Abstract
Contexts editors Rashawn Ray and Fabio Rojas introduce the fall issue, a special issue on visions and transformations.
Keywords
Alisha Kirchoff
Every party comes to an end. The Fall 2022 issue concludes our editorship of Contexts. The last five years have been challenging but stimulating. We saw a swelling of nationalism during the Trump presidency that has continued. We witnessed the abrupt spread of a dangerous virus that killed millions worldwide. We saw international movements for justice erupt and demand change.
Sociologists have risen to the occasion. Consistently, our colleagues in the discipline have written hard-hitting and compelling research that investigates and critiques social trends. They have brought the best that social science has to offer to the broader public. It’s impressive, and it underscores the need for a public sociology that identifies how social structures impact our daily lives. Public sociology is not merely critical knowledge, it’s living knowledge.
As we look back, we feel great pride in this collective effort. We’ve interviewed Nobel Prize winners and science fiction novelists. We’ve guided discussion on how to reform a bloated and recalcitrant criminal justice system. We’ve explored sociology in the Global South. We’ve looked at the lives of the ultra-wealthy and those who have trouble making ends meet. We’ve imagined what a world would look like if we didn’t have a burdensome and punishing immigration regime. We’ve asked what freedom looks like for people who have never felt freedom before.
The theme of our last issue is “Visions and Transformations.” We invited sociologists to think about what the future looks like. The sociological profession did not disappoint. One article, “Sex: Click Here to Upgrade,” by Kenneth R. Hanson, examines how technology is changing intimacy and the sex industry. Katherine K. Chen and Victor Tan Chen explore what more equitable organizations might look like in the future. How might organizational leaders re-imagine work so that laborers have more input? Our policy brief contemplates what a more just set of food policies could look like.
We also would like to bring attention to the art that graces the cover of our final issue, The Butterfly by Jeff Soto. We think the work speaks to the future in at least two ways. First, butterflies emerge from a period of metamorphosis. Second, The Butterfly is a digital work of art that exists as a non-fungible token. This new technology represents a bold new step in how people make and distribute art. Will this be the future of art? No one knows—only the future will tell! Regardless, we think that readers will find a great deal to enjoy in this issue.
Though this end is bittersweet, we are confident that the incoming editors, Amin Ghaziani and Seth Abrutyn, will continue the tradition of excellence established by the founding editor of Contexts, Claude Fischer. Amin is a leading scholar of sexuality and the urban environment. Seth is a highly respected scholar of mental health and well-being. They will bring a spirit of optimism and intellectual curiosity, as well as an incredible work ethic, that will continue to strengthen the magazine.
We also take great pride in our production team. They’ve produced a wonderful magazine that is beautiful to look at and easy to read. Our digital platform partners have helped us create a significant online presence. Every time we release a new issue of Contexts, our content is downloaded, clicked, and shared over one million times during a calendar year. We are thankful for their work.
Finally, we’d like to acknowledge all the people who made this collective effort possible. Our section editors have been incredible. We would not have been able to accomplish any of this without the help of our amazing graduate student colleagues at Indiana University and the University of Maryland. At Indiana University, we were greatly helped by Sean Vina, who assisted with policy briefs for many years. At the University of Maryland, Genesis Fuentes, Simone Durham, Paige Miller, and Mary DeSte-fano helped with managing the journal. We thank Letta Page, our Senior Managing Editor for two years, and Laura Wise, who copy-edited and organized production. Special thanks go to the students at Maryland and Macalester College who wrote “In Briefs.” Karen Gray Edwards of the American Sociological Association has been strongly supportive of Contexts, and we thank her for her patience and dedication to the magazine. Three members of the community deserve induction into the “Contexts Hall of Fame.” Each inductee has worked for five years at Contexts: Mike Bader as Trends editor, Carson Byrd as Book Review editor, and Alisha Kirchoff as Policy Briefs editor and production editor.
That’s all, folks—it’s now time for the future!
