Give Theory A Chance

In this episode we are joined by Dr. Katie Gaddini, who is currently a visiting scholar at Stanford University, and an Associate Professor of Sociology at University College London (UCL). Katie is also a great example of public sociology. She is the co-host of Blessed Stressed: Religion Politics Across the Pond podcast, which I recommend! She has been featured in popular outlets including the NY Times, Bloomberg, the BBC, NPR, the Guardian, TIME magazine, The Atlantic, Huffington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, The Hill, The Conversation, LA Review of Books, and more! The focus of our conversation is Katie’s recently published 2nd book Esther s Army: The Christian Women Who Power the American Right, which I also highly recommend. We discuss some of the methodological decisions Katie made along the way, some of the theoretical inspirations and connections that got left on the cutting room floor, some key findings from the project, and learn that Katie has no plans of running for political office, which I would have recommended!

In this episode we are joined by Chris Conner, Assistant Professor of Sociology at University of Missouri-Columbia. Chris discusses his research on the electronic music scene and gay dating apps and life lessons that can be taken from the respective projects. *This conversation is part of the Spring 2026 Sociological Life Lessons class led by Kyle Green at SUNY Brockport and the Give Theory a Chance podcast.

In this episode we are joined once again by Dr. Christopher R. Matthews from the School of Science and Technology at Nottingham Trent University. In this wide-ranging conversation Christopher discusses the co-production of knowledge, radical honesty in the methods section, finding inspiration in the work of Simone Weil , and conceiving of research as sacred.

In this episode we are joined by Alicia M. Walker, Associate Professor of Sociology at Missouri State and Arielle Kuperberg, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Alicia and Arielle discuss their co-authored book Bound by BDSM: Unexpected Lessons in Building a Happier Life, reflect on some of the methodological and writing choices they made along the way, and share some life lessons from the study.

In this episode we are joined by Stefano Bloch, Associate Professor in the School of Geography & Development at the University of Arizona and author of Going All City: Struggle and Survival in LA’s Graffiti Subculture. Stefano discusses and shares some lessons from his recently published article “Crime as Relational Concept in Political Geography”.

Daniel Chambliss joins us to discuss The Mundanity of Excellence: An Ethnographic Report on the Stratification of Swimmers, first published in Sociological Theory in 1989. This episode is the debut of a new format in which guests share life lessons that can be taken from their favorite social theory, or in this case, their own research.

In this episode, Dr. Seth Abrutyn, Professor of Sociology at the University of British Columbia, co-author of Life under Pressure: The Social Roots of Youth Suicide and What to Do About Them, and 2024 winner of the Lewis A. Coser Award for Theoretical Agenda Setting returns to the podcast to discuss Daniel Chambliss’s “The Mundanity of Excellence: An Ethnographic Report on the Stratification of Swimmers” (1988).

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Rahsaan Mahadeo, Assistant Professor in African American and African Studies at the University of Minnesota and  author of Funk the Clock: Transgressing Time While Young, Perceptive, and Black. In our conversation, Rahsaan introduces us to the ideas of Denise Ferreira da Silva and helps us understand the radical possibilities of engaging with her work. Rahsaan also reflects on the lack of engagement with da Silva in sociology in the United States and how her ideas directly call into question many of the core assumptions the discipline rests on. Also of note, this episode has a co-host! Special thanks to Dr. Christine Goding-Doty, Assistant Professor of Culture and Media at The New School and previous guest on Give Theory a Chance, for being part of the conversation.

In this episode we are joined by Jonathan Wynn, Professor of Sociology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Jon joins us to discuss The Set Up, his debut work of fiction that both thrills and educates. Jon shares his experience writing a work of fiction, reflects on how theorists including W.E.B. Du Bois and Erving Goffman (as well as George R.R. Martin and the Magic Tree House book series) inspired and found their way into his novel, and reminds us of the rich and under-appreciated history of sociologists writing fiction.

In this episode, Dr. Daniel Silver, Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto Scarborough and author of Scenescapes: how qualities of place shape social life (2020), joins us to discuss and read from Talcott Parsons’ On Institutions and Social Evolution, edited by Leon H. Mayhew. In our conversation, Dan helps me understand the logic of Parsons and convinces me of the joy of engaging with his ambitious theorizing. We also discuss the central place Parsons occupied in the discipline, his rather strange and rapid fall from grace, and how this frees the reader to engage with his ideas and arguments.

