Popular stereotypes paint neo-Nazis as young, swastika-tattooed skinheads yelling obscenities abo... more Popular stereotypes paint neo-Nazis as young, swastika-tattooed skinheads yelling obscenities about blacks, Jews, gays and other so-called enemies of the white race, usually surrounded by counterprotesters and the police. In some ways, we are comforted by such images, because they let us believe it’s easy to identify extremists and intervene when they seem threatening. But the reality is more complicated. White power adherents are not typically \u27out\u27 about their extremist leanings. They straddle the worlds of white power and mainstream society, often publicly playing down or hiding their extremist identities. In the past, this might have been a hindrance. But these days they thrive in what we call hidden spaces of hate, often online, where they gather to support one another and their cause
LAS VEGAS HAS COME TO EPITOMIZE THE CRISIS OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN THE United States today. For n... more LAS VEGAS HAS COME TO EPITOMIZE THE CRISIS OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN THE United States today. For nearly 20 years, Las Vegas was touted as the most dynamic region in the country. It boasted the nation's most rapid population growth and economic development fueled by tourism and housing growth. By 2007, Las Vegas became the epicenter of the housing crisis. The city now ranks high in unemployment, home foreclosures, and underfunding for social services. Residential morale, quality of life, and sense of belonging have been compromised. For social scientists, policymakers, and urban planners, understanding the complex relationship between urban distress and community attachment is the first step toward strengthening communities and improving the quality of life for urban residents. A key component of any sustainable metropolitan area is the sense of attachment residents have to the area, the strