I spent my winter break this year packing up my office and moving to a new building. The biggest part of moving offices for me is always packing and unpacking my hundreds of books acquired over the past 25 or so years. Each time I move offices, I read Walter Benjamin’s essay “Unpacking My Library:ContinueContinue reading “Reflections on Walter Benjamin’s “Unpacking My Library” on the Occasion of Unpacking My Library”
Author Archives: David Yamane
Reflections on My Reflections on Gun Culture Based on Site Statistics
Since November 2012, when I first started working in earnest on a new research project on American gun culture, I have tried to blog regularly at Gun Culture 2.0. I have been averaging about 5 posts a month since then, which is pretty good compared to my previous attempts at blogging (like on this blog).ContinueContinue reading “Reflections on My Reflections on Gun Culture Based on Site Statistics”
US News Rankings of Graduate Programs in Sociology
We’re number 1, we’re number 1!!!!! I got an email to this effect from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s sociology department upon the release of the latest ranking of graduate programs by US News. Of course I checked it out right away and was interested to see my undergraduate alma mater — UC-Berkeley — was alsoContinueContinue reading “US News Rankings of Graduate Programs in Sociology”
Ten Essential Observations on Guns in America by James D. Wright
In my introduction to sociology class this week, I am discussing sociologist James D. Wright’s classic essay, “Ten Essential Observations on Guns in America” (from Society March/April 1995, reprinted in Guns in America: A Reader). Among his points: “There are 200 million guns already in circulation in the United States. . . . firearms areContinueContinue reading “Ten Essential Observations on Guns in America by James D. Wright”
Implications of Initial Foray into the Guns and Crime Research
Although part of me thinks it is hopeless to think that either side in the debate over whether more guns leads to more crime or less crime will yield any ground to the other, as an outsider I see some possible common ground in the scholarship. If I had to come to a conclusion basedContinueContinue reading “Implications of Initial Foray into the Guns and Crime Research”
My Initial Take on the More Guns, More or Less Crime Debate
In response to my post on Michael Glassner’s anti-gun sentiments in his “Culture of Fear” book, my fellow sociologist Matt Loveland pointed me to an article by economist Mark Duggan called “More Guns, More Crime,” published in the Journal of Political Economy in October 2001 (volume 109, number 5, pages 1086-1114). Duggan’s abstract reads: ThisContinueContinue reading “My Initial Take on the More Guns, More or Less Crime Debate”
Sociologists are Open Minded Toward the Open Minded
I just came across a review of some interesting work by my fellow sociologist of religion, George Yancey on religious and political bias in American higher education. His book, Compromising Scholarship, was reviewed in a Chronicle of Higher Education Innovations blog post by Peter Wood called “Preferred Colleagues” (back in 2011 — I missed it!).ContinueContinue reading “Sociologists are Open Minded Toward the Open Minded”
The Most Rational Fear According to Michael Glassner: Guns
In a previous post I discussed sociologist Michael Glassner’s argument about the “culture of fear” that pervades America, especially the fear-mongering that takes place around very rare and anomalous events like public mass murders, especially at schools. In his book, Glassner uses the example of the 1997-98 string of school shootings in Pearl (MS), WestContinueContinue reading “The Most Rational Fear According to Michael Glassner: Guns”
Public Mass Murders and the Culture of Fear in America
The reader I am using for introduction to sociology this semester include an excerpt from sociologist Barry Glassner’s (relatively) famous book, The Culture of Fear (originally published in 1999, with a 10th anniversary edition in 2009, by Basic Books). Glassner’s basic argument is that Americans have an excessive fear of the wrong things. For example,ContinueContinue reading “Public Mass Murders and the Culture of Fear in America”
Concealed Carry Nation: Understanding Armed Citizens in 21st Century America
THE FOLLOWING IS A PROPOSAL I WROTE IN OCTOBER 2012 (PRE-SANDY HOOK) TO SECURE FUNDING FOR A RESEARCH PROJECT ON AMERICA AS A “CONCEALED CARRY NATION,” PART OF A LARGER PROJECT I AM INITIATING ON AMERICA’S GUN CULTURES. On July 20th of this year, James Holmes entered a midnight screening of The Dark Knight RisesContinueContinue reading “Concealed Carry Nation: Understanding Armed Citizens in 21st Century America”