebec Canada Those who tell the stories rule society—Plato Our globalized, cyber-mediated world characterized by extraordinary social, political, economic, and moral fragmentation raises a variety of questions about social problems, including: How do people who experience the consequences of social problems understand the causes of their misery? How do people not suffering understand the experiences of those who do? How do activists convince others to work toward social change? The answer to a variety of such questions is the same: Narratives, or what simply are called “stories” in daily life. Social problem narratives create meaning from the buzzing confusion of practical experience, they convey complex experiences to others, they motivate, and they shape public opinion and social action. Whether told as stories about unique people facing specific troubles or about types of people—the abused child, the terrorist, the welfare mother—in types of situations, social problem narratives are pervasive in daily life. Individuals tell stories to make sense of their troubling experiences; politicians tell stories to sell themselves and their policies; teachers, preachers and parents use stories to convey moral lessons; courts work through the telling and evaluating of stories. Narratives about social problems are pervasive because they are persuasive. Unlike statistics or research, stories can appeal to minds and to hearts: The story of the “Migrant Mother” told through the photographs of depression-era photographer, Dorothea Lange, for example, remains to this day a compelling testimony of the human tragedy created by economic collapse. Regardless of the extent to which images in a story match indicators of empirical reality, social problem narratives can be personally, socially, and politically consequential. These narratives are about power: Those told by people in privileged positions are assumed to be believable and important, while those told by others are routinely challenged, if not completely silenced; stories whose plots, characters, and morals reflect the status quo are more likely to be positively evaluated than those challenging entrenched power and privilege. Stories become material power when they shape public opinion and social policy. Yet social actors most certainly are not cultural robots who simply accept whatever images of them circulate in the social world. On the contrary: Narratives can be a site of resistance as individuals and groups challenge the truth of those offering ideological support for oppression. Resistance, in turn, can lead to authoring and promoting new stories that foster equality and thus are transformative. In order to understand public reactions toward social problems and, in order to do something about these conditions causing so much human misery, we need to know much more about the work of social problem narratives. In a world of countless competing stories, we need to know how some—and only some —stories achieve widespread cognitive and emotional appeal and go on to influence public opinion and social policy as well as how different stories appeal to people in different social positions. We need to know how stories promoting particular images of social problems reflect and challenge and/or perpetuate existing inequalities and structures of power and how stories encourage or discourage social change. We need to more fully understand how story contents and meanings change as they circulate through particular societies and throughout the globe. The power and workings of social problems narratives will be the focus of our conversations at the 2017 meetings of the Society for the Study of Social Problems to be held in the fascinating, beautiful, bi-lingual, multi-cultural city of Montreal. I look forward to seeing you there. Bon voyage! Donileen R. Loseke, SSSP President University of South Florida   Donileen R. Loseke University of South Florida SSSP President (2014-15) # SOCIAL PROBLEMS THEORY DIVISION 2017 CALLS FOR PAPERS Outstanding Article Award Deadline: 2/15/17 The Social Problems Theory Division requests nominations for its Outstanding Article Award. The Division welcomes papers that critique or advance the ongoing scholarly dialogue about social problems theorizing. Eligible articles must have been published between August 1, 2014 and February 15, 2017. Single or multiple-authored articles will be accepted. Authors are encouraged to nominate their own work. Nominees must be members of SSSP. For more information about the Division please reference the Mission Statement. Please send all submissions as an e-mail attachment to the Outstanding Article Award Committee Chair: Keith Johnson, keithjohnson101@gmail.com. Questions may be addressed to David Lane, Chair, Social Problems Theory Division, dlane@udel.edu. Graduate Student Paper Award Deadline: 1/31/17 The Social Problems Theory Division invites papers for its annual Graduate 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) cannot 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 Social Problems Theory 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 will also be invited to present their paper at the 2017 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 Social Problems Theory Division Award. Please send the submission as an e-mail attachment to the Student Paper Competition Committee Chair: Brian Monahan, Marywood University, monahan@marywood.edu. Questions may be addressed to David Lane, Chair, Social Problems Theory Division, dlane@udel.edu. 2017 ANNUAL MEETING SOCIAL PROBLEMS THEORY DIVISION 2017 Annual Meeting Call for Papers Deadline: 1/31/17 Each participant is permitted to submit one sole-authored paper and one 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 from their unique insights and presented ideas. Critical Dialogue sessions will not have audio-visual equipment. Click here to submit an extended abstract and paper or to view your added or submitted papers. For assistance with the 2017 Call for Papers process, read our Frequently Asked Questions. All papers must be submitted by midnight (EST) on January 31, 2017 in order to be considered. 