Guest Post: Finding ‘Religion’ in Asia: personal reflections on a Singaporean appointment
on Jan 5, 2009 in Culture sociology postmodernism religion Bryan S Turner buddhism chris rojek Society & Culture Orientalism globalism religious commodification amulets brother mike evangelism Wittgenstein Weber and Islam Religion and Social Theor Bryan S. Turner National University of Singapore     In general dons don’t leave Cambridge University. They die there or they get thrown out, but generally speaking the charm and prestige of the place are sufficiently strong to secure life-long l...

Happy Holdays from Sociology Eye
on Dec 15, 2008 in Uncategorized by Feistyle Our news editors are on a well-deserved break from December 15th to January 5th.  We will be back in the New Year starting with a guest post from Bryan Turner on the subject of Sociology and Religion.  In the meantime, enjoy the holida...

Capitalism’s meltdown and the Body (II)
on Dec 14, 2008 in Collective Behaviour and Social Movements Culture Gender Political, Economic and Urban Sociology Race and Ethnicity Science and Medicine Video Resources agency body field performance photography visualsociology by kiddingthecity Jeff Wall is famous for grand tableaux, which he shoots in sections over several months before stitching together the final image using computer montage. He has been known to spend almost two years on a single picture, with actors a...

University Lecturers: Academics or Immigration Officers?
on Dec 12, 2008 in Organisations and Work Race and Ethnicity academics ‘Panopticism’ Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison enforcement foreign nationals Ian Grigg-Spall immigration immigration officer Michel Foucault National Critical Lawyers Group by paulabowles A group of university lecturers and students have recently handed a petition to the British Government, in order to protest against forthcoming immigration reform. As part of these new rules, UK universities will be required to obtain...

That’s Virtually…a Nice Bag!
on Dec 10, 2008 in Collective Behaviour and Social Movements Communication and Media Culture Uncategorized Avatars Commodity Fetishism consumerism Gaia Karl Marx sociology Use Value Virtual Greats Virtual Worlds by ishein1 As the current economic crisis necessitates consumer frugality, various companies are attempting to reap additional revenue by innovative means of selling their brand.  Internet cultures and networking sites are expanding at a meteoric r...

What Role Do Men Play in Feminist Leadership Goals?
on Dec 9, 2008 in Collective Behaviour and Social Movements Gender Organisations and Work Political, Economic and Urban Sociology feminism leadership men in feminism politics by NickieWild After Hillary Clinton’s loss in the race to be the Democratic nominee and Sarah Palin’s loss as vice presidential candidate, the role of women in leadership positions is more salient than ever.  However, one question tha

Conspicuous or Inconspicuous Consumption?
on Dec 7, 2008 in Communication and Media Culture Political, Economic and Urban Sociology Social Stratification Conspicuous Consumption Veblen by bmckernan Over one hundred years ago, noted sociologist Thorstein Veblen introduced the concept of “conspicuous consumption” to describe the lifestyle of members of the upper class who purchase goods and services not out of necessity but inste...