Scholarly Works, Sociology

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Research articles, presentations, and other scholarship

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Writing Black Life in Mountains: Race and Representation in an Emerging American Literary Field
Harrison, Anthony Kwame (Institut de Géographie Alpine, 2025-01-30)
In this article, I explore the emergence of a developing literary tradition focusing on African Americans living in mountainous regions. In doing this, I discuss the appearance of the term “Affrilachian”—combining African (American) and Appalachian—as a distinct Black American mountain identity. I additionally examine three post-1970s books, all written by African American authors in different decades, that illustrate important contours in the development of this literary field: David Bradley’s The Chaneysville Incident (1981); Henry Louis Gates Jr’s Colored People (1994); and Crystal Wilkerson’s The Birds of Opulence (2016). All three books present alternative visions of how Black people belong among mountains and negotiate the racist structures that have historically worked to deny their connection to them. In tracing the differences between the three books, I underscore a steady progression towards more liberatory and affective attachments to land. Ultimately, I argue that the emergence of this new literary tradition, centering Black mountain life, both affirms and advances African Americans’ longstanding connections to mountains, and opens up additional space for recognizing their contemporary place among them.
Rebranding Pigmentocracy: Analyzing Marketing Strategies of Unilever’s Skin Lightening Products
Dhillon-Jamerson, Komal (Oxford University Press, 2025-04-01)
This paper examines the trajectory of Hindustan Unilever—a subsidiary of the UK-based consumer goods giant—and its video advertisements for skin lightening products over the past 15 years, critiquing the company’s rebranding of Fair & Lovely to Glow & Lovely. Prior to its rebranding in 2020, Unilever’s Fair & Lovely regularly promoted skin-bleaching products by emphasising the disadvantages associated with darker skin, including fewer marriage prospects and a lack of employment opportunities. Due to increasing public criticisms, Glow & Lovely’s rebranding attempts to convey outward racial sensitivity by moving away from highlighting the benefits of “fairness” and instead shifting focus to healthy skin that Unilever characterizes as “glowing, radiant, and even.” However, discourse analysis of commercials explores the ways in which both social disadvantages and advantages related to skin colour—such as the so-called “pretty privilege” associated with lighter skin—are still exploited through problematic narratives, meanings and representations. In short, the discourse analysis reveals that despite its rebranding, Unilever continues to rely on the logic of western-based racial and gender ideals for its marketing campaigns. In an effort to downplay the pigmentocratic implications, a spurious importance on gender equality is also utilized in the new marketing material, revealing changing meanings across the past 15-year timespan of the brand. Indeed, the intersectional analysis sheds light on how Unilever’s advertisements claim to promote gender and racial inclusivity, yet instead function to promote longstanding inequalities.
Author Meets Critic Public Talk: Gratuitous Angst in White America: A Theory of Whiteness and Crime by Deena A. Isom
Dhillon-Jamerson, Komal (2024-04-04)
Gratuitous Angst in White America provides important insight into the intersections of white fragility and male fragility as they relate to criminality. Isom’s engagement with multiple theories emphasizes the creation of normative racial categories across space and time, while filling gaps related to the role of whiteness in matters related to crime and the decreased likelihood of entanglement with the criminal legal system. In this way, Isom furthers our understanding of what constitutes as crime, who is a criminal, and who deserves to be punished by considering these questions through the lens of whiteness and white privilege.
I’m not an Indian, I am a Tarahumara: Images and Narratives by the Rarámuri in Ciudad Juárez
Diaz, Selene (2025)
Since the foundation of the Mexican nation, the government and mass media have portrayed the Rarámuri as isolated from civilization. However, for the Rarámuri in the Sierra Tarahumara, a life of isolation away from major cities is not part of their ethnic identity. Rather, it is their predilection for wandering the mountains on foot that identifies them as an ethnic group and connects them to their ancestors and worldview. Given this defining characteristic, how do the Rarámuri who tread the asphalt trails of Ciudad Juárez (re)construct their ethnic identity? I use feminist ethnography to discern interethnic relationships between Rarámuri and chabochi (a Rarámuri word meaning “sons of the devil” or simply “non-Indigenous”) in Ciudad Juarez. The use of narratives based on pictures of the city allows the Rarámuri to reflect on their life experiences in Ciudad Juárez. This study finds that experiences of discrimination increase in downtown Ciudad Juárez. However, living in Colonia Tarahumara or Kilómetro 30 and belonging to the artisan community helps them mitigate the second ethnicization and reconstruct their ethnic identity by creating strong bonds of solidarity and pride through community work.
