VOLUME 32 APRIL 2004 NUMBER 4 2004 Annual Meeting . Public Sociologies Public Sociology Meets Public Intellectual, Activist, and Novelist Arundhati Roy The third article in a series highlighting prominent public intellectuals presenting at ASA’s 2004 Annual Meeting in San Francisco by Ben Crow, University of Thatcher within various social divisions. her critical sociological eye to bear on California-Santa Cruz said, “There several issues. She has taken up ques- is no such Light Through Social Divisions tions of poverty, fundamentalism, The 2004 Annual Meeting confer- thing as But Arundhati Roy? What could she warmongering and dispossession and ence committee has selected Indian ‘society,’” have to say about public sociologies? given these issues a global prominence novelist Arundhati Roy to give a keynote she was You’ll have to attend the talk in San that, given their large scale, is embarrass- speech on the “public sociologies” making a Francisco to get the complete answer. ing to the Indian middle class. As Salil conference theme. At first glance this direct But, I have some ideas that provide a Tripathi writes in the New Statesman, might seem an odd match. What would attempt to hint. Arundhati Roy gained prominence “Roy…tells most middle-class Indians an Indian novelist know about public stifle the by writing a Booker Prize-winning things they don’t want to hear: that the sociologies, particularly in the United conversa- tragedy about the persistence of long- country’s nuclear policy is foolish; that States? tion. The standing social divisions in the small, millions are left behind by the new A little reflection reveals Arundhati conversa- Arundhati Roy South Indian state of Kerala. The state economy; that 50 million people are Roy to be an excellent fit in public tion may has become famous in the social sciences being displaced by dams and irrigation sociology. Sociology is the most open of also be because its inhabitants live longer than projects; that India can’t afford to pay for academic disciplines. Its boundaries and encouraged. When the conference most Indians, and longer than most privatization.” Most recently, she has community are not as rigid as, say, the committee of the ASA reaches out to new people in poor countries. Roy’s novel, begun to write about American power: boundaries of economics or physics. This parts of the global community, such as The God of Small Things, touches upon the “[T]in-pot dictators (like Iraqi President openness is advantageous because an Indian novelist, it may be adding new social movements and historical condi- Saddam Hussein) are not the greatest sociology is in frequent, but imperfect, channels of communication. tions that contributed to longevity in threat to the world. The real and press- conversation with society. Sociology has Where could a novelist fit into this Kerala. It sheds its main light, however, ing danger, the greatest threat of all is important things to say to society. Not conversation between sociology and on the desperate repercussions for one the locomotive force that drives the least, today’s social theory may shape society? Novelists make influential family of hatred across caste lines. political and economic engine of the tomorrow’s common sense. In return, all contributions to common discourse Since writing The God of Small Things, American government, currently piloted manner of people contribute to sociol- about human communities. They Arundhati Roy has transformed herself by George Bush.” ogy. The conversation may be stifled. generate stories about society, how into a public intellectual, and brought See Roy, page 4 When British Prime Minister Margaret people relate to one another across and Hill Briefing on Social and Economic Consequences of Job Loss Draws Crowd by Johanna Ebner, (CARI) grant, along with Mac Legerton, Congress and their staff in order Public Information Office Executive Director of CCA, and more to seek government support and than 150 Robeson County politicians, assistance for rural economic Research sociologist Leslie business leaders, and unemployed development. The briefing Hossfeld, University of North Carolina- individuals traveled from Lumberton, followed these visits and was Pembroke, along with other community NC, to Washington and participated in co-sponsored by the ASA and leaders from Robeson County, North the congressional briefing followed by a the co-chairs of the Congres- Carolina, discussed the rate and impact press conference. At the briefing, which sional Rural Caucus Jobs and of job loss in that rural county at a included seven participating U.S. House Economic Development Task congressional briefing on March 30 on members and other policymakers, Force: U.S. Representatives Capitol Hill. The briefing was organized Hossfeld reported on a study of the Mike McIntyre (D-NC), whose by the Center for Community Action impact of the precipitous job loss on the district includes Robeson (CCA), a community-based nonprofit local economy and the need for business County, and Shelley Moore Sociologist Leslie Hossfeld (right) listened to Dave Pancake, organization in Lumberton, NC, work- development. Legerton included a Capito (R-WV). Economic Development Specialist from West Virginia, ing with other community and institu- presentation on federal policy recom- Counted among the nation’s discuss rural job loss along with (left to right) Rep. John tional agents to develop and implement mendations to save rural jobs and 250 poorest counties, Robeson Peterson (R-PA), Rep. F. Allen Boyd (D-FL), Rep. Mike proactive strategies to address the rebuild rural counties in America hit County has lost more than McIntyre (D-GA), and (seated behind Pancake) Rep. Shelley massive job loss that has occurred in hard by job losses. 