Author Archive for Dr. Michael Sosteric
I'm a sociologist at Athabasca University where I coordinate,amongst other things, the introductory sociology courses (Sociology I and Sociology II). FYI I did my dissertation in the political economy of scholarly communication (you can read it if you want). It's not that bad. My current interests lie in the area of scholarly communication and pedagogy, the sociology of spirituality and religion, consciousness research, entheogens, inequality and stratification, and the revolutionary potential of authentic spirituality. The Socjourn is my pet project. It started as the Electronic Journal of Sociology but after watching our social elites systematically dismantle the potential of eJournals to alter the politics and economies of scholarly communication, I decided I'd try something a little different. That something is The Socjourn, a initiative that bends the rules of scholarly communication and pedagogy by disregarding academic ego and smashing down the walls that divide our little Ivory Tower world from the rest of humanity. If you are a sociologist or a sociology student and you have a burning desire to engage in a little institutional demolition by perhaps writing for the Socjourn, contact me. If you are a graduate student and you have some ideas that you think I might find interesting, contact me. I supervise graduate students through Athabasca Universities MAIS program.
Policing Sexuality
In a moment when state policies seeking to regulate sexual expression have emerged under many cultural and religious banners, affecting a wide range of sexual subjects, Julian Lee gives us an invaluable map to understand this moral policing more clearly and comprehensively. Policing Sexuality is exceptional among recent works on sexuality, gender and public policy [...]
Right-wing Politics in the New Latin America
‘Too often progressives demonise or just ignore the political right. This new collection redresses this deficit with a series of extremely well informed snapshots of the right in action across Latin America.
SPRINGTIME: The New Student Rebellions
Ah springtime. The gentle feel of the breeze, the light touch of government cutting, the horrible pain and suffering that results. There’s lots of money out there, trillions in fact, just not in the hands of the people who need it the most. Hey, gotta fund the government bailouts of the rich bankers somehow. Or not. We do live in a democracy after all and protest is an important feature. Here’s a sociological take on a growing world wide phenomenon.
Only 18,000 Jobs
Well it looks like the end of the world is finally here. Obama has just admitted there is no more cash. Unless the U.S. Government agrees to up the debt ceiling, all those who depend on social security are going to be sacrificed at the alter of economic accumulation. The situation seems dire, and hopeless (at least for army veterans, the handicapped, the aging, and the disabled). Even the greatest economic minds of our time seem stumped and unable to understand, much less fix it. Oh woe is me. What are we going to do?
Facebook is a Spy Machine
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again Facebook ain’t your friend. From the facile and shallow way it connects people to the awesome power it gives authorities to monitor and surveille, Facebook is a technology born not in the hallways of emancipation and freedom but in the byways of power and control. Or at least, that’s what Julian Assange founder of WikiLeaks thinks and frankly, I tend to agree. Never before in this history of this planet have so many been monitored by so few with so little responsible oversight.
Our Readers
Who is interested in Sociology? Why, everybody! We’ve got men, women, undecideds, elementary school students, university students, professors and professionals. Discerning individuals from the natural sciences read us as do mathematicians, rocket scientists, and family managers. Sociology really does have something for everyone.
If Society is the Disease, is Cannabis the Cure?
Cannabis gets a lot of bad press, but perhaps it is undeserved. While alcohol, cocaine, heroin, and even tobacco are known to be highly addictive and damaging to the physical body and brain, there’s not a lot of negative research on cannabis. In fact, quite the opposite. More and more research is finding medicinal properties. From anti-depressent and anti-anxiety effects to its ability to help generate new pathways in the brain, is cannabis and its effects on psychology, health, and our social fabric worth having a closer look at?
Opening your eyes to the new Surveillance Networks
Now here’s a kick in the head. They know where you are. And by “they” I mean everybody. Anybody with even a minimum online presence in today’s surveillance/social networks leaves a global footprint that anybody can trace. Sounds reasonable if you are thinking about the police I suppose. Why worry if you don’t have anything to hide right? But what about organized criminals? Far more useful it is for them to know when you are out on your own, away from home, vulnerable, and alone. Don’t have any enemies? No exes looking to beat you down? Don’t know anybody that wants to take things from you? Then you have nothing to fear! Tweet away but just be aware, “they” are watching you.
The Morphing of Obama
If you think there’s a difference between Republican and Democrat, if you think the choice is real, think again. Barack Obama won the presidency and the hearts of billions around the world by pledging to bring peace. His humanitarian rhetoric promised a new era in American foreign policy, away from armed confrontation and towards cooperation. But since taking office he has increased combat forces in Afghanistan, expanded our air strikes in Pakistan, shifted the fighting in Iraq onto hired mercenaries and local soldiers, and pledged his “full support” to the “heroic” CIA. Ah the huddles masses, hooped again. When will we learn?
Wealth and Inequality in America
Sociology looks at income and wealth and one of the repetitive insights of sociology is that wealth in unequally distributed, more so today than perhaps ever before. In these modern times we generate more wealth than at any time in history, yet we concentrate that into fewer and fewer hands. A few people live high, high, high on the hog while the vast majority suffer and struggle to even buy food. I suppose the growing number of poor people on the planet could always eat cake…
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