University of Maine Sociology Department

04/29/2025

It’s Maine Giving Day here at the University of Maine, and April 30th is the day! Maine Giving Day, you can donate anytime. You may use this link to donate and help us improve/educate our students. You will be helping the students, UMaine, and the department. Let’s break records and make history! Donate today!

Our recurring giving program allows you to make a significant annual contribution through smaller monthly installments. When you select "recurring gift," we will charge your credit card monthly until you ask us to stop.

03/05/2025

08/28/2024

Prof. Karyn Sporer and Brooke Buxton (class of '23) published a paper on family members of violent extremists in Aggression and Violent Behavior. This is Brooke's first publication, which happened to be published just as they are starting a master's program in criminology & criminal justice at the University of Nebraska Omaha (Prof. Sporer's alma mater). Very exciting!

07/03/2024

Gunnar Eastman and Professor Michael Haedicke just co-published an article based on Gunnars Honors thesis research with First Monday, an open-access Internet journal. Please take a look and share with any who might be interested!

Incel bonding: Stories and storytelling in online misogynist spaces

Abstract
Involuntary celibates, or incels, are part of a misogynistic, extremist subculture that has been linked to acts of mass violence. Unlike other alt-right communities, the incel subculture exists entirely online, and participants rarely, if ever, interact in face-to-face settings. Using an original dataset of 76 discussion threads drawn from two self-identified incel Web sites, this paper investigates how participants on incel discussion boards engage in bonding activities that foster a sense of commitment to the online incel community. We build on sociological understandings of narrative and storytelling to identify and describe three interactive storytelling practices that are facilitated by the affordances of these digital spaces: repetition, co-creation, and elaboration. These practices enable incel participants to share similar experiences, apply elements of the incel ideology to interpret off-line events, and elaborate boundaries between incels and those that they perceive as “normies”. Our study reveals how online bonding activities generate robust collective identities in the incel subculture. It also highlights crucial differences between online and face-to-face storytelling practices in alt-right communities.

05/31/2024

The Department of Sociology would like to express our condolences to the Gallagher Family.
Dr. James E. Gallagher died on May 12, 2024. Born Sept. 20,1940, in Woburn, Massachusetts, Jim grew up in an Irish working-class community. He never imagined going to college. His life changed when a high school teacher, recognizing his inquiring mind, earnestly insisted he apply to Middlebury College. Receiving a full scholarship for 4 years, he fell in love with Middle English, languages, folklore, and the life of the mind.

Thus began Jim's academic journey at Indiana University, where he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for a year of research in Istanbul, Turkey. He then earned a master's degree in Folklore, and a Ph. D in Sociology.

Jim joined the faculty at the University of Maine in 1971, teaching Sociology and Honors for more than 30 years. Jim loved teaching. Beginning his classes assuring his students, "There are no stupid questions," he challenged students to explore ideas and discover knowledge on their own, making learning a life-long endeavor.

A celebration of Jim's life will be held June 11, 2024, at 4:30 p.m. at the Lamoine Bayside Grange. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jim's memory to: Rock Steady Boxing - Bold Coast, P.O. Box 1187, Mariaville Road, Ellsworth, ME 04605; or to Downeast Community Partners Transportation.

https://obituaries.bangordailynews.com/obituary/james-jim-gallagher-1089841445

04/24/2024

Maine Day has arrived and Its Maine Giving Day as well. Please consider donating to Sociology, you would be helping a student, UMaine and the Department. 💙💙

April 24, 2024 is Maine Day of Giving, the 24-hour day of philanthropy at the University of Maine. UMaine alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends can participate from anywhere by making a gift to support what they love about the College of Our Hearts Always.

01/17/2024

Hate Groups in Maine, Karyn Sporer was a Panelist on Maine Calling. Please see link below.

The presence of hate groups in Maine, what they believe, why people follow them, and what can be done

11/28/2023

"A majority of Mainers are ready for evidence-based alternatives rooted in harm reduction, decriminalization, and robust investment in public health."

08/24/2023

Sociology and WGS have a collaboration with each depts courses and if you want to check out WGS courses please come to the open house and learn about their program.