Abstract
My favorite place at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association is where the new books are. Seeing all the new research and findings in one place is very exciting for me: I find myself wandering the exhibit hall for hours, and I often carry books and catalogs home. Throughout the year, getting the new issue of Contemporary Sociology creates the same excitement: seeing all the new, cutting-edge research we produce as a discipline in one place. Contemporary Sociology for me not only captures the findings, but it shows all the trends and conversations around new research.
This is the first official issue by the new editorial team from Montclair State University. I would like to use this opportunity to thank Michael Sauder and the amazing team at the University of Iowa. They have done an excellent job of producing high-quality and timely reviews. We aim to maintain the tradition of high-quality reviews and a transparent review system. I thank the entire editorial team for their help and training, making it a smooth transition process. We hope to continue to provide rich and timely reviews and engaging essays.
Creating a journal is not just the work of the editorial office; it involves a lot of invisible work. Contemporary Sociology would not be possible without the vibrant editorial board. Their ideas, networks, and contributions make this journal possible, and I am happy to acknowledge the important work they do. I am fortunate to edit this journal with them. It is an extraordinary group of scholars who suggest reviewers every two months, review books, and write longer review essays. In the upcoming years, I hope to continue to retain and increase the diversity of our board to reflect the diversity of our discipline. You are also an important part of this community. You are central in creating a conversation about books and findings and trends in our field. Without you, none of this is possible. We need your expertise and your views in keeping this conversation going, so I hope you will consider reviewing for Contemporary Sociology.
During the past five months of setting up the new journal office at MSU, my office has been filling with new books. I am sending them out for review very quickly (partially because I need a place to sit down). It is an exciting and humbling experience to watch your office fill up with some of the newest and most cutting-edge research in sociology. The breadth of work that is done in sociology is extraordinary. We are also getting more and more books from outside the United States: more international focus on research and more international publishers. We are receiving many books that are interdisciplinary: many similar disciplines—political science, criminology, history, women’s studies—borrowing the tools or theories of sociology. I hope to incorporate some of these books into our discussion.
In finding reviewers, I hope to capture the diversity of the published work. Our reviewer base should reflect the diversity of our scholars. Especially as we get more books from outside the United States or more research focused on non-U.S. settings, it is important for our reviewers and our board members to reflect that diversity.
In the upcoming year, Contemporary Sociology will be getting social media accounts. It is important for us to publicize all the exciting research we produce as a discipline and connect to media and policy-makers. The world we live in seems to be in need of sociology. This is just a first step—don’t forget to follow us on social media!
Finally, you are not supposed to judge a book by the cover, but by all means you can judge this volume by its cover as our cover this year celebrates Newark, NJ with a photo by a local New Jersey artist, Joel Tidey.