Monthly Archives: August 2024

Interview with Derek Hyra, Winner of the 2023 Publicly-Engaged Scholar Award

Posted on by Leave a comment

Derek Hyra, Professor of Public Administration and Policy and Founding Director of the Metropolitan Policy Center at American University, won the 2023 ASA Community and Urban Sociology section’s Publicly Engaged Scholar Award. Derek, an expert in neighborhood change, housing policy, urban politics, and race, served as board chair of the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority and Alexandria Planning Commissioner and is currently a member of the City of Falls Church Planning Commission. His research and advocacy have informed national legislative debates on the subprime lending crisis as well as secured greater affordable housing funds and improved mixed-income housing developments in Virginia. Thalia Tom reached out to him to discuss his research. Thanks to Derek for participating in our interview series!

Read more

Chair’s Message: Summer 2024

Posted on by Leave a comment

By Elena Vesselinov

July 12, 2024

Dear all,

As we approach the ASA Annual Meeting in Montreal, and therefore the end of my term as the section’s chair, I would like to share some reflections. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to serve the section in many different roles over the years, including as chair. The most remarkable affair for me to witness, in this latest position, was the enthusiasm of our members to take part in all different section activities. Throughout the year, members readily responded to all calls for participation! For example, the section’s awards committees had the privilege of reviewing numerous excellent nominations and selected outstanding winners and honorable mentions for all awards. We will celebrate this successful award season at the CUSS reception!

Read more

City Spotlight: Montréal

Posted on by Leave a comment


In our summer issues, the CUSS newsletter team solicits a short piece that introduces CUSS members to the location of the ASA annual meeting. This year, Jan Doering (Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto, jan.doering@utoronto.ca) generously agreed to write this year’s city spotlight. Thank you, Jan, for your introduction to Montréal! 

Montréal, a contradictory city

Montréal is unlike any other North American city, and I am not working up to the tired observation that Montréal is “so European.” What makes Montréal unique is its contradictory status as a multilingual and diverse city in Québec, a province that proudly insists on the dominance of the French language and Québécois identity. This contradictory status frequently pits Montréal against its province but also produces social conflict within the city, inflecting how debates unfold and how local issues are addressed (see also Carpentier 2022).

Read more