Essays & Op-Eds

2021, The Atlantic

This article uses the Sociology of fraud–from Goffman’s “On Cooling the Mark Out”–and of reference groups–from Merton’s Social Theory and Social Structure–to explain why many Americans have resisted vaccination, or gotten vaccinated in disguise.

Keywords: COVID-19, sociology of fraud and con artists, Goffman, Cooling the Mark Out, reference groups, Merton

2021, The Guardian

This article uses the Sociology of reference groups (Merton) and fraud (Goffman) to explain vaccine and mask refusal during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: pandemic, COVID-19, fraud, Goffman, reference groups, Merton, anti-vaxx, vaccine refusal, mask refusal

2021, The Chronicle of Higher Education

This article uses reference group theory (Merton), along with Goffman’s theory on the group dynamics of fraud, to explain a variety of puzzling behaviors by Americans during the pandemic: mask and vaccine refusal, vaccination in disguise, and efforts to falsify vital records by omitting COVID-19 as a cause of death.

Keywords: COVID-19, anti-vaxx, mask refusal, vaccine refusal, pandemic, group dynamics, fraud, con artists, reference groups, Goffman, Merton

2021, Psyche.co

Planning research projects is a time-honored intellectual exercise: one that requires both creativity and sharp analytical skills. The purpose of this Guide is to make the process systematic and easy to understand. While there is a great deal of freedom and discovery involved – from the topics you choose, to the data and methods you apply – there are also some norms and constraints that obtain, no matter what your academic level or field of study.

Keywords: research planning

2019, New York Times

How I got caught in Denmark’s ethno-nationalist immigration policy, and what anti-immigrant fervor costs countries–including the US.

Keywords: Denmark, immigration, ethno-nationalism