Current Sociology, Ahead of Print. Some have argued that we are seeing a ‘homosexual turn’ in Southeast Asia. Decriminalization of sodomy, legal recognition of same-sex marriage, and discussions regarding trans rights have all taken place in the last decade. However, a backlash has emerged as well. Governmental censure of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender issues has escalated, with politicians espousing anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender rhetoric and warning against importing ‘cultural wars’ from the West into Asia. The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender rights debate is becoming the ..read more

Current Sociology, Ahead of Print. With the increasing popularity of the radical right, much research has tried to explain the motives of voters. Less attention has been paid to the motives of people to become radical right activists – specifically young people, a group with a high tendency to join right-wing parties. Within the context of the internationalisation of the radical right, this article draws on 28 narrative interviews conducted between 2019 and 2021 with young radical right activists in Poland and Germany, two countries with considerably different political and discursive opportun ..read more

Current Sociology, Ahead of Print. Post-industrial transformations have significantly reshaped how young children are cared for outside the family home. Among other factors, the labour market participation of young mothers and a concomitant wish for intensive mothering have led to more diversified childcare solutions for the under-threes. Collective childcare projects (CCPs) promote approaches that are based on a home-like care environment and are run by educators and parents who have usually not trained in formal institutions but who become professionals in informal communities. Applying a di ..read more

Current Sociology, Ahead of Print. Professionalism has long been a term understood to distinguish social strata, commonly highlighting those trusted to employ expert knowledge for the benefit of society. Professionalism however is evolving; this position article contributes to the subject in drawing together different threads of literature beyond empirical studies to extend the discussion on professionalism, shedding a light on an area of interest. Specifically, it is argued that professionalism is threatened by the shift of the loci of control from the traditional, occupational professional p ..read more

Current Sociology, Ahead of Print. This article explores women’s temporal experiences of using Assisted Reproductive Technology. The demand for such treatment has increased since the first in vitro fertilisation birth. Assisted Reproductive Technology involves invasive procedures in women’s bodies, uncertain outcomes and temporal challenges. A sample of 11 professional women was drawn from a larger sample recruited for interviews from online infertility forums. Analysis was carried out using a biographical life course approach to draw out the temporal elements of experiences. Four themes were ..read more

Current Sociology, Ahead of Print. This study addresses the significant gap in the entrepreneurship literature concerning the experiences of sexual minority groups, particularly Taiwanese lesbian entrepreneurs. The prevailing focus on heterosexual men has overshadowed the distinct motivations and dynamics in queer entrepreneurship. Drawing on Zelizer’s concept of relational work and incorporating feminist perspectives, this investigation explores how Taiwanese lesbian couples engage in entrepreneurial pursuits in unique local gender culture. Taiwan’s gender cultural context, mainly shaped by C ..read more

Current Sociology, Ahead of Print. Political polarization not only threatens democracy, but also disrupts family lives, causing clashes between family members with discordant political orientations. This article examines how individuals negotiate family conflicts during political divides, by focusing on the Anti-Extradition Bill Movement in Hong Kong. Based on data drawn from interviews conducted with 37 self-identified protest participants, I develop the concept of intimate distance in order to capture the way in which the participants negotiated political disagreements with their immediate f ..read more

Current Sociology, Ahead of Print. This article advances sociological debates which, since the 1990s, have proliferated over the nature of ‘risk’ and ‘insecurity’ in modern societies. Central here is Ulrich Beck’s work, dealing with questions regarding which expert systems and institutions possess the ability to define what constitutes a risk or not. For Beck, hegemonic relations of definitions are central in the identification and construction of risk. However, risks are contested by wider publics, sub-political groups and movements. Notwithstanding, existing literature predominantly explores ..read more

Current Sociology, Ahead of Print. Social scientists have long queried the socio-structural determinants of fertility rates. Drawing on the insights of dependency theory, this research investigates the impact of trade openness, exports to high-income countries, foreign direct investment, and debt dependence on fertility rates in developing countries. Results from generalized least squares (GLS) random effects (RE) panel regression models suggest that trade openness has a null effect, while exports to high-income countries is positively associated with fertility. Foreign direct investment is in ..read more

Current Sociology, Ahead of Print. Mindfulness is increasingly found in many educational settings in the United Kingdom, but existing research has focused primarily on clinical efficacy or implementation issues, rather than sociological interests. This article draws on data from the ‘Mapping Mindfulness in the UK’ study to help explain the successful growth of mindfulness in education, by exploring the discursive strategies through which practitioners construct, promote and solicit support for the practice among policymakers and educational leaders. The analysis highlights the significance of ..read more