Recent Articles
Quiet Neurodivergence, Spoons, and the Sociology of Invisible Struggle
This article develops quiet neurodivergence as a way of naming how some neurodivergent people appear to cope in education, work and civic life while absorbing hidden costs in masking, energy use and burnout. Drawing on…
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Is Durkheim Still Relevant? Social Facts, Solidarity and Culture Wars
Durkheim never saw a social media pile-on, but he worried about what holds societies together and how they draw moral boundaries. This article introduces his ideas on social facts, solidarity, crime and anomie, and uses…
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Is Weber Still Relevant? Rationalisation, Bureaucracy and Algorithmic Power
Weber wrote about files and offices, not welfare portals, tickets and AI chatbots. Yet his ideas on rationalisation, bureaucracy and legal-rational authority still help make sense of why “the system” feels both neutral and overwhelming.…
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Trading Places and the Myth of Meritocracy: A Sociological Analysis of Class, Race, and Capital
Watching Trading Places as a Christmas comfort film, it is hard not to see a ready-made sociological case study. The Dukes’ “experiment” looks like a simple nature-versus-nurture wager, but the life swap really turns on…
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Is Marx Still Relevant? Marxism, Class and the Gig Economy
Marx wrote about factories and nineteenth-century class conflict, not delivery apps or algorithmic ratings. So how far can his ideas take us today? This article introduces Marx’s core concepts and tests them against platform capitalism…
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Symbolic Violence in Schools: How Class Inequality Hides in Plain Sight
What if the rules that govern school life aren’t neutral? This article explores how symbolic violence—subtle norms and expectations—rewards middle-class students while sidelining others.
Read moreRecent ‘Explained’ Articles
What Is Functionalism?
What is functionalism? This article explains how functionalists understand social order, institutions, shared values and the way different parts of society work together.
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What Is a Moral Panic?
What is a moral panic, and why do some social problems become symbols of a much wider threat? This article explores Stanley Cohen, folk devils, deviancy amplification, media reactions and how social media algorithms have…
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Is Education Really a Meritocracy?
Is education really a meritocracy? This article explores how class, cultural capital, teacher expectations and unequal opportunities shape educational achievement.
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How Do We Learn How to Behave?
How do we learn the unwritten rules of social life? This article explores socialisation, identity, family, education, peers, media and the ways society shapes how we behave.
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Why Does Where You Live Affect Your Opportunities?
Where you live can shape access to education, work, housing, transport and public services. This article explores how place becomes part of social inequality and why opportunity is unevenly distributed across different areas.
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What Makes Something Deviant?
What makes behaviour deviant, and who gets to decide? This article explores social norms, labelling, stigma, power and why definitions of deviance change across time, place and social groups.
Read moreThinking Sociologically explores class, power, and everyday life through a critical lens — with practical tools for reading the social world.