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Neil McLaughlin, Professor of Sociology at McMaster University and author of Erich Fromm and the Global Public Sociology (2023). In our conversation, Neil discusses the rise, fall, and potential resurgence of the writings of Erich Fromm. Neil reflects on the value of Fromm’s work in this current political moment as well as the lessons sociologists can learn about the possibilities and pitfalls of communicating to the larger public. *In addition to the aforementioned book, Neil has published a significant number of articles on Fromm. Check out the some of the recent ones + one mentioned in this episode: how to become a forgotten intellectual (1998) Why Fromm now (2024) Answering populist attacks on psychosocial ideas (2024) How Erich Fromm can help address the Jordan Peterson problem (2024)

In this episode, Dr. Daniel Silver, Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto Scarborough and author of Scenescapes: how qualities of place shape social life (2020), joins us to discuss and read from Georg Simmel’s Sociology: Inquiries into the Construction of Social Forms (first published in 1908). Be sure to check out Dan’s co-authored essay on Simmel’s three concepts of form and his co-authored article tracing Simmel’s influence within American sociology since 1975.

In this episode, guest hosted by Jabez Turner, Dr. Andrea S. Boyles, Associate Professor of Sociology and Africana Studies at Tulane University joins us to read from Patricia Hill Collins’ Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment (1990). In addition, Dr. Boyles also reflects on the impact the work has had on her own scholarship and activism.

In this episode, Jabez Turner interviews Dr. William Turner, Assistant Professor of African & African-American Studies at SUNY Brockport, about W.E.B. Du Bois. Dr. Turner reflects on the importance of Du Bois in his own intellectual development, discusses the marginalization of Du Bois within sociology, and explains how the rigor and depth of Du Bois’s scholarship continues to a valuable model across disciplines.

Dr. Christine Goding-Doty, Assistant Professor in Digital Media in the department of Culture and Media at the New School, introduces us to Aimé Césaire and reads from his foundational essay “Discourse on Colonialism” (1950). Follow along HERE. -Kyle-

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Amanda McMillan Lequieu, Associate Professor of Sociology at Drexel University and author of Who We Are Is Where We Are: Making home in the American Rust Belt (2024). Amanda returns to the podcast to discuss foundational humanistic geographer  Yi-Fu Tuan and his influence on her own research and theorizing.

In this episode, Dr. Daniel Silver, Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto Scarborough and author of Scenescapes: how qualities of place shape social life (2020), joins us to discuss Adam Smith’s An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776).

In this episode, we are joined by Mary Peterson, PhD student in philosophy at the University of Hamburg.   Mary joins us for a guided reading of Iris Marion Young’s 1980 essay “Throwing like a Girl: A Phenomenology of Feminine Body Comportment Motility and Spatiality.” Mary helps us understand Young’s contribution to understanding the embodied experience of women in a patriarchal society. We also briefly discuss Mary’s excellent essay “Philosophizing Like a Girl.” As always, a pdf of the essay discussed is available here, along with a scan of Mary’s handwritten chapter outline.

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Jacqui Frost, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Purdue University and Faculty Research Fellow in the Religion and Public Life Program at Rice University and a Center Affiliate in the Center for the Study of Religion and Society at University of Notre Dame. In our conversation, Jacqui discusses her early encounters with Max Weber as an undergraduate at the University of Wyoming and why she did not initially connect with his ideas. She then helps us understand the value of drawing on Weber’s work and testing his predictions through her research on ritual and community in nonreligious congregations and her collaboration with Dr. Penny Edgell exploring how people discuss contemporary social controversies. -Kyle-

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Hannah McCann, Senior Lecturer in Cultural Studies at the University of Melbourne, author of Queering Femininity: Sexuality, Feminism and the Politics of Presentation, and co-author of Queer Theory Now (which we discussed on an earlier episode of the podcast). In our conversation, Hannah introduces us to the value and joys of reading Judith Butler and discusses why Butler’s theorizing of sex and gender has been demonized by and come under attack from the political right. Hannah helps us better understand Butler’s ideas through reflecting on her own intellectual development and current project on queer hair salons. Hannah also offers us a brief preview of Judith Butler’s recently published Whose Afraid of Gender. hann

In this episode we are joined by Ugo Corte, Professor of Sociology at the University of Stavanger, author of Dangerous Fun: The Social Lives of Big Wave Surfers (2022 University of Chicago Press), and winner of the 2023 Charles Horton Cooley Award from the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction.Ugo introduces us to the work of Gary Alan Fine and discusses his importance as a scholar, theorist, and methodologist. Ugo also discusses the influence of Fine, as well as a plethora of other theorists, on his own research on risky group activities. *Ugo also mentions the work of previous GTaC guests Seth Abrutyn and Jonathan Wynn!