The Culture and Politics of Populist Masculinities [Book review]
King, Neal (SAGE, 2022-01-22)
Embracing synthetic life? How US publics make sense of the promises and threats of new synthetic cell technologies
Halcomb, Laura; Satterfield, Terre; Kandlikar, Millind; Budge, Jason; Harthorn, Barbara (2025)
Impact Assessment Through Interrupted Time Series: Divergent Influences of Stay-at-Home Order on Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Areas in NYC Shooting Incidents
Zhao, Yuxin; Chen, Zhuo; Hawdon, James E. (Springer, 2025-01-02)
This study examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and stay-at-home (SAH) orders on gun violence in New York City (NYC), with a focus on variations across neighborhood demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Using a 4-year longitudinal and geospatial analysis, we investigate the relationship between socioeconomic factors (e.g., poverty, unemployment, and minority presence) and shooting incidents, as well as how SAH orders shaped these trends. A detailed heatmap visualizes the distribution of shooting incidents, revealing concentrations in the Upper Bronx and Central Brooklyn. Hypothesis testing was conducted with a negative binomial regression model using interrupted time series analysis. We found neighborhoods with higher proportions of Black, Hispanic, unemployed, and low-income residents experienced more shootings. Shooting incidents were unusually low at the begining of the SAH order but increased steadily over time, peaking dramatically after the order were lifted. Unemployment drove a sharp rise in shooting incidents during the SAH period, while poverty contributed to a more sustained impact on violence in the post-SAH period. The findings highlight the disproportionate burden of COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable groups and the evolving influence of SAH orders on gun violence.
Mechanisms of affinity fraud victimization
Dearden, Thomas E.; Jasperson, Jill O.; Miller, Ronald M. (2024-05-08)
Purpose: This study aims to investigate the relationship between religiosity, belief in a just world (BJW), trust and affinity fraud. Design/methodology/approach: Using an online panel vendor, this study collected survey data from 1,030 participants. Participants are balanced based on US Census data. Findings: This study finds evidence that religiosity and, to a lesser extent, trust were correlated with choosing an affinity investor but not BJW. Overall, this study adds to the literature on fraud by examining the potential processes of tricking a victim. Originality/value: This study examines the complex decision-making around investing with fraudsters. This study disentangles the relationship between affinity fraud, decision-making, trust and religiosity. Furthermore, this consider the reasons why a shared affinity may increase trust through the lens of the decision-maker.
Criminological, psychological, and developmental aspects of pandemic strain and online cruelty
Parti, Katalin; Sanders, Cheryl E.; Breaux, Rosanna; McCoy, Meghan (Springer, 2024-12)
Managing the threat of decoupling in the U.S. affordable housing industry
Read, Dustin C.; Sedgwick, Donna (Springer, 2024-08-12)
Decoupling, or the practice of communicating different organizational values and goals than those rigorously pursued, is a concept discussed in the organization theory literature. Organizations engage in it when their legitimacy hinges on obtaining the support of stakeholders with disparate interests, and they attempt to appease some stakeholders with words and others with actions. One problem with decoupling is that it can lead organizations to operate in ways that are not reflective of their stated missions. With this concern in mind, the analysis presented here explores the prevalence of decoupling in the U.S. affordable housing industry and considers how, when, and why it occurs, and to what effect. Thematic analysis of interview data collected from industry practitioners suggests decoupling is common, comes in multiple forms, and must be effectively managed if municipal governments hope to partner with for-profit and nonprofit affordable housing providers to achieve their social policy goals.
Secret sharing in online communities: A comparative analysis of offender and non-offender password creation strategies
Bergeron, Andréanne; Dearden, Thomas E. (Elsevier, 2024-11-05)
Even though several authentication methods exist, passwords remain the most common type of authentication. Researchers have demonstrated the influence of a person’s environment and exposure to the Internet on their online security behavior (Bosnjak & Brumen, 2016; He et al., 2021; Juozapavičius et al., 2022). Those studies suggest that social identity seems to play a role in password choice. The objective of this study was to determine if the criminal nature of a network influences password-creation strategies. To achieve this, we utilized two databases with a substantial number of actual passwords (1,485,095) that had been leaked to the Internet. One database was sourced from a non-delinquent social network, while the other was from a hacker forum. We employed logistic regression to reveal the characteristics associated with each group, ensuring a comprehensive analysis of different types of password strategies and the similarity between actors of the same network. Results show that users of the same network have passwords with characteristics that are similar to each other. Individuals with the same social interests seem more likely to use the same password-creation strategies. From a network analysis perspective, the results show that similar individuals (sharing the same interests) are similar in other aspects (password creation strategies). These findings offer valuable insights into the diverse landscape of password varieties and user behaviors, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of internet user networks.
