iusociologyqproject-blog

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We’ve Moved.

Sometimes, if you’re very, very lucky, an idea becomes a reality and gets bigger than you expected.

We have had an incredible response to the IU Sociology Quarantine Project and have decided to make the blog official. We will no longer post updates to the Tumblr blog here, but you can find all the informed analyses, personal essays, and cat pics you can handle on our shiny new website here: https://www.iusocproject.com/

Thank you for following along. Stay healthy.

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We Know about the Racists – Now What?

In the White House, a white man in arguably the most powerful position in the world crosses out the word “corona” and writes, in bold black letters, “Chinese.” In a rail station bathroom, a man is spit on and told he should die because he has the “Chinese virus.”

The white man in the White House argues that his preferred language is simply more accurate. A woman is punched in face by white strangers yelling at her for not using a mask.

These are just a fraction of examples from the US. But we live in a global world. One where just a click or tap can tell us about how a man in London was beaten so badly he was sent to the hospital with a broken bone. Or how a student in Australia was assaulted even when he did wear a mask.

Racism and xenophobia related to coronavirus has spiked so rapidly that you can visit a Wikipedia page that organizes these incidents by country. For many, these incidents confirm what we already knew – that racism is not dead – but even so, this spike in blatantly racist behavior is chilling.

Scholars on Race

Today, researchers who study race tend to focus on the subtle. We talk about “Racism without Racists” and colorblind racism. We consider how structures in our societies perpetuate race-based inequalities, all without any individual racist intent. We locate racism in policies and ideologies, not people.

Yet today, the stories are my screen are not subtle, nor have they been for years. From white supremacists in my local farmers’ market, to relentless police brutality against Black Americans, to racially-motivated shootings in churches and clubs.

Although claiming to be “colorblind” was once popular, we may be finally leaving this delusion in the past. A 2019 Pew report finds that 58% of American adults believe race relations are “generally bad.” Americans also appear to be more interested in learning about race, if the increase in books about race and race reading lists are any indication. Race-related documentaries and series abound too, from Ava DuVernay’s 13th to Justin Simien’s Dear White People.

We know we have a racism problem. The response to COVID-19 is just a symptom.

Now What?

Many writers call on us to be kind during this time. Unfortunately, kindness has little impact on racism. Others attempt to offer clean-cut solutions or easy tips. Again, for racism: n/a.

Instead, here are three steps that act as a starting point. They’re brief, difficult, and follow no particular order.

1.) Identify your prejudices and biases.

This step is about self-work. It’s about swallowing your pride and recognizing that no matter how great an ally you are, you have or currently are hurting someone with your actions. Privilege obscures vision. Operate under this assumption. Return to this step as you learn more.

2.) Assume you always have more to learn.

Check your mindset. In line with the step above, assume that there are times when you will be wrong. Rather than thinking of these moments as embarrassing mistakes, realize that they’re inevitable. For everyone. Once you’ve cleared that mental hurdle, it’s easier to assume you can always learn and grow. No matter how long you’ve lived, how much of an expert you are in your field, or how much you’ve tweeted, there will always be something you don’t know. Humanity is vast like that.

3.) Read, watch, and listen.

This is the step where you learn about racism, how it’s taking place around you (because it is), and what you can do to stop it. Maybe there are actions you can take (or stop) right now. Maybe you have the power to revise your company’s hiring practices. Maybe, because you’ve read up on it, you can recognize when a colleague has committed a racial microaggression and decide to have a conversation about it. The possibilities are endless.

So how do you know which possibilities are the most effective to address racism?

You don’t. I don’t. None of us do.

But it’s your job to figure it out. Not the allies who seem more woke than you. Not the people with more melanin than you.

Figuring out how to address racism is part of the work. So read, watch, and listen to the folks who’ve been doing this work, generation after generation, and join us, recognizing that sometimes you’ll be wrong, but that the cost for not trying is how we got in this mess today.

