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Post by please explain on Jun 12, 2014 11:55:52 GMT -5
In what fantasy world is soc of culture the 'intellectual core' of the discipline? Sorry, but I find this borderline offensive, both in terms of staking out a 'core' and the idea that the core would be soc of culture. Explain? The sad fact is that the culture specialization, along with theory and qualitative methods, has become a "boutique" subfield because the only jobs are in top R1 departments. All the other departments have turned their backs on these subfields, even though it can be argued that they constitute the intellectual core of the discipline. And they are exceptionally popular with grad students to boot (culture had the largest section membership). One among many self-destructive trends in the field.
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Post by Relax on Jun 13, 2014 9:51:23 GMT -5
In what fantasy world is soc of culture the 'intellectual core' of the discipline? Sorry, but I find this borderline offensive, both in terms of staking out a 'core' and the idea that the core would be soc of culture. Explain? The sad fact is that the culture specialization, along with theory and qualitative methods, has become a "boutique" subfield because the only jobs are in top R1 departments. All the other departments have turned their backs on these subfields, even though it can be argued that they constitute the intellectual core of the discipline. And they are exceptionally popular with grad students to boot (culture had the largest section membership). One among many self-destructive trends in the field. Who are you to find such a proposition "borderline offensive"? Perhaps the sentiment is an expression of hope that the discipline we're trained in isn't, in fact, disappearing. Most of us on this thread are unemployed and feeling rather unemployable. So consider the context before you nit-pick on what was the only sliver of hope in this conversation. Jerk.
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a dog in this fight
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Post by a dog in this fight on Jun 16, 2014 22:36:58 GMT -5
Interesting discussion. I'm a person who uses cultural theories, and also thinks that sociology of arts and culture is a different subfield. (Probably because I took too many anthro classes.)
I can't say much about "culture jobs" as that's not the road I took, but I can say that critiques of "cultural approaches" from reviewers tend to be along the lines of "what is your coding schema?" or "that's not systematic" or "how do you 'know' anything when you just talked to people?" or "isn't this a just-so story?"
Which is to say that perhaps the training in cultural approaches might be great for book people, but leaves something to be desired when trying to publish peer reviewed journal articles. In that case, maybe it's a wiser choice to combine cultural approaches with something like big data or SNA, so as to anticipate this type of likely reviewer question.
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Post by ??? on Jun 17, 2014 7:59:21 GMT -5
If that's the shallow level of critique you're getting, you are obviously getting unqualified reviewers.
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Post by culturevulture on Jun 17, 2014 12:07:59 GMT -5
First of all, thanks to Relax for stating the unsaid - many of us - not just soc of culture people - have been rendered unemployable by a discipline which has gone in a very different direction than where it was going a decade ago. Second, to respond to pleaseexplain's point, I would be the first to admit that there are multiple core subfields even in a field as fractured as ours (soc of culture, econ soc, theory, etc.). But not all subfields can be considered core, because they don't furnish ideas etc. for other subfields. For instance, the notion of the "market" a core concept in econ soc, has been imported into numerous other subfields which haven't exported anything back to econ soc. So this is an empirical matter relating to the flow of ideas. A good starting point in the Ennis article in ASR (1992). The problem here is - as one of the posters wrote - the three core fields which enrich all the others have been stripped of their subfield status and their privileges as hireable subfields to make way for importer fields like soc of med, demography, etc. If you find these propositions offensive, it's a pity, because it's good to look these trends in the face.
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Post by idk on Jul 26, 2014 14:23:07 GMT -5
Fwiw I'm seeing a good number of jobs asking for culture people so far this year, and its pretty early still.
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Post by u smokin somethin' on Jul 26, 2014 15:22:59 GMT -5
Fwiw I'm seeing a good number of jobs asking for culture people so far this year, and its pretty early still. So far there are three jobs mentioning culture: Bowdoin, Emory, and West Virginia so you must be smoking crack. But I guess this is a good number compared to other years.
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Post by Anony on Jul 26, 2014 15:55:52 GMT -5
Also Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs
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Post by where? on Jul 27, 2014 10:13:32 GMT -5
Can you post a link? Also Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs
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Post by Anony on Jul 27, 2014 11:29:20 GMT -5
I'm sorry, I just saw that the position was in the department of digital media and global affairs and for some reason I assumed digital media == culture. It's a security position, sorry again!
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live in the now man!
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Post by live in the now man! on Jul 27, 2014 19:30:10 GMT -5
Q: Where are all of the cultural sociology jobs?
A: 1978
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Post by idk on Jul 27, 2014 20:23:22 GMT -5
But I guess this is a good number compared to other years.
exactly--this early, three pretty good jobs, that does seem to be an improvement.
also, making fun of people's area of specialization is pretty gross behavior.
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Post by anonymous on Jul 28, 2014 0:01:37 GMT -5
"making fun of people's area of specialization is pretty gross behaviour."
New to the Internet?
You're correct: anonymous trolling on the internet is nothing new. Insulting people, baiting to get a rise out of them, and miscellaneous deviant juvenile behavior has been going on quite a while. It isn't innovative or interesting, and most of us are quite bored with it.
-- Archivist
(FWIW: I found the initial joke mildly amusing. This justification for trolling? meh.)
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Post by Wickwak on Aug 9, 2014 21:39:13 GMT -5
I think there are a number of very insightful points made in this thread. My sense, too, is that culture got big at some top 20 departments in the aughts, and that hasn't translated to market success. I wouldn't be at all surprised if grads of those programs aren't getting R1 jobs or at least aren't getting jobs where they are a good fit. I have a TT job and I too have found that I've gotten by by framing my work as a cultural approach to X. There are a surprising number of subfields in which great scholars are saying: we really don't get culture but need to. That said, there also ate loads of people who don't care much about meaning making, much less theorizing about meaning making.
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Medical sociology student
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Post by Medical sociology student on Jul 20, 2017 9:52:32 GMT -5
What's wrong with working within a sub-field though, from a career perspective? That's how you expand your options! I switched from a cultural studies focus to medical sociology during graduate school after I saw a talk at a conference about male circumcision. I saw limitless possibilities to explore culture in a medical context, and this turned out to be the BEST decision of my life. I've been able to do more than just "culture in medical sociology." I can integrate cultural soc into all the health sub fields like rehabilitation, disability, public health, gerontology, and health services/policy - which all have a weak cultural focus that health scholars recognize. Before I knew it I was working in team science in a research hospital, which has been really rewarding. And I just got a tenure track offer, replacing a retiring gerontologist. I am about to graduate with a bachelor's degree in medical sociology and I cannot figure out what kind of jobs I need to apply for as an undergraduate. I may end up going back for my master's, but I still would like to find a job in my career field now. I have been looking all over the internet and have found very few careers. I wouldn't mind working in the health care field, but what job titles would I need to look for?
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