Hate and hate crimes in society
Hawdon, James E.; Costello, Matthew (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2024-10-17)
The state's role in hate: Understanding hate crime throughout U.S. history
Hawdon, James E. (2024-10-17)
The Legal Challenges of Realistic and AI-Driven Child Sexual Abuse Material: Regulatory and Enforcement Perspectives in Europe
Parti, Katalin; Szabó, Judit (MDPI, 2024-10-30)
Although the escalation in online child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is not a novel problem, recent digital proliferation has brought about new alarming challenges in addressing the issue. CSAM poses significant risks to children and society in general, the most serious being the long-lasting harmful effects on depicted victims. The already distressing problem is exacerbated by the worldwide appearance and spread of AI-driven or virtual CSAM, as AI offers a fast and increasingly profitable means for the sexual exploitation of children. The paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of current legislative measures focusing the European Union for combating online CSAM. With a particular focus on AI-driven CSAM, we will systematically evaluate the effectiveness and applicability of these regulations in addressing virtual CSAM. The paper will conclude with policy recommendations to address identified gaps in the European legislative framework concerning virtual CSAM.
Breaks in the Air: The Birth of Rap Radio in New York City [Book review]
Harrison, Anthony Kwame (University of California Press, 2024-03)
A book review of: John Klaess. Breaks in the Air: The Birth of Rap Radio in New York City. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2022. 232 pages.
Cybercrime and Strain Theory: An Examination of Online Crime and Gender
Parti, Katalin; Dearden, Thomas E. (Lifescience Global, 2024-09-11)
Purpose: Historically, cybercrime has been seen as a near exclusively male activity. We were interested to learn whether the relationship between strain and crime holds for both males and females. Methods: We utilized an online survey instrument to collect data from a national sample of individuals (n=2,121) representing the US population by age, gender, race and ethnicity. We asked offending related questions regarding various cybercrimes. In the current study, we use data from 390 individuals who reported a cybercrime activity within the past 12 months. Results: We find strong support for prior strains correlating with both specific (e.g., illegal uploading) and general cyber-offending. We further examine whether gender interacts with strain. While general strain theory (GST) correlates with cyber-offending for both males and females, we did find a few important differences. Except for lack of trust in others and receiving unsatisfactory evaluation at school or work, there are different variables responsible for online offending for men and women. Parents’ divorcing, anonymity, and online video gaming increase cybercrime offending in women, whereas falling victim to a crime, breaking up with a significant other, and darkweb activity are correlated with cyber-offending for men. Conclusion: Although GST functions differently by gender when it comes to engaging in cyber-offending, the theory is indeed gender-specific, as different strain variables are responsible for engaging in cyber-offending in women and men. Components of general strain responsible for cyber-offending need to be further studied concerning gender. According to our results, GST is gender-specific, and these variables need to be further studied.
Perspectives of Paid Panel Survey Research in Cybercrime Victimization and Offending: Validity of global online market research sampling and data collection
Parti, Katalin; Dearden, Thomas E.; Hawdon, James E. (Routledge, 2024-08-27)
Surveys are common tools for gathering data on myriad topics, including the study of online deviance and cybercrime. Topics such as teen cybervictimization (Wright et al., 2021), differential association and self-control applied to cybercrime (Dearden & Parti, 2021), cyber hatred (Reichelmann & Costello, 2021), cybercrime and institutional anomie theory (Dearden et al., 2021), and cybercrime and COVID (Hawdon et al., 2020; Kemp et al., 2021) have been studied using the non-probability data collected from online panels and tools such as Mechanical Turk. However, the validity of these data is of concern. This chapter considers the validity of using online polling for cybercrime data. First, we compare data from two of the most prominent global data vendors. Next, we use a control question about the 2020 presidential election. This item allows us to consider the validity of both internet-polling services by comparing our online surveys with data from FiveThirtyEight’s “polls-only” and actual election results. Finally, we provide estimates of cybercrime offending and victimization from our data, and we discuss the differences in the estimates from the two samples.