2017 SESSIONS SPONSORED BY THE SOCIAL PROBLEMS THEORY DIVISION SOCIAL PROBLEMS THEORY DIVISION Session #17 Session Title Narratives of Fear in Popular Culture (THEMATIC) Sponsor(s)Conflict, Social Action, and Change Social Problems Theory Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction Organizer(s) Haenfler, Ross email: haenfler@grinnell.edu 25 CRITICAL DIALOGUE: Social Constructions of Policing and Violence (THEMATIC) Crime and Juvenile Delinquency Social Problems Theory Allen, Terrence Tyrone email: tallen@austin.utexas.edu 40 Narratives of Oppression and Resistance in the Context of Substance Use (THEMATIC) Drinking and Drugs Social Problems Theory Benoit, Ellen email: benoit@ndri.org Lamonica, Aukje K. Email: aukje_kluge@yahoo.com 79 CRITICAL DIALOGUE: Reflexivity, Research, and Institutional Ethnography: How Analysis Changes Thinking Institutional Ethnography Social Problems Theory Bordoloi, Samit Dipon email: diponbordoloi@gmail.com 94 Critical Studies of Social Control Law and Society Social Problems Theory Del Rosso, Jared email: jared.delrosso@du.edu 109 CRITICAL DIALOGUE: Narratives of Exclusion: Constructing Walls (THEMATIC) Social Problems Theory Monahan, Brian email: monahan@marywood.edu 110 New Work in Social Problems Theory Social Problems Theory Stout, Joshua H. email: jhstout@udel.edu 111 Problematizing Bodies Social Problems Theory Sport, Leisure, and the Body Lane, David C. email: dlane@udel.edu 112 Acing the Sociological Imagination: Success Stories Teaching Introduction to Sociology Social Problems Theory Teaching Social Problems Green, Lynn H. email: lynngreen@cheyney.edu Lane, David C. email: dlane@udel.edu SOCIAL PROBLEMS THEORY DIVISION Social Problems in Popular Culture R. J. MARATEA & BRIAN MONAHAN “Popular culture” is more than just a broad term for entertainment and frivolous diversions and is highly relevant to many aspects of society. In this exciting textbook, the authors offer insights into the important, but often overlooked, relationship between popular culture and social problems. Drawing on historical and topical examples, they apply an innovative theoretical framework to examine how facets of popular culture—from movies and music to toys and games as well as billboards, bumper stickers, and bracelets—shape how we think about and respond to social issues. Including student features and evocative case studies, this is the first book to make the link between popular culture and social problems and will help students understand the relationship between them. Deftly combining the fun and irreverence of popular culture with a critical scholarly inquiry, this timely book delivers an engaging account of how our interactions with popular culture matter more than we think. “A fresh perspective on the construction of social problems, not found in traditional textbooks. Students from any major will find new and applicable ways of thinking about social problems in our culture and media.” Amie Levesque, University of Denver, USA “The best book for social problems if you want to connect with students who are immersed in popular culture.” David Altheide, Emeritus Regents' Professor, Arizona State University, USA “An original method of classifying the various ways social problems and popular culture intersect. Anyone who reads this book is likely to come away a more thoughtful consumer of all sorts of news and entertainment media.” Joel Best, University of Delaware, USA “Offering up-to-the-minute illustrations of cultural trends and accessible explanations of enduring sociological concepts, Maratea and Monahan deftly explore how corporations, politicians, advocates, and activists use popular culture to shape the public’s response to social problems.” Jared Del Rosso, University of Denver, USA View the publisher website RECENT MEMBER PUBLICATIONS SOCIAL PROBLEMS THEORY DIVISION R. J. Maratea is Visiting Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Seton Hall University. His research focuses on the sociological implications of mass communication, with an emphasis on Internet technology, deviance, social control, and the construction of social reality. Brian Monahan is Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Marywood University. He is the author of The Shock of the News (NYU 2010) and several articles exploring how media represent crime and other social problems. 