Sociology & Criminology for a Changing World
Criminology is the scientific study of crime—but what counts as “crime” is neither fixed nor self-evident. The term criminology derives from the Latin crimen (accusation, offence) and the Greek logos (study or knowledge). At its most basic level, criminology is therefore the study of crime. Yet this seemingly simple definition raises a more fundamental question:
Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of practice is a paradigm of social theory that explains social order as the result of everyday practices. Society does not emerge solely through objective structures nor purely through conscious action, but through the interplay of embodied dispositions (habitus), available resources (capital), and the social arenas in which actors struggle for positions
Critical theory is a major paradigm in sociology that understands social reality as a historically developed order of domination. Society does not primarily emerge through functional integration or communicative self-reference, but through power relations, economic structures, and ideological mediation. At the center lies the guiding question: How are relations of domination socially stabilized—and how is
At first glance, children’s television appears harmless: colorful characters, simple narratives, clear conflicts. From a sociological perspective, however, children’s TV series are anything but trivial. They construct model worlds in which children learn what is considered “normal” – which family forms, occupations, conflicts, gender roles, and forms of authority are taken for granted. Children’s series
What we eat, when, how, and with whom – these are not purely personal decisions. The sociology of food reveals that eating is a deeply social practice. It signifies belonging, marks differences, reflects power relations, and has become increasingly moralized. Between everyday routines and global food systems, a complex field of research unfolds, offering insights
Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor is a groundbreaking work by political scientist and technologist Virginia Eubanks. Published in 2018, the book examines the rise of automated decision-making systems in public service sectors such as welfare, housing, and child protection. Eubanks argues that these technologies disproportionately target and penalize poor