VOLUME 31 NOVEMBER 2003 NUMBER 8 2004 Annual Meeting . Public Sociologies Public Sociology and UC’s Institute on Labor and Employment The first in a series of articles highlighting the sociological context of ASA’s next Annual Meeting location . San Francisco, California by Sarah Anne Minkin, gists, including its current and upcoming intellectual resources to advance their for decades.” And for scholars, the ILE University of California-Berkeley directors, Ruth Milkman, Professor of work, labor advocates helped push the presents “an incredible opportunity to get Sociology at UCLA and Margaret Weir, establishment of the ILE through the state inside a social movement that’s working Public Sociology is the theme of this Professor of Sociology and Political legislature in 2000. for social justice,” says Milkman. summer’s Annual Meeting in San Science at the UC Berkeley. The ILE is unique as an academic With an initial $6-million budget, the Francisco. While many of us are familiar institution with close ties to labor; Tom ILE is the only institution in the country with it in theory, what does it look like in Labor Is Growing Rankin, President of the California Labor of its magnitude dedicated to bridging practice? What are its challenges, dilem- The ILE’s development comes at a Federation, sits on the governing council. academic research and the labor move- mas and unique advantages? One place to time of renewed sociological interest in The close working relationship with the ment. As a research institution, ILE’s look for answers is the Institute on Labor labor, as evidenced labor movement is collaborative model bridging fieldwork and Employment (ILE), a University of by the founding of essential to ILE’s and scholarship is new. It builds on the California multi-campus research the Labor and [P]ublic sociology is the success as both an foundation of the Institutes of Industrial program that engages scholars and labor Labor Movements discipline’s “moral moment,” innovation in Relations (IIR) and Labor Centers at UC- movement staff and activists in studying Section at the ASA academia and a Berkeley and UCLA. The IIR was founded issues of labor and employment in when sociologists engage a resource to a major in the 1940s to help solve labor issues three years ago and public beyond the academy, California and the United States. the slew of recent social movement. with science. Labor Centers (formally, ASA President Michael Burawoy, new books on bringing their tools and As Ruth Milkman Centers for Labor Research and Educa- instigator of this Annual Meeting theme, labor. The Califor- expertise to dialogue on explains, “it’s a tion, also at UC-Berkeley and UCLA) believes that public sociology is the nia labor move- issues affecting society as a two-way process. were established in the 1960s to serve as discipline’s “moral moment,” when ment, which whole. The labor move- the university’s outreach into the labor sociologists engage a public beyond the directly represents ment figured out community, bringing material and academy, bringing their tools and millions of mem- that they need intellectual resources to the movement. expertise to dialogue on issues affecting bers and advocates for millions more additional intellectual resources to The ILE now works with both the IIRs society as a whole. Society benefits from people beyond its membership, is in a counter the sophistication of managerial and the Labor Centers, having dramati- sociology’s insights and wisdom, and period of particular political strength. In opposition to unions today.” The ILE’s cally increased the Labor Centers’ sociology gains from the critical feedback the past few years they have increased research gives organized labor a “better budgets. With new support, the Labor and challenges it faces when its ideas are their numbers by the tens of thousands, basis for advocating for changes” in Centers have expanded their work, which aired in public. The ILE espouses this secured passage of ‘living-wage’ ordi- public policy, says Tom Rankin. More- includes building organizing partnerships model, working closely with the labor nances throughout the state, and suc- over, he continues, the ILE offers orga- with unions and providing them with movement to develop and execute its ceeded in getting California’s unprec- nized labor “the same access to academic training and support. Through the Labor agenda. An interdisciplinary institution, edented Paid Family Leave Law passed. resources that businesses and especially Centers, outreach into the labor commu- the ILE is heavily weighted with sociolo- agriculture here in California have had Determining that they needed additional See Annual Meeting, page 11 Sociologists Are Appointed Sage Fellows Are Sociology Programs Downsizing? Six sociologists were among the 21 affiliations, and social mobility. by Roberta Spalter-Roth replace retiring faculty, new PhDs could leading social scientists recently appointed Becky Pettit, University of Washing- Research Program on the face a favorable job market. Under a 2003-04 Visiting Scholars at the Russell ton, will investigate the role of institu- Discipline and the Profession scenario of financial woes, however, Sage Foundation. During their tenure at tional factors on labor market opportuni- retiring PhDs might not be replaced and, the Foundation, the Fellows will pursue ties and patterns of inequality. Her first A recent series of articles in the as a result, new PhDs will face a tighter research and writing projects that will project will look at the role of the prison Chronicle of Higher Education suggests that job market and departments will shrink. promote the Foundation’s commitment system in perpetuating racial and class academic departments are downsizing as to strengthening the social sciences. inequality and the second will look at retirements accelerate and “hiring freezes Aging in Sociology Compared to All visiting scholars undertake timely cross-country variation in women’s labor abound.” State budget shortfalls and Other Social Sciences social science research and apply their force participation. declining stock portfolios have affected Relative to economists and political research to significant social problems. Sidney G. Tarrow, Cornell University, scholarly disciplines in both the humani- scientists, younger PhDs in sociology While Visiting Scholars typically work on will write a book about transnational ties and the sciences, including English, represent a smaller share of employed projects related to the Foundation’s activism. He will explore a variety of history, physics, and math. Interviews PhDs, ranging from 18.5 percent to 25.4 current programs, a number of scholars questions from whether they are a with department chairs suggest that percent, across four age cohorts younger whose research falls outside the distinct group to how they gain certifica- teaching loads are increasing, as special- than age 50. (See Figure 1) Conversely, Foundation’s active programs also tion and operate. He will look at the ties are being cut, and temporary faculty within five older cohorts (i.e., greater participate. implications for American policy toward are being hired to cover classes. than age 50), sociology PhDs constitute a Kenneth T. Andrews, University of domestic transnational groups. Are similar trends occurring in the larger share of employed PhDs across North Carolina-Chapel Hill, will write a Julia C. Wrigley, City University of social sciences and, especially, sociology? these cohorts, ranging from 30.5 percent book about local and state environmental New York Graduate Center, will write a Is sociology facing a “retirement bubble”? to 34.2 percent. Figure 1 shows that, groups and the social, political, and book analyzing episodes of harm to Can we expect a downsizing of sociology compared to these other two social economic factors that influence them. His children in non-parental childcare and the departments over the next decade as the science disciplines, the sociological aim is to evaluate their effectiveness and effect it has on their trust of parents, largest cohort of full-time tenured community is older. This inverted “age their influence over policy. caregivers, and investigators. Her project sociologists ages and retires? Will pyramid” in sociology suggests that, so Nancy DiTomaso, Rutgers University, will provide insight into the costs and departments be able to replace them with far, younger PhDs are not replacing older will write a book examining the reasons vulnerabilities created by heavy reliance new tenured or tenure track full-time sociologists. many white Americans do not see the on interpersonal trust. hires? Many older sociologists earned contradictions between the persistence of The Russell Sage Foundation is a their PhD degrees and assumed academic Employment Status of racial inequality and their belief in the research center, a funding source for positions during the steady periods of Older Sociologists existence of equal opportunity. It will studies by scholars at other academic and growth in sociology that lasted until 1976. One explanation of these findings is explore the paradox between white research institutions, and an active After 1976, there was a steady decline in that academic sociology programs, the America’s beliefs and their recognition of member of the nation’s social science the number of new PhDs, until 1990 when largest employers of sociologists, are advantages. community. It also publishes, under its the numbers began to slowly