Sociologist

Ghost stories. Roller derby. Historic buildings. Apartment swimming pools. Fallout fanfiction. A tube of bad lipstick.

At first glance, these things don’t seem to have much in common. That’s exactly why I find them so interesting.

Wherever people are creating meaning, building communities, or telling stories about themselves, chances are I’ll want to know why. Sociology has an uncanny way of turning ordinary moments into extraordinary questions. I’ve accepted that this is probably how my brain works now.

• Are spren from the Stormlight Archive actually manifestations of Symbolic Interaction?

• What can roller derby teach us about identity?

• I think liminal spaces deserve better publicists.

• Why does every hobby eventually become sociology?

• Can Fallout fanfiction teach us something about creative communities?

• What can a 1930s roadside attraction in Wyoming teach us about identity construction?

• Why am I emotionally invested in abandoned coal tipples?

• I’m beginning to suspect George Herbert Mead has been following me around.

• I have concerns about the generalized other.

• Can I explain symbolic interactionism using Fallout: New Vegas?

• What happens when you accidentally become the “ghost girl” in your department?

• What if memes were just shared social shorthand of nonmaterial culture?

Recent Rabbit Hole:

An unhinged sociology rant where I explain why the world of fanfiction and fandom has captured my attention as an ethnographic field site.