10,000 manufacturing jobs in the Moore Capito (R-WV). Robeson County during the last 10 years. The Robeson County participants had last 10 years; it had previously Hossfeld, a recipient of a 2004 ASA converged on Washington for a one-day employed nearly 18,000 people Community Action Research Initiative blitz of visits to several members of See Briefing, page 3 New ASA Journal Editors! ASA would like to congratulate its newest journal editors. Please see future issues of Footnotes and the journals to read editor profiles and for updates on where to send future article submis- sions. The new editors are: Contexts Jeff Goodwin, New York University; James Jasper, New York, NY Journal of Health and Social Behavior Peggy A. Thoits, Vanderbilt University Sociological Theory Julia P. Adams, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor; Jeffrey Members of the audience at the job loss briefing on Capitol Hill, including some Robeson Alexander, Yale University; Ron Eyerman; Yale University; Philip County unemployed. Gorski, University of Wisconsin-Madison PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION 2 APRIL 2004 FOOTNOTES The Executive Officer’s Column In This Issue . Academic Freedom and Publishing in Interesting Times One consequence of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks for our open democracy is the necessity for the Ameri- can public to engage in constant and thoughtful vigilance to protect against needless compromise of existing freedoms through legislation or the expansion of existing regulation. The protection of some freedoms must undoubtedly be balanced against inevitable modifications of the degree of regulation over Centennial Paper some business-as-usual routines invoked to attenuate risks of future attacks. Watchfulness, however, is especially important Proposals because some changes are not highly visible. 2005 ASA centennial organizers One of these routines, scholarly publishing, has already been affected by voluntary solicit panels, participants. constraints in some domains of scientific publishing (e.g., biotechnology). It now faces 3 new challenges from involuntary constraints coming from a place many of us had never heard of—the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). One of OFAC’s jobs is to monitor and enforce federal regulations regarding trade embargoes with nations the U.S. government holds in disfavor. In September 2003, High School Sociology OFAC reinterpreted the scope of longstanding federal policies regarding trade embar- Recommendations for improving goes imposed against certain disfavored nations to cover the editing (and possibly peer review) of articles published in scholarly journals. What this means is that OFAC has resources and infrastructure. ruled that editors and publishers of scholarly journals can be sanctioned by up to 10 4 years in prison and $500,000 in fines if they (i.e., we) publish manuscripts copyedited (and peer reviewed) by U.S. organizations but originating from authors in the Balkans, Burma, Zimbabwe, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Liberia, Creative Teaching North Korea, or Sudan. In short, such James Downton developed ways to publication is now regarded as “trading with the enemy.” make teaching more than simply The effect of OFAC’s reinterpretation is informative. potentially dangerous to sustaining academic freedom both in the United 4 States and abroad. The progress of scientific work and the envied American tradition of free speech are placed in Sociologist Combines jeopardy by this action at a time when many scholars, educators, and scientists believe that their role at home and in the international exchange of ideas is increasingly Rock ‘N’ Sociol’ important as the world experiences global transformation. Indeed, as described below, the U.S. Congress exempted “informational materials” from trade embargoes precisely Donna Gaines’ sociological passion to ensure such exchange of knowledge and ideas would continue unimpeded by and love of punk rock play role in government restriction despite difficult times. public sociology. Some historical background may help. Passed in 1977 by the U.S. Congress, the 5 International Emergency Economic Power Act (IEEPA) prescribed what actions, including trade embargoes, the U.S. President could initiate after declaring a peacetime national emergency relating to foreign threats to our nation’s security, foreign policy, or economy. Exemptions and subsequent amendments (e.g., by Rep.