In this episode, Dr. Kelly Underman, Associate Professor in Sociology at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and author of Feeling Medicine: How the Pelvic Exam Shapes Medical Training (2020), joins us to read from the first chapter of Lauren Berlant’s Cruel Optimism (2011). Follow along HERE. -Kyle-

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Kelly Underman, Associate Professor in Sociology at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and author of Feeling Medicine: How the Pelvic Exam Shapes Medical Training (2020). In our conversation, Kelly introduces us to the work of Lauren Berlant, reflects on her experience finding their work as a graduate student interested in affect, and the value of theory that names a particular experience (or vibe) that we previously did not have language for. Kelly also helps us better understand Berlant’s concept of ‘cruel optimism’ through discussing her previous work on gynecological teaching programs, her current research on burnout among medical doctors, and the shared social experience of living through COVID. *Make sure to join us in the companion episode where Kelly guides us through Chapter 1 of Berlant’s Cruel Optimism (2011). -Kyle-

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Amanda McMillan Lequieu, Assistant Professor in Sociology at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and author of the forthcoming book Who we are is where we are: Making home in the American Rust Belt. Amanda joins us to discuss Kai Erikson’s Everything in its Path: Destruction of Community in the Buffalo Creek Flood (1976). Amanda introduces us to Erikson’s subtle approach to theorizing which he employs to better understand the Appalachian community’s response to environmental disaster. As she guides us through excerpts from the book, Amanda helps us understand Erikson’s concepts of community and communality, as well as the importance of time, space, and place to his theorizing. We conclude with a short discussion of potential critiques of Erikson’s classic work. As always, a pdf of the two chapters discussed (‘Collective trauma: the loss of communality’ and the ‘Conclusion’) are available here.

In this episode, Dr. Andrew McCumber joins us to discuss Raymond Williams’s ‘Ideas of Nature’ from Problems in Materialism and Culture (1980). Andy introduces us to Willams’s overview of our changing understanding of nature and the natural and why it matters. Andy also discusses the influence of the essay on his dissertation research and current book project titled “The Pest We All Live With: The Cultural Meanings of the Life and Death of Rats.” A pdf of this essay is available here.

In this episode we are joined by Dr. Christopher R. Matthews; a social scientist and epistemologist who specializes in the use of immersive research to understand ideas, people and society. Chris is the author of Doing Immersive Research Vol.1: Using Social Science to Understand the Human World and runs an impressive website with hours of content on methods, theory, and navigating academia. Chris introduces us to the work of Nick Crossley and reflects on the value of Crossley’s comprehensive synthesis of social theory centering the body. Chris also discusses his own approach to theory and his goals in doing research.

In this companion episode, Dr. Christopher R. Matthews walks us through a series of excerpts from Nick Crossley’s Intersubjectivity: The Fabric of Social Becoming (1996). Chris also provides us with screenshots of his own copy of the book so we can follow along with the text and see Chris’s approach to reading theory.

In this episode we are joined by Dr. Christopher R. Matthews; a social scientist and epistemologist who specializes in the use of immersive research to understand ideas, people and society. Chris is the author of Doing Immersive Research Vol.1: Using Social Science to Understand the Human World and runs an impressive website with hours of [ ]

In this episode we are joined by Dr. Matthew Clair, an Assistant Professor of Sociology & Law at Stanford University. In our conversation, Matt introduces us to the work of W. E. B. Du Bois, discusses how Du Bois is one of the rare scholars who transcends sociology and the academy, and helps us understand how Du Bois’s approach to theory, relationship to sociology, and understanding of politics shifted across his career. Matt also introduces us to his own research on the experience of criminal defendants to illustrate the value of a Du Boisian approach.

