The Collective Effervescence of a Marathon

On March 13, 2026 By Karen SternheimerIn Karen Sternheimer, Popular Culture and Consumption, TheoryLeave a comment

By Karen Sternheimer

If you want to see the best humanity has to offer, run a marathon.

Emile Durkheim, one of sociology’s founders, coined the phrase “collective effervescence” in his 1912 book The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life to describe coming together to experience something outside of everyday life. These experiences take on a religious-like fervor, with rituals that heighten a community’s cohesion.

Durkheim probably wasn’t thinking about marathons when he wrote about collective effervescence. The revival of the classic Greek 26.2-mile race had just recently happened in 1896, a few years before Durkheim’s book was published. Based on my first marathon experience, it fits Durkheim’s concept very well.

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Not Always Relatable, But Still Meaningful: A Sociological Take on the Kardashians

On February 11, 2026 By Karen SternheimerIn Class and Stratification, Monica Radu, Popular Culture and ConsumptionLeave a comment

By Monica Radu

Whenever the Kardashians come up in conversation, a common reaction is that they are not “relatable.” While that is true, relatability is not necessarily the goal. Much of everyday life already reflects familiar struggles, including balancing work, family responsibilities, financial pressures, and exhaustion. Those experiences are well known and widely shared.

For anyone less familiar, The Kardashians follows the Kardashian-Jenner family, a group of celebrities and business owners whose fame began with reality television and expanded into fashion, beauty, social media, and brand entrepreneurship. Their lives are highly visible, carefully curated, and shaped by extraordinary economic privilege and public attention.

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Using Sociology to Imagine Alternative Paths: Abbi and Nathan in Liberty Lost

On February 2, 2026 By Karen SternheimerIn Class and Stratification, Marci Cottingham, Popular Culture and Consumption, Relationships, Marriage and Family, ReligionLeave a comment

By Alana Hogan, Student, Kenyon College, and Marci Cottingham, Associate Professor of Sociology, Kenyon College

The podcast, Liberty Lost, centers on the story of Abbi and Nathan—two teenagers whose lives are deeply shaped by the religious conservatism of their community. Abbi is home-schooled and close to her sisters and parents in a home run by her father as the traditional patriarch. Nathan is a public-school athlete raised in the same tight-knit community, where faith, reputation, and obedience are treated as non-negotiable. When she discovers that she is pregnant at sixteen, this triggers a chain of decisions that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

Abbi and Nathan, surrounded by well-meaning but fearful family members, and experiencing feelings of shame for violating their religious beliefs, do not know how to navigate their new circumstances. Abbi’s parents, motivated by a desire to fulfill their duties to God and community, decide to send her to the Godparent Home.

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A Year of Living Minimally

On January 16, 2026 By Karen SternheimerIn Behind the Headlines, Karen Sternheimer, Popular Culture and ConsumptionLeave a comment

By Karen Sternheimer

It has been a year since losing my home in the Los Angeles firestorm of 2025. While others are reflecting on the anniversary with concerts, community events, and hand-wringing over the rebuilding process, I have been reflecting on my 12 months as a minimalist. It has been an enlightening, and yes, in an odd way a positive experience.

Of course, I wouldn’t have chosen this experience. Finding myself without most of the material possessions I had accumulated for decades was quite a jolt. The first few weeks left me shell shocked. I was figuring out what I really needed for day-to-day living, while at the same time as managing insurance claims and other adventures with bureaucracy.

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Finding Health in Rainways

On December 22, 2025December 8, 2025 By Karen SternheimerIn Cities and Urbanization, Lisa SmithLeave a comment

By Lisa Smith

What comes to mind when you think of the people and places who impact your health and well-being?

If you’re like me, you probably think of nurses, doctors, clinics, and hospitals. I have grown up in North American society, and my view of health has been shaped by largely western values, beliefs, as well as social expectations that uphold and legitimize the authority of medicine and medical professionals. You are probably less likely to think about municipal planners, community members, public works and maintenance workers, or what streets, sidewalks and walkways look like.

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“You Don’t Look Like You Have Four Kids:” Challenging What We Think Motherhood Should Look Like

On December 8, 2025December 8, 2025 By Karen SternheimerIn Monica Radu, Relationships, Marriage and Family, Sex and GenderLeave a comment

By Monica Radu

Motherhood comes with a whole set of cultural expectations about what it should look like, feel like, and even who is seen as a “typical” mom. I was reminded of this recently during a quick doorstep conversation with a delivery driver. I mentioned how much I rely on their services with four little ones at home, and she said, “Oh, wow. You don’t look like you have four kids.”

I think it was meant as a compliment; I’m pretty sure it was. But it stuck with me. Not because I was offended, but because it made me think about what we expect motherhood to look like.

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