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Monica Heilman is a sociology PhD student at Indiana University whose research interests include race and ethnicity, multiraciality, qualitative methodology, and global and transnational sociology. She also an enthusiastic plant parent and artist. Find out more on her website: http://monicaheilman.com/  or follow her on Twitter: @writingmonicker

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Made it! Monday.

We are here. We are doing things. It is Monday. Welcome to week 5, nerds.

Feeding our souls and saving lives

Caroline Brooks scored some pine nuts at Kroger this past week to make a favorite family pignoli recipe. Tastes like home, no doubt!

Speaking of home, Elizabeth Anderson is sheltering in place with her mom and they worked on some cloth face masks together over the weekend to donate for those in need.

A Walk on The Wild Side

The cat versus dog debate rages on among our graduate students.

Queen Kona, companion to Krystina Millar, asks, “can dogs do yoga?” 

Stressed about the obvious cat privilege in the department, Alisha Kirchoff’s beagle, Saffron, takes a relaxing snooze in the sun.

While not currently in the companionship of a dog, Monica Heilman offers an illustration of a beloved canine in her life and asks those who favor cats to top that.

Anne Kavalerchik, without missing a beat, produced a gorgeous image of her beloved Hops.

Nora Weber’s Lady Edith looks on. Infighting among the proletariat benefits the bourgeoisie. Lady Edith is pleased.

Max Coleman reminds us that enjoying a snooze in a warm, sunny spot is not the exclusive province of a single species.

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There you have it! We made it to Monday and it has been all in good fun. We also want to thank our network of IU alumni who have followed the lighthearted weekend Twitter debate of cats versus dogs and look forward to seeing more pics of critters, baked goods, projects, and more in the coming week. Stay healthy.

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Why we haven’t been making it on Mondays.

I started this project as an outlet for community, a way to feel a sense of unity for graduate students in my program. But, as I have quickly realized, sheltering in place as a graduate student with a spouse working full time at home and two small children can really limit one’s bandwidth for activities such as this. For a project that was meant to feel connected to my colleagues, it has made me feel more isolated in unanticipated ways.

There are many inequalities being exposed and/or exacerbated during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, but as many have noted, at least some of these are happening in the home. By and large, women are bearing the brunt of the disruptions caused by the pandemic.

Source: Getty Images

I believe that it’s because we don’t have the luxury of pretending that women were not already bearing the brunt of care anymore. Prior to shelter in place orders, I relied on a community of women to help care for my children. Now, it’s all on me.

I do not want to imply that my spouse is the sort who is not an engaged parent or who “lets” me handle things with the kids and home. He is engaged and does his best, like we are all doing. But the reality is that my time is more flexible than his, which cannot be changed no matter how many towels he folds or math worksheets he helps with. Our issues are structural. About 3/4 of mothers in the United States are working mothers, and working mothers are routinely penalized for creating any impression that family life may distract them from their professional responsibilities. In my own area of research, legal professions, researchers have found that women have to bill more hours than their male counterparts to be considered for career advancement opportunities, even (or especially) while pregnant.

The pressure to separate work from family life has now collided with a situation where they are forced to coexist. We are in a privileged position as a family because we have the ability to make it work. Not everyone is in that position. However, it has come at a cost that I did not anticipate or appreciate when this all began.

All of this is to say that we are all dealing with a lot, but it looks different for everyone. We have some wonderful essays in the pipeline and some fun projects to share soon. Thank you for reading and participating in our community.

Alisha Kirchoff is a PhD candidate in the IU Department of Sociology. Her research is on legal professions in the US and Russia and she is doing her best. Follow her on Twitter at: @alkirchoff

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Interview with Health Care Provider about COVID-19 and the Workplace

Source Photo: WBUR/AP

I recently had the opportunity to talk with a health care provider* about how COVID-19 is affecting their work and changing everyday life in the workplace. They provided insight into the rapid changes that they and their colleagues are expected to make, and how many health care providers are “muddling through” in attempts to figure out how to comply with government mandates, HIPAA, and transitioning to online appointments.

 Me: How has your workplace changed because of the virus?

HCP: We no longer see patients in person – everything is now on the phone or via video chat. My colleagues and I have the option of working at home or coming into the office a few days a week, so the office is very quiet. It seems like every day, there is something new in terms of mandates and rules, so while in some ways, we have more time because patients aren’t coming in, but on the other hand, we have less time because we have to keep adjusting and changing how we do things.

Me: Have you worried about being exposed to the virus when patients could still come in for in-person appointments?

HCP: I’m not too concerned, and have been following protocol regarding hand washing, social distance, etc. I do not wear a mask but I have had patients come in wearing masks before we stopped seeing patients in person. Some of my colleagues are more anxious about COVID-19 than others, especially those who have young children or have an immunocompromised family member.

Me: What has the shift to phone and virtual meetings been like for you?

HCP: It has been stressful and complicated. We have to make sure that everything is HIPAA compliant, and have to figure out how to get consent from patients to do an online meeting, but we are still figuring out how to implement everything. We need to be ready to start doing 100% of our appointments online in a couple days and I think everyone in the office is stressed out about it. We’re trying to work remotely using a new platform and people have had problems connecting to it and learning how to use it, so we have to learn as we go. We have done some mock video conferences to help us prepare, but there is still a lot of confusion. I think the main issue is how quickly we had to switch from in-person appointments to video appointments without being prepared.

Me: What has it been like seeing patients virtually versus in real life?

HCP: I think video and phone appointments are not as helpful or useful as in-person appointments. Even over video, it’s not the same as being able to see people as they come into the office. A lot of patients have canceled non-essential appointments, and I do think part of that does involve the shift to video appointments. We are not being rigid here about keeping appointments given what is going on for everybody right now. I can still prescribe medicine to my patients because that system is digital and I can use it at home.

Me: What advice do you have for people in general from your perspective as a health care provider?

HCP: Clean your stuff! In my office, I make sure to clean my desk, chairs, door handles, and so on with disinfectant wipes. If you have to cough or sneeze, use the inside of your elbow, not your hands! Remember that even if you feel healthy, you could spread the virus to high-risk groups. Support one another and be patient with providers and other key workers as things continue to change – we are all trying to figure this out together.

*The provider interviewed asked to remain anonymous. I thank them for their insights and participation!

Emma Frieh is a PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology at Indiana University. Emma received a BA in Sociology from SUNY Buffalo in 2015 and an MA in Sociology from Indiana University in 2017. Emma is a medical sociologist with interests in mental health. Find out more about Emma’s ongoing research projects here.

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Can Undergrad Social Theory Help Us Understand The COVID-19 Pandemic?

I remember the first time I heard the name of the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu. I was an undergrad in my first-ever sociology class (shout out to Dr. Jenny Stuber) and she was explaining how the concept of “capital” was not just necessarily just economic or financial. Capital is understood in a broader manner and could be social (who you know and who knows you), cultural (knowledge that allows you to navigate situations with natural comfort or ease) or educational/credentialed (not all diplomas are created equal), among other types. Bourdieu is not known for having elegant prose, but his ideas gave me the language and concepts to understand inequalities I had noticed in my day-to-day life. Bourdieu has helped me make sense of things that seem insensible.

At this particular moment in history, my profession has become a lifeline. Being a sociologist helps me make sense of what is happening, which is empowering at a time when I otherwise feel fairly lost. In recent days I have felt pretty powerless. As a graduate student, my economic capital is low. Stocking up on food and supplies is a good, necessary thing to help “flatten the curve,” but my stipend makes it challenging to spend an unexpected sum on shelf-stable foods. Like my colleague, Elizabeth Anderson, pointed out in her piece, existing inequalities and restrictions make it especially challenging for many to access healthy food and critical supplies. I know I am one of the lucky ones though, because while my stipend is small, I am still receiving it. Many workers are currently being laid off or having their hours dramatically reduced, so their economic capital is taking a severe hit.

While we may be physically isolated, many of my family, friends, and colleagues have been working on virtually maintaining social connections. While social capital is often understood in a more transactional way, it can also be built over the long term through sustained interaction. With the closure of schools and day cares, I am able to maintain social ties by providing childcare for two families in my circle. In addition to the human interaction that helps structure my day, it’s helping me maintain strong social ties with people who matter to me. I’m doing my best to reach out to check in with my family, friends, and colleagues, and am grateful that this situation has prompted me to get creative with how I nurture my relationships. While I cannot go to a conference to build my social capital through new ties, there are online communities emerging and new ways to sustain existing ties and virtually create new connections.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a completely unprecedented and unknown experience for everyone, but drawing on my sociological training has helped me understand why we are all doing what we are doing and feeling what we are feeling. Concepts of “normal” have fundamentally shifted, seemingly overnight. Working parents are suddenly becoming homeschoolers (which, as Jess Calarco points out, can exacerbate existing inequalities) families with exposure are distancing within their own homes, grocery workers are now (rightfully!) viewed as essential personnel. The vulnerable people among us are even more vulnerable, especially those with existing medical conditions or who already financially precarious. Bourdieu’s concepts of capital are helping me understand my swirl of emotions while dealing with the changes wrought by this pandemic. I don’t really feel like I have the “right” kinds of economic, social, cultural, or educational capital to navigate this situation in a way that feels natural, comfortable, or easy, but who does? That’s been an oddly reassuring thought for me. Consider your capital, try to understand the structures that bind you, and maybe you too will realize that we are all just doing the best we can.

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Katie Beardall is a PhD Student in Sociology at Indiana University and aside from being a Bourdieu Stan, her research includes intersections of education, stratification, organizations, and culture. Learn more on her website or follow her on Twitter: @k_beard12

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Made it! Monday.

A weekly social media roundup posted each Monday chronicling the strategies our community used to cope with uncertainty and isolation through the past week. Here is what our folks have been up to:

Feline Fine

The cats in our community are practicing varied strategies of physical distancing from their human companions. Here they are from most to least distant: 

Emma Frieh’s cat, Doc, likes to snooze under glass tables and her spot has been dubbed the “Quarantine Zone”

Anne Kavalerchik attempts to keep her cat, Hops, close, but kitty is still keeping some distance.

Krystina Millar and Kona were Netflix and chill (respectively) this past week, sharing the couch.

Nora Weber and her cat, Edith, have only recently become companions but you wouldn’t know it by this pic. Good thing the “social distance” rules do not apply to kitteh frands.

The Kitchen Chronicles

Shelley Rao ups her ramen game with shrimpies and avocado. What will she think of next?

Shrimpies also made a cameo in Monica Heilman’s ramen di jour this past week. That looks good enough to slurp!

From baking her body in the sun to baking this boule in the oven, Caroline Brooks has us hot and bothered over this perfect bit of bread. Can you send us some sun and bread from Arizona, please?!

Not All Fun and Games

Peter Lista brews a mean cup of tea and gets ready for some D&D action.

From sociology to homeschooling, Alisha Kirchoff works on e-learning curriculum with her kiddos. At least these students never skip class!

The show must go on! Krystina Millar records the latest episode of @NewBooksSoc, the podcast she hosts!

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That’s a wrap on our Made it! Monday post of the week. Until next time, we will catch you on Zoom!

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A Spring Breaker’s Guide to Homophobia, COVID-19, and A Worrying Mother

Mothers worry, right? My mother is seemingly worried about me at all times. She’s worried about it all: from being in graduate school far from home, to my physical and mental health, to whether I swim too deeply in the ocean. So understandably, when there’s a virus sweeping the globe, she’s especially worried because amidst this pandemic, I am still traveling. 

I’m traveling to be with my girlfriend. I feel that’s worth the risk. She recently moved after pretty short notice for a really cool job. It’s a strong career move. She’s now in a new city, where she knows no one, 1700 miles away. Under normal circumstances that would be stressful, add in a pandemic and it really elevates the situation. So I’m going to be there for her because I miss her, I know being together will calm both of our anxieties, and as a young person I’m low risk. 

