Berkeley Journal of Sociology

Comunista!, my dad exclaims as we are driving down US-1.  We’re in Miami, Florida, where I grew up, and someone has cut him off in traffic. My whole family is in the car, a silver Toyota Previa minivan–yes, the one that looked like an egg. My mother is in the passenger seat; my older siblings, […]

Professor Michele Goodwin is a renowned bioethicist, constitutional legal scholar, prolific writer, and podcast host. Her scholarship and advocacy have forged a path for justice in reproductive health and rights, civil liberties, and educational access. Even more importantly, her work scrutinizes the policing of bodies and identities in American law and interrogates the narratives that […]

The heterosexual nuclear family, as a social construct and normative ideal, is a composite of myths and aspirations for many and, in the case of Indonesia, for a nation. It has become the model of an ideal family, as seen in numerous government initiatives, most notably the national family planning program with its promise of […]

Is neoliberalism dead at last? This is an urgent question that needs some provisional resolution – not just because of the proliferation of excellent scholarship on the variegated forms and consequences of global neoliberalism, but also because the question has political and strategic value in understanding capitalism as it is today. Scholars have been marking […]

In November 2022, FTX, the third largest crypto exchange platform collapsed and its CEO, Samuel Bankman-Fried, underwent trial in October 2023 for seven different charges of fraud. How did this happen? How could one of the main actors in the crypto industry not comply with U.S. laws? The answer is that there is no federal […]

Dr. Heba Gowayed is a distinguished scholar and public intellectual whose research and writing push the boundaries of ethnographic approaches in Sociology and illuminate the human experience of migration, displacement, and borders around the world. She is an outspoken voice for justice, whose advocacy and work have impacted many immigrant communities across multiple countries. We […]

Introduction My thesis delves into Muslim identity within Muslim-segregated areas, investigating its integration into society through an ethnographic lens. It examines the marginalization and health behavior of Muslims, focusing on experiences in South Delhi, India, particularly Jamia Nagar. Jamia Nagar, labeled a Muslim ‘ghetto,’ witnessed intensified challenges post-‘Batla House encounter’ in 2008, the ‘Shaheen Bagh […]

In the wake of the 2016 U.S presidential election, hate-fueled mass shootings of Jewish and Black places of worship, violent skirmishes between alt-right pro-Trump protesters and anti-fascist counter-protesters, and scores of other acts of violence caught the nation’s attention. Meanwhile, some white nationalist groups worked quietly out of the media spotlight to cultivate an image […]

A Case Study of the Proposed “Women’s Center for Justice” in NYC and Movement Efforts When one jail closes, it does not mean that another newer, more modern or more “progressive” cage should exist. Reformers have been working towards a proposed “gender-expansive” jail in New York City’s Harlem called the “Women’s Center for Justice.” The […]

The Problem Students of color, disabled students, and disempowered students are targeted and victimized by School Resource Officers (SROs). Students of color are subjected to violence and arrests by SROs, creating lasting harm in their lives, and further sustaining the school-to-prison pipeline. Much like with community law enforcement, studies suggest that SROs have been disproportionately […]

Introduction Who deserves to have a voice on issues that matter? In polarized debates on issues such as guns, abortion, and immigration, a constellation of activists contends to be heard and advocate for their point of view. To win attention, an activist strives to present themself as someone who deserves to be heard. Activists frame […]