Sociology

slum tourism

slum tourism: the practice of local or visiting sightseers who pay for tours of sections of urban areas where there is extreme poverty, especially in cities in the developing world.  *** TROVELOG *** Manila is starkly representative of a global problem. According to the United Nations, about a quarter of the world’s urban population lives in slums—and this [...]

thick data

thick data: qualitative information and insights gathered from contextual observations of behavior and preferences (e.g., routines, emotions, stories, habits, aspirations, and motivations). *** TROVELOG *** Thick data Residents [of the Barcelona neighbourhood of Gràcia] were learning that data is rarely neutral. The kinds of data gathered, the methods used, how it gets interpreted, what gets overlooked, the [...]

nodel

nodel: from "non-model" or "not a model; a "real-girl" model; a nonprofessional, nontraditional fashion model (e.g., a person who is plus-size, a celebrity, disabled, a friend of the designer, or invited from the street). *** TROVELOG *** A few days before Fashion Week began, the avant-garde label Eckhaus Latta held a casting call in a Chinatown basement [...]

vanlife/ van life

vanlife/ van life: an on-the-road lifestyle choice for travelers who find living out of a van to be a carefree, affordable option for visiting sites around the country; first referenced in a 2011 social media hashtag. *** TROVELOG *** Weaving through the stars of endless continents, exploring off-grid forests, rejecting working for a wage. No doubt, living life [...]

whisper network

whisper network: informal sharing of essential communal information, including warnings of egregious or illegal behavior (e.g., sexual harassment or assault). *** TROVELOG *** They called themselves the Glass Ceiling Club. A group of young and ambitious women in the 1990s from the investment bank Bear Stearns would gather at local restaurants every couple of months to discuss [...]

elder concierge

elder concierge: a range of non-medical services for older people who are living independently; includes providing: companionship; transportation to recreation or medical appointments; and help with household tasks, travel plans. May also be referred to as "senior concierge" or "elder-to-elder peer care" services. *** TROVELOG *** AgeWell Global, based in Washington, D.C., is pioneering a model of elder-to-elder [...]

third places

third places: neutral, convenient, and comfortable public venues (e.g., coffee shops, bars, hair salons, bookstores, parks) where people regularly gather for conversation and companionship (i.e., "first place" is home; "second place" is work). The term was coined by urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg in his book, The Great Good Place. *** TROVELOG *** At issue, in essence, is whether [...]

Dunbar’s number

Dunbar's number: the idea that human beings have a cognitive limit to the number of close relationships (about 150) they can maintain; theory proposed by evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar of the University of Oxford. *** TROVELOG *** It also turns out there’s a maximum number of people you can maintain relationships with at any given time. That [...]

matrilineal advantage

matrilineal advantage: the likelihood that children will have a closer relationship to their maternal grandparents -- and especially to their maternal grandmother -- than to their paternal grandparents. *** TROVELOG *** But researchers exploring family affiliations point out that a so-called "matrilineal advantage" does exist. That is, daughters generally have closer ties to their own parents than [...]

financial infidelity

financial infidelity: the undisclosed or deceptive consumption, investment or borrowing practices of a spouse or significant other, especially activities that burden joint finances. *** TROVELOG *** Your husband committed what’s referred to as financial infidelity, Spent. Like sexual infidelity, the healing can’t begin until the partner who committed the betrayal stops doing it. Your husband hasn’t done [...]

Go to Top