In this episode, Dr. Michael DeLand, an Assistant Professor of Sociology & Criminology at Gonzaga University, joins us to read from Herbert Blumer’s article ‘Sociological Implications of the Thought of George Herbert Mead’ (1966). Mike walks us through Blumer’s reading of Mead and discusses how the article offers a starting point to understand social construction and symbolic interaction. Follow along HERE. -Kyle-

In this episode we are joined by Dr. Michael DeLand, an Assistant Professor of Sociology & Criminology at Gonzaga University. In our conversation, Mike introduces us to the work of Herbert Blumer and discusses how Blumer’s process-oriented theorizing of interaction and sense-making provide methodological inspiration and how Blumer’s critiques of more distant and structural ways of studying social life provided confidence in building his own research agenda. Mike also introduces his research on pickup basketball to illustrate a Blumer-inspired approach and the value of character-driven ethnographies.

In this episode we are joined by Dr. Jennifer McClearen, Assistant Professor of Sports, Media, and Culture in the Department of Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas at Austin and author of the recently published Fighting Visibility: Sports Media and Female Athletes in the UFC. Jennifer introduces us to the work of Herman Gray and illustrates how his writings on the politics of representation transcend disciplinary boundaries through discussing Gray’s influence on her own study of mixed martial arts and marketing of women fighters.

In this episode Elizaveta Lepikhova, a second year MA student, teaching assistant, and supplemental instructor of sociology at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, discusses the work of Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann.  Elizaveta discusses their contributions to the sociology of everyday life, introduces her schema of explaining their ideas (see here), and reflects on first reading the work in Russian. She also talks about Berger and Luckmann’s influence on her own research on social time.

In this episode we are joined by Jonathan Wynn, Associate Professor and Department Chair of Sociology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and author of Music/City: American Festivals and Placemaking in Austin, Nashville, and Amherst. Jon introduces us to Erving Goffman, reflects on Goffman’s intellectual location and influence within the discipline, and discusses how his own work has built on Goffman’s call for a sociology of occasions. *I also recommend checking out Jon’s frequent posts on the Everyday Sociology blog.

In this episode, we are joined by Fabio Rojas, professor of sociology at Indiana University Bloomington and author of Theory for the Working Sociologist (2017). Fabio introduces his approach to teaching sociological theory, discusses the four theoretical moves made within the discipline, and argues against the common practice of having students engage in lengthy readings of original texts and the disciplinary tendency to turn our favorite theorists into superheroes.

In this episode we are joined by Dr Alex Channon, Senior Lecturer in the School of Sport and Service Management at the University of Brighton. Alex introduces us to Stephen Lyng and his theorization of edgework. Alex illustrates the value of the concept through discussing his research on sport, violence, and interactions in the martial arts gym and how the concept helped inspire his Love Fighting Hate Violence project with Dr. Christopher Matthews.

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Jocelyn Viterna, Professor of Sociology and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Harvard University. Jocelyn introduces her approach to teaching sociological theory in a way that is honest about our intellectual roots and engages with the centrality of social evolutionary thought and racist ideology in early disciplinary writings. Jocelyn discusses the work of Herbert Spencer and also guides us through a 1909 book review from Frank Wilson Blackmar, the 9th President of the American Sociological Society (Association).

In this episode we are joined by Dr Anna Goulding, Senior Research Associate at Newcastle University, UK, and a scholar of art, identity, aging, and community. Anna introduces us to Elinor Ostrom, her theorization of co-production, and potential of the term to be weakened through popularization and misapplication. Anna illustrates the methodological value and challenges of co-production through reflecting on her own efforts at putting the theory into practice.

In this episode, Dr. Shai Dromi, a lecturer of Sociology at Harvard University and author of Above the Fray: The Red Cross and the Making of the Humanitarian NGO Sector (2020), joins us to read from Luc Boltanski’s co-authored article ‘The Sociology of Critical Capacity‘ (1999). Shai introduces us to Boltanski and Thévenot’s analysis of “critical” moments, the process that follows, and the use of the six worlds of justification. Follow along HERE. -Kyle-

In this episode we are joined by Dr. Shai Dromi, a lecturer of Sociology at Harvard University and author of the recently published Above the Fray: The Red Cross and the Making of the Humanitarian NGO Sector (2020). In our conversation, Shai introduces us to the work of Luc Boltanski and discusses how he found inspiration in Boltanski’s theorizing of communication and morality. Shai also helps us better understand the value of Boltanski’s ideas through introducing his co-authored research on how advertisers make sense of the moral worth of their jobs and his in-progress co-authored book on how morality emerged as a  point of contention or has been obscured in our key disciplinary debates.