2015 | Policy Press | 160 pages £21.99 paperback 978-1447321583 ebook available GARY T. MARX is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. More information about his work can be found at his website: www.garymarx.net Windows into the Soul Surveillance and Society in an Age of High Technology GARY T. MARX The book reflects the view that social science is best when it combines the empirical with the humanistic, the social with the technical, the cultural with material attributes, and the law with ethics, and honors, but does not give up in, the face of complexity. The book confronts the frequent presence of haze and is drenched in the ironies, paradoxes, trade-offs, and value conflicts that so infuse contentious public issues of great import. It offers a systematic way to think about being watched and being a watcher. It goes beyond the usual government and big business suspects to also address surveillance as it involves families, friends and strangers. The book is organized around the “4 C's of surveillance”: contracts, coercion, care, and the cross-cutting issue of the private within the public. It is not above the occasional stoop to humor. Just because this stuff is deadly serious doesn’t mean it can't sometimes be fun. The book is based on interviews, observation, and the social science literature in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, but also contains five satirical narratives that seek to convey the lived experience of being watched and a watcher. These deal with work monitoring, children, government, social science research, and a free-range voyeur. The book identifies a number of “techno-fallacies of the information age” and suggests a series of questions to be asked in assessing the ethics and wisdom of any effort to collect personal data. Several other chapters on surveillance in popular culture (music, ads, jokes) had to be cut but are available on the webpage the press created for the book. REVIEWS Times Higher Education “A challenging, thoughtful, erudite and at times very entertaining book. It is a work that draws on Marx’s long experience, detailed empirical research and intense scholarship, but weaves these things together without the loss of coherence of narrative that so often dogs academic work. . . . The coverage is breathtakingly broad and the book is a long one, supplemented by additional material on Marx’s website. . . . Not only an important book but a necessary one.” MIT Technology Review “Marx walks readers through how to evaluate all the new data that today’s surveillance technologies can collect, and he examines the issues that data can raise. He uses social-science research and his own interviews and observations to explore and explain the ethical, political, and cultural arguments that are used to justify and oppose surveillance efforts—and to look at their effects on people’s social, personal, and professional lives.” Privacy Journal “Marx, a retired MIT scholar of the scrutiny of individuals through new and sophisticated technology, has written a book revisiting his conclusions after a long career as a sort of Sixties-oriented sociology expert on surveillance and its impact on individuals’ autonomy and privacy. . . . Marx has always peppered his scholarship with whimsy and wit, and his latest work is no exception.” Amitai Etzioni, author of Privacy in a Cyber Age “Just when you think that you have read everything necessary about the surveillance state, comes this exceptional volume by a leading scholar that provides a whole book full of new insights and observations into an age old subject. Drawing on psychology, sociology, and keen observations, this is a text you will not want to miss.” 2016 | Chicago Press | 400 pages $35.00 paperback 9780226285917 ebook available website SOCIAL PROBLEMS THEORY DIVISION RECENT MEMBER JOURNAL ARTICLES Arrigo, Bruce A. (2016) (Ed.). “Critical Criminology as Academic Activism: On Praxis and Pedagogy, Resistance and Revolution.” Special Issue of Critical Criminology: An International Journal 24(4): 469-574. (http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10612-016-9333-8). Marx, Gary T. and Keith Guzik (forthcoming). “The Uncertainty Principle: Qualification, Contingency and Fluidity in Technology and Social Control.” In (Ed). M. McQuire Handbook of Technology, Crime and Justice. (http://web.mit.edu/gtmarx/www/uncertainty.html). Milazzo, Marzia. (ePub ahead of print). “On White Ignorance, White Shame, and Other Pitfalls in Critical Philosophy of Race.” Journal of Applied Philosophy; early view version available online (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/japp.12230/abstract ).  RECENT MEMBER JOURNAL ARTICLES SOCIAL PROBLEMS THEORY DIVISION 2016 | Chicago Press | 400 pages $35.00 paperback 9780226285917 ebook available website SOCIAL PROBLEMS THEORY DIVISION Media Review Submissions Recognizing the multiple modalities of communication and how presentations enhance our sociological understanding of the complex realities of the 21st century, the journal Humanity & Society (http://has.sagepub.com/ ) seeks authors for Media Reviews. We invite reviewers of critical messages in popular films, television shows, documentaries, multimedia presentations, video games, and other forms of media. Written submissions should be approximately 1,000 words and are accepted on a rolling basis. The journal welcomes reviewers from diverse backgrounds and with diverse perspectives, including activists, graduate students, and practitioners in fields other than sociology. To review for Humanity & Society, please contact the Media Review Editor, Bhoomi K. Thakore, at (bhoomi.thakore@elmhurst.edu )with your background information and suggested review topic. REFERENCES & CREDITS SOCIAL PROBLEMS THEORY DIVISION PHOTOGRAPH OF DONILEEEN LOSEKE AND PROGRAM THEME STATEMENT (P. 2, PHOTO CROPPED FROM ORIGINAL) http://www.sssp1.org/index.cfm/m/675/2017_Annual_Meeting/ IMAGE OF PROGRAM THEME (P. 3) http://www.sssp1.org/index.cfm/m/675/2017_Annual_Meeting/ COVER OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS IN POPULAR CULTURE (P. 5) With Permission of the Authors. COVER OF WINDOWS INTO THE SOUL (P. 6) With Permission of the Author.