My mother didn’t agree with this decision. A few days ago, she started asking me if I had thought about cancelling or rescheduling the trip, to which I informed her that, yes, I had thought about it, but I have decided to still go. Then she told me I could wind up there for a while and I’ll be somewhere completely unfamiliar if things go wrong. I told her that’s entirely true, but I can’t bear the idea of not being with my person at  a time when I know she is alone and I could be there. 

The morning before I left, I got a call from my mom. She expressed concern that I never sent her my flight information, so I sent it. Next, she warns me that I won’t be in my Bloomington bubble anymore; that I don’t know the social and political conservativeness of Arizona. Annoyed, I tell her curtly that I know. Really, it scares me. I am now worried about whether I will encounter both the coronavirus and homophobia on this trip. As any LGBT+ person could probably tell you, it’s always on the back of my mind, sometimes it’s not so relevant and it’s possible to forget some people are opposed to your mere existence. But let me tell you, that slight reminder, which I acknowledge came from sincere concern, was the last thing I needed. Because it reminds me of a threat to my safety in addition to the scorpions, rattlesnakes, and dangerous virus I was already concerned about.  

As we wrap things up, my mother tells me – and I can hear the tears starting to build in her eyes – that she wants a list of all the medications I’m on. She also wants me to fill out a medical power of attorney form for the state of Arizona. She reasoned that it was so she, my father, or my girlfriend could make medical decisions on my behalf in case the unthinkable happened.  This gave me pause. My mother was legitimately getting our affairs in order. I complied with this request. Better to be safe than sorry, I suppose.

Caroline’s partner during their time together in Arizona

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I can’t help thinking that I’m actually quite worried about my parents’ own health, too. New Jersey is much more densely populated than Indiana and has already had confirmed deaths. My parents are both technically boomers, which makes them at risk. My dad has undergone chemo within the past year, undoubtedly compromising his immune system and my mother was at work with someone earlier this week with someone who thinks they may have come into contact with someone in the virus. 

But this leaves the question, what do we do with all this worrying? Now I am worried about scorpions, rattlesnakes, a dangerous virus, homophobia, whether I would want to be cremated, and the well-being of my parents. I’m worried that, among all these other worries, I still am expected to attend online class and work on my own research as if none of this is happening. I don’t really know what to do with all this. I keep coming back to corny phrases like “this too shall pass” or “keep calm and carry on.” Because although it may feel like it, and although I recognize the danger of COVID-19, I do not think this is the end of the world. Thus, I will continue to live my life; to travel to be in my gay relationship without hesitation, to be with the person who can make the rest of the world stop for me. And for now, I’m pretty sure things will be okay.

Caroline Brooks is a PhD student in sociology at Indiana University. Her research interests include medical sociology, the sociology of the body, gender, sexualities, social psychology, and social networks. Find her on Twitter at: @carolinebrooks8 or visit her website: https://www.cvbrooks.com/

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Personal Notes on an Accidental Pre-Quarantine, Quarantine

As universities around the country are propelled into new and unfamiliar territory, we the scholars - the backbone of the departments, research centers, classrooms, and labs - are in the position of laying track as quickly as the train speeds forward.* For many this can feel volatile. I have had the unusual experience of my life remaining relatively stable over the past three weeks as the rest of the world around me grows increasingly bizarre and surreal. Part of me thinks this is the rest of the world catching up to me. As a sociologist I know this not to be true (Twitter is still a bastion of wit and stupidity, Facebook still tells me about upcoming birthdays, kale is still gross, etc.). Despite the suggested distancing, quarantines are still something we do together. This is an inherently social activity.

It is important in this moment to remember that we exist in a social world together. What happens now is structured and will evolve based on the sociology we know (and much of what we have yet to learn). There is stigma surrounding “unseen” health issues, so there is a risk in the disclosure herein (then again, there is stigma about everything).

About my unexpected life stability. I currently have access to cleaning supplies, toilet paper, food, internet, medicine, and family. I am not worried about going outside. How is this? Have I been stockpiling food, soap and toilet paper since 2018? No, I have not. I have received counseling for diagnoses of anxiety disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder for many years. The past month saw these culminate into a crisis level moment that resulted in a health emergency. My stability comes from this moment, and my self-preservation style quarantine that began on February 25th, 2020. A brief and important review of the data:

February 17th: The day I started having repeated anxiety attacks.

