Sociologists Making Change

Dale Wimberley is Associate Professor of sociology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.Jon Shefner is Professor and Head of the Department of Sociology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

'…a wonderfully rich and inspiring collection of first-hand accounts of ‘doing’ community engaged sociology. This book is a must read for all those aspiring to understand how academic-based sociologist can make a difference in the broader world.’

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: How Can Sociologists Contribute to Political and Social Change? by Dale W. Wimberley and Jon ShefnerPart 1: Working Within the University for ChangeChapter 1: When Activism Gets Undermined by the Unexpected: The Science and Politics of Microaggressions at a Southern University by Kirk A. JohnsonChapter 2: Making Change through the Everyday Life of a Faculty Member in the Deep South: Studying Abortion and Leading a Gender Studies Program in Mississippi by Kimberly KellyChapter 3: The Ethics of Social Change: Navigating Community-Engaged Research at University-Based Research Centers by Carrie Lee SmithChapter 4: Teaching During a Storm: The Killing of Sam Dubose by Earl Wright IIPart 2: Pressing for Change Through Electoral PoliticsChapter 5: Challenging Civil War Memorialization: Renaming “Robert E. Lee High School” in Staunton, Virginia by Stephen C. PoulsonChapter 6: Practicing Politics, Practicing Sociology: Applying Sociology as an Elected Official in Local Government by Anna M. SorensenChapter 7: Progressive Political Activism in Southwest Virginia: A Local Indivisible Group Protecting Democracy by Dale W. WimberleyPart 3: Movements For Rights, Recognition, And EqualityChapter 8: We Say No to Moss 3 Landfill! Using Sociology to Fight for Environmental Justice in Appalachian Virginia by Shannon E. Bell, Amy Branson, and Amanda BurroughsChapter 9: Building and Sustaining a Movement for Immigrant Rights in Knoxville, Tennessee by Meghan ConleyChapter 10: Activist Public Sociology Informing the Rental Housing Crisis in Jacksonville Florida by David JaffeeChapter 11: Sociology in the Borderlands: Bridging Global Human Rights and Local Advocacy in U.S. Cities by Jackie SmithPart 4: Scholar Activists Over the Life CourseChapter 12: Curating the Outfit: My Pathway toward Integrating Sociology and Organizing through Institution Building by Lisa EastChapter 13: A Life Worth Living: My Sociologically Engaged Path toward LGBQTI+ Justice by Christine M. RobinsonChapter 14: A Social Movement Career as a Sociologist: Confronting the Dilemma Of Expertise by Jon ShefnerEpilogue by Jon Shefner and Dale WimberleyIndexAbout the EditorsAbout the Contributors