Sociologist. Researcher. Writer. Thinker.
Thanks to a funded partnership through Sacred Writes and the Luce Foundation, Religion for Breakfast's Andrew Henry joined me in my hometown of Knoxville for a drive-around and discussion of congregations, diversity, and the shape of local religion. Stayed tuned for our co-produced YouTube video!
https://soundcloud.com/firstthings/cultural-catholics-conversations-with-mark-bauerlein-32919 Listen to my conversation with Mark Bauerlein on the First Things podcast to learn more about the substantial swath of Americans who think of themselves as "partially Catholic" in some way, though not religiously. I draw upon data from the Pew Research Center and my chapter in the 2018 Annual Review of the Sociology …
Continue reading Talking “Cultural Catholics” on First Things (podcast)
Thanks to the Holy Heretics podcast for inviting me into a wide-ranging conversation about changes in US religion/religiosity and what they mean for modern community, isolation, fragmentation, and more. Listen to the podcast episode here.
The recent tragedy in New Zealand renews questions about the sources of (and solutions for) out-group hatred. Sociologists work to understand how and why people draw boundaries between "us" and "them," and the implications of such boundaries for social interaction. Thanks to WBIR-Knoxville for inviting me to reflect on myriad aspects of social life that …
My review of Michele Dillon's 2018 book Postsecular Catholicism: Relevance and Renewal was just published in the latest issue of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (JSSR). Dillon's book considers how religion - and Catholicism in particular - maintains relevance amidst "secularization." She contends that the Catholic Church's postsecular engagement exemplifies the clash …
Continue reading My JSSR review of “Postsecular Catholicism: Relevance and Renewal”
Thanks to Rachael Herron, host of the podcast "How Do You Write?" for inviting me to talk through my writing process as a sociologist. Working with mostly qualitative data, "coding" is a key ingredient in organizing themes to tell a sociological story. I also time my writing sessions using 25-minute "pomodoros" throughout the day, paired …
Technology is a root driver of social change, but not a benign one. While the devices at our fingertips connect us more than ever, they can also be a source of isolation and inequality. Digital life brings both help and harm. Thanks to reporter Robin Wilhoit of WBIR for inviting me to reflect on the …
Continue reading The Connecting (and Isolating) Power of Digital Technology