February 19th: The day I could not be in public without panicking.

February 21st: The day I started having extended, debilitating panic attacks. The day I could no longer be in public, period.

February 23rd: The day I went to the ER for a medical emergency (not for COVID-19).

February 24th: The day I left the hospital.

February 25th: The day I left Indiana for care and time with family, out of public.

March 15th: The day Indiana University suspended all face-to-face courses, meetings, and interactions and America began its quarantine. The day much of the world caught up to those already in crisis or recovering from crisis.

But this is not about Me. This is about Us. Us is the stuff of sociology. Us is how we will get through this. I am a scholar of organizations and institutions. I believe in inhabited institutions, in people doing things together. Underpinning everything of this current moment is the unavoidable fact that the current moment is only happening because we are a social people. Because we do things together.

So to my fellow sociologists: If you know someone who struggles with mental health or mental illness, I implore you to reach out. Especially if that person lives alone. In my moments of peak crisis, I could not be in public without panicking. I could not be alone in my apartment without panicking. I made it through with the help of my sister and my support system. Social distance is advised, social isolation is dangerous. Like many of you, I look forward to the post-quarantine and our reunion on the IUB campus. For now, reach out, be social. Safety is important, community is crucial. This is a scary time indeed. In the midst of the fear, let us remember to hold on to sociality in our search for welfare and answers.

A final note: If you know a doctor or a nurse, thank them. Our institutions are meaningless without these inhabitants.

 Amelia Hawbaker is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Sociology at Indiana University.

*Credit to Shonda Rhimes for the metaphor.

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Food and Privilege in the age of COVID-19

There are many wonderful sociologists who study food (Marjorie Devault, Sarah Bowen, Krishnendu Ray to name a few), and I am not one of them. But I do spend most of my free time browsing food bloggers’ websites and Instagram pages for recipes, wandering around the grocery store, and baking. As Americans began to realize the true depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, my social media pages were suddenly filled with tips and ideas for how to protect yourself from disease exposure, what foods to stock up on, and the best baking projects to pass the time.

           However, many of these suggested practices place people with lower financial resources in jeopardy. For example, one of the most common tips for buying food while lowering risk of exposure is to use services like Instacart to have their groceries delivered to their house. Although the service offers potentially important benefits to those who are at the most risk from the novel corona virus, the people who work as grocery deliverers are now on the front lines of exposure. This transference of risk is similar to wealthy families who are able to hire private fire fighters to protect their homes from California wildfires as those with the most resources are able to mobilize to mitigate their own risk while those without said resources are the most vulnerable.

Credit: Kevork Djansezian—Getty Images

Additionally, even before the pandemic hit, the poorest Americans faced barriers in feeding their families as the Trump administration has tightened restrictions on which Americans are eligible for the food assistant program Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (commonly known as SNAP or food stamps). The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (commonly known as WIC) is separate from SNAP benefits and specifically supports low-income mothers and children. WIC benefits are particularly strict and can only be used to pay for eligible items marked by WIC labels in grocery stores. A viral tweet highlighted how the emptying of grocery stores as Americans rush to stock up on groceries has the potential to create additional barriers for people who rely on WIC. 

Because WIC recipients are restricted to purchasing certain brands of food when these items are unavailable, WIC recipients are unable to purchase similar unapproved products. Additionally, SNAP beneficiaries cannot use their benefits to purchase cleaning supplies or other necessities such as toilet paper or tissues.

Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Food is essential for survival, and, although we are still in the early stages of the pandemic, we are already seeing how our stratified systems disproportionately harms people with the least resources who need the most assistance. Even people who do not qualify for SNAP of WIC benefits may face food insecurity as they may not have available money to buy sizeable amounts of food too keep at home.

So how can we help? The first step is to recognize the structures that generate inequalities to food access. These unequal structures existed before the pandemic began and are only attenuated during this challenging time. The second step involves both private responses. We can choose to not purchase items marked with the WIC label at grocery stores. If we have resources, we can donate to our local food banks so that they have the resources to distribute as much food as possible.

