Contexts

Contexts: Understanding People in their Social Worlds is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal and an official publication of the American Sociological Association. It is designed to be a more accessible source of sociological ideas and research and has been inspired by the movement towards public sociology. The journal was established in 2002 by Claude Fischer and is published by SAGE Publications; until 2011, it was published by the University of California Press. Fischer was succeeded by Jeff Goodwin and James M. Jasper, who edited the journal from 2005 to 2007, injecting a certain amount of controversial humor such as New Yorker cartoons and a column written by "Harry Green" (actually Jasper) called "The Fool." The current editors-in-chief are Jodi O'Brien and Arlene Stein.

The journal differs from a typical academic journal as it is targeted more toward students and the general public. It is used widely in courses, and has been excerpted in The Contexts Reader edited by Jeff Goodwin and James M. Jasper. The Reader is also used in many undergraduate courses.