Differentiating Insider and Outsider Cyberattacks on Businesses
Dearden, Thomas E.; Parti, Katalin; Hawdon, James E.; Gainey, Randy; Vandecar-Burdin, Tancy; Albanese, Jay (Springer Nature, 2023-08-01)
The use of information and communication technologies in business has opened several new ways for employees to commit cybercrimes against their employers. Utilizing opportunity theory, the current paper investigates the characteristics of businesses victimized by employee-committed cyberattacks and compares insider- and outsider-committed cybercrime in terms of the damage they cause to the business. We used online sampling to obtain information on 350 businesses in the Commonwealth of Virginia, revealing 29 outsider cases and 17 insider attacks that were clearly identified. We found that insider attacks were more costly, resulting in more damage than external attacks; the most frequent attack type was impersonating the organization online for insiders, and viruses, spyware, and malware for outsiders. Our data suggested restricting personal devices, making cybersecurity a priority, cybersecurity updates among management, and employee training do not significantly lessen the risk or mitigate the effects of insider attacks. We suggest that organizational security culture must be refined and strengthened to identify and prevent insider attacks successfully.
Problems of knowledge, problems of order: the open science field site
Goldensher, Liora O’Donnell (Frontiers, 2023-11-16)
Ethnographers can and should not just do or not do open science, but study the push to share data, instruments, and other research materials as an important moment of change and contest in contemporary knowledge-making and knowledge politics. Following ethnographers of science and technology who have demonstrated the analytic opportunities afforded by moments of scientific controversy, we should treat the places where these calls are made, debated, and taken up as important field sites for ethnographic inquiry. Whenever and wherever the sharing of data, instruments, and research is discussed, planned, done, measured, judged, or regulated, there are powerful claims, visions, and action concerning what makes for facticity, legitimacy, and credibility in both research and politics. From these sites, I argue, we can observe changes to disciplinary and popular understandings of epistemic virtue, or what makes for reliable, factual, or adequately transparent knowledge production. Attention to these sites can also yield important perspectives on the ways that visions of proper research conduct are imbricated with visions of governance. I argue that turning ethnographic methods to studying the open science movement can enable us to do timely scholarship about shifting understandings of facticity, knowledge, information, and governance.
Social network interventions to reduce race disparities in living kidney donation: Design and rationale of the friends and family of kidney transplant patients study (FFKTPS)
Daw, Jonathan; Verdery, Ashton M.; Ortiz, Selena E.; Reed, Rhiannon Deierhoi; Locke, Jayme E.; Redfield III, Robert R.; Kloda, David; Liu, Michel; Mentsch, Heather; Sawinski, Deirdre; Aguilar, Diego; Porter, Nathaniel D.; Roberts, Mary K.; McIntyre, Katie; Reese, Peter P. (Wiley, 2023-07-03)
Introduction: Racial/ethnic disparities in living donor kidney transplantation (LDKT) are a persistent challenge. Although nearly all directed donations are from members of patients’ social networks, little is known about which social network members take steps toward living kidney donation, which do not, and what mechanisms contribute to racial/ethnic LDKT disparities. Methods: We describe the design and rationale of the Friends and Family of Kidney Transplant Patients Study, a factorial experimental fielding two interventions designed to promote LKD discussions. Participants are kidney transplant candidates at two centers who are interviewed and delivered an intervention by trained center research coordinators. The search intervention advises patients on which social network members are most likely to be LKD contraindication-free; the script intervention advises patients on how to initiate effective LKD discussions. Participants are randomized into four conditions: no intervention, search only, script only, or both search and script. Patients also complete a survey and optionally provide social network member contact information so they can be surveyed directly. This study will seek to enroll 200 transplant candidates. The primary outcome is LDKT receipt. Secondary outcomes include live donor screening and medical evaluations and outcomes. Tertiary outcomes include LDKT self-efficacy, concerns, knowledge, and willingness, measured before and after the interventions. Conclusion: This study will assess the effectiveness of two interventions to promote LKD and ameliorate Black-White disparities. It will also collect unprecedented information on transplant candidates’ social network members, enabling future work to address network member structural barriers to LKD.

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