The third step is the most important, as the larger processes that limit access to food is not a problem that can be solved by individual action. We need to call upon our legislators to remove the brand restrictions available for WIC recipients. In this time of shortage, people need to be able to access any food that is available. Importantly, legislators must immediately raise the income threshold for WIC and SNAP eligibility and increase the amount of money offered for recipients. Although many schools are remaining open to allow children to receive breakfasts and lunches that they would have otherwise received at school, there are probably many children who are unable to return to school every day to collect these meals. This means that family’s food requirements will increase for many families. Collective action is necessary to ensure the health and well being through this time, and this is not unavoidable action. Change is possible and within reach if we recognize the structures creating food access inequality and quickly work to mediate these inequalities.

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Elizabeth M. Anderson is a sociology PhD student at Indiana University whose research interests include medical sociology with a focus on the intersection of reproductive healthcare, gender, and religion.

Find out more on her website: https://www.elizabethmanderson.com/

or follow her on Twitter: @anderelizm

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Made it! Monday.

In light of last night’s announcement that Indiana University will be extending spring break an extra week and will transition to online-only courses for the remainder of the semester, it seems that our digital public sociology project may last longer than originally anticipated. So, as we head into months of uncertainty, we will do a weekly social media roundup each Monday that chronicles the strategies our community used to cope with uncertainty and isolation through the past week. Here is what our folks have been up to:

Exploring the great indoors

Eric Wright (@SocTransplant on Twitter) took a break from dissertation writing to introduce his nearly 3-year-old to the wonderful world of video gaming and e-sports. 

The more studious among us, Nora Weber’s cat Edith, got cozy with the American Sociological Review on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Follow more of Edith’s intellectual journey on Twitter @NoraJWeber

Social scientist by day, food scientist by night, Alisha Kirchoff (@alkirchoff on Twitter and Instagram) separated and labeled her latest batch of kombucha after their secondary fermentation. Extra probiotics can’t hurt our chances against COVID-19!

Welcome to Fresh Air

Katie Beardall volunteers at PALS, a local organization that provides theraputic support with horses. Although their services are reduced at this time, the animals still need care so she spent some time feeding and grooming with a couple of IU Sociology kiddos along for the ride. For all of your horse content needs, follow her on Twitter: @k_beard12.

With the closure of campus workout facilities, the only heavy lifting Pam Hong (@pamelamhong on twitter) and can do is intellectual these days. So, she has taken to the open road to get that heart rate up and stress down with a run.

Monica Heilman and friends explored one of Bloomington’s beautiful, paved rail trails with a group of friends to gain perspective and social interaction, at a safe one-meter distance, of course. Find her on Twitter @writingmonicker.

Calling Mary Berry

There’s a Russian proverb that cautions, “Don’t open your mouth to eat another’s bread” but in this case, you might want to make an exception. Anne Kavalerchik make this beautiful boule over the weekend that looks so good we want to lick the screen. See this and other bae-kes on Twitter: @annekav_

A loaf that even Paul Hollywood would admire! Adam Nicholson crafted this gorgeous banana bread with the help of Roxanne Gay. Bless up for Audible! Find Adam on Twitter: @NicholsonSoc

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That’s a full lid, folks! Now it’s time to figure out how we are going to write and teach fully online for the rest of the term! Stay well and keep in touch.

Instagram: @iusocquarantine

Twitter: @IUsocquarantine

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Individualism and Collectivism in Response to Social Breakdown 

On Friday’s episode of the PBS News Hour, David Brooks recalled the 1918 influenza epidemic and why it failed to leave a mark on the American public . According to Brooks, people were simply ashamed. The death toll in the United States alone topped 600,000, and Americans were embarrassed by their failure to help one another: their individualistic responses reflected selfishness rather than altruistic sacrifice. As a consequence, Brooks argued, the epidemic did not weigh heavily on the collective psyche once it was over; in fact, it was strategically forgotten. Compare this scenario with the response to the terrorist attacks of September 11th. Following the attacks, millions of Americans developed a powerful sense of social solidarity, a feeling of collective effervescence that can only come from shared tragedy.