In this episode we are joined by Jeff Guhin, an assistant professor of sociology at UCLA, and author of the recently published Agents of God: Boundaries and Authority in Muslim and Christian Schools. Jeff discusses the inspiration he finds in the works of Charles Taylor, reflects on the value and challenges of reading philosophy as a sociologist, the importance of having friends, and introduces us to social imaginaries and “subtraction stories.”

In this episode, Dr. Tina Sikka, a Lecturer in Media and Cultural Studies at Newcastle University and author of Climate Technology, Gender, and Justice,  joins us to read from Helen Longino‘s ‘Can There Be A Feminist Science’ (1987). Tina introduces us to Longino’s central question about what makes a science feminist, guides us through Longino’s rejection of answering the question through focus on topic or object, helps us understand the focus on process, and highlights Longino’s attention to structural constraints. Follow along HERE. -Kyle-

In this episode we are joined by Neil Gong. Neil is an assistant professor of sociology at UC San Diego, a member of the Michigan Society of Fellows, and winner of the 2020 American Sociological Association’s Junior Theorist of the Year award. In our conversation, Neil introduces the work of Norbert Elias, reflects on both the challenges and inspirations of his historical writing and grand theory, and discusses how the concept of the ‘threshold of repugnance’ provided guidance in Neil’s ethnography of ‘no-rules’ combat clubs.

In this episode, Dr. Hannah McCann, a Lecturer in Cultural Studies at the University of Melbourne and author of Queer Theory Now,  joins us to read from Sara Ahmed‘s ‘Killing Joy: Feminism and the History of Happiness’ (2010). Hannah introduces us to Ahmed’s re-reading and re-conceptualization of happiness, guides us through Ahmed’s use of etymology and wordplay, and helps us understand the powerful concepts of the ‘affect alien’ and ‘feminist killjoy’. Follow along HERE. -Kyle-

In this episode we are joined by Anas Karzai, lecturer in the Department of Sociology and coordinator of the criminology program at Laurentian University.  Anas joins us to speak about the subject of his book Nietzsche and Sociology: Prophet of Affirmation. We discuss why Friedrich Nietzsche has not received the attention he deserves within sociology, how his writings offer a valuable critique of the dialectic and the narrative of progress, and his under-appreciated critique of racism.

In this episode, Dr. Shamus Khan joins us to read from Leviathan: Or the Matter, Forme and Power of a Commonwealth, Ecclesiasticall and Civil, the 1651 Thomas Hobbes classic work of social theory. Shamus shares his advice on reading theory fast, helps us understand how Hobbes conceptualized social contract theory and the relationship between violence and equality, and models how to center the colonial roots of foundational texts. Follow along HERE (Chapter 13, page 81) -Kyle-

In this episode, we are joined by Shamus Khan, professor in and chair of the sociology department at Columbia University. Shamus discusses his approach to teaching the sociological canon, the importance of focusing on moments of racist and colonial discourse as central to, rather than in spite of, the core theories, and the value of directly linking the learning of methods and theory.

In this episode we are joined by Dr. Saida Grundy, Assistant Professor of Sociology and African-American Studies at Boston University and author of the forthcoming book Manhood Within the Margins: Promise, Peril and Paradox at the Historically Black College for Men. In our wide-ranging conversation, Saida discusses how the 1899 Du Bois classic, The  Philadelphia Negro, provided a model for studying race and a model for how to do sociological research, what it means to center Du Bois as a founder of sociology, and his relationship to black women scholars of the time. Saida also reflects on the value of Du Bois for her own work on black masculinity, reactive respectability politics, hierarchies from within the veil, and racialized rape culture.

Our guests today are Hannah McCann, a Lecturer in Cultural Studies at the University of Melbourne and Whitney Monaghan, an Assistant Lecturer in Film and Screen Studies at Monash University. Hannah and Whitney are co-authors of the recently published textbook Queer Theory Now. In our wide-ranging conversation, we discuss the challenge of defining queer theory, the relationship between queer and feminist theory, and think through the importance of time.

In this episode, Dr. Angela Jones joins us to read from The Souls of Black Folk, the 1903 W.E.B Du Bois classic work of social theory. This is the first of a new type of Give Theory a Chance podcast where contemporary social theorists introduce us to the specific passages that inspired them and help us make sense of the text. When possible, I will include a link (the link) to a pdf so the listener can follow along. I hope this offers a useful aid for people first encountering these important ideas and hope it offers others the perfect chance to re-connect with favorite readings from the past. -Kyle-