What explains the disparity between the 1918 influenza epidemic and the attacks of September 11? And which of these two scenarios are we seeing now, with the coronavirus?

A key distinction between the 1918 epidemic and the terrorist attacks is the time horizon associated with those events. The attacks on September 11 occurred on just one day, and while the events of that morning led to a palpable fear and insecurity which lasted for many months, Americans were not aware of any immediate threat to their lives. With the 1918 epidemic—and with the coronavirus pandemic of 2020—the threat is ongoing, producing a sense of fear but also the opportunity to normalize that fear over the course of many weeks.

September 11 was instant and cataclysmic: a shattering of the social order. The Spanish flu, meanwhile, was horrifying but easier to acclimate to, like the frog that fails to perceive its fate until the water is already boiling. This, I believe, is the situation we find ourselves in with respect to COVID-19: as we shut ourselves in our homes and self-quarantine, waiting for the virus to abate, we almost miss the unprecedented nature of what we are experiencing.

When change is slow, it is easier to cling to one’s habits of individualism and self-protection rather than collectivism and self-sacrifice. We have witnessed these habits over the last few weeks, as customers flood Costco and Amazon, buying up the last N95 respirator masks and the last bottles of hand sanitizer and disinfectant, products that the average American doesn’t need but healthcare providers desperately do. We feel the panic, but because the pandemic is slow-moving (or seems that way) and long-lasting (the peak is not expected for another six weeks), we grasp it as an individual problem to escape, rather than a social problem to mitigate.

We are all too happy to lend a hand in response to a short-term crisis, as Donald Trump, Mike Bloomberg, and every billionaire in New York claims to have done following 9/11. We are less willing to sacrifice our own well-being when the danger is ongoing, and the resources finite. The “spirit of sacrifice and abnegation” that Durkheim praised over a century ago can only last so long—for hours and days, certainly, but not for weeks and months.

Perhaps I am being too cynical. After all, this week we saw hundreds of Italians singing together from the balconies of their quarantined buildings, a moving act of solidarity that has captured international attention. Chinese employees have been working around the clock to produce enough masks for the global demand, and millions were donated by foreign governments to China’s Hubei province just a few months prior. And of course, there are small acts of kindness that we fail to see—the delivery of groceries to elderly neighbors too scared to leave the house, the donation of free online resources to individuals who would normally be charged (I’m looking at you, Italian Pornhub).

Still, Americans at least, are only so willing to give of ourselves and to make sacrifices over the long term. That may change as the crisis becomes more severe and the need for collective action more pressing. So please, if you’re reading this: keep buying that toilet paper and those bottles of Purell, but give them to someone who really needs them. Consider donating to your local food shelter, or any other organization that helps the most vulnerable, because those needs are ongoing and will last even beyond the pandemic. 

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Max Coleman is a sociology PhD student at Indiana University whose research interests include psychological consequences of social stratification, with a particular focus on common mental health conditions such as major depression.

Find out more on his website: http://maxecoleman.com

or follow him on Twitter: @max_e_coleman 

[iusociologyqproject-blog]

Welcome.

Welcome to the IU Sociology Graduate Student Quarantine Project.

Indiana University has imposed a community quarantine until April 6, 2020 in response to the COVID-19 public health crisis.

We are here to create a record of what is happening in real time and engage in conversations about how this public health issue can be understood sociologically. As graduate students, we are not really faculty, not really students, not really staff, but the consequences of collective responses to COVID-19 can affect us in ways that speak to all of those groups and more. This is one part group diary, one part sociological analysis of events as they unfold.

In this blog we will post everything from lighthearted content that includes cat pictures, baking projects, and nature walks to personal essays and sociological analysis of what is happening in the world around us.

As a community of graduate students we are using this space to mobilize our collective skills, intellect, and perspectives at this moment in history, to produce both an historical record and a real-time analysis of social phenomena, change, and life experiences as they happen.

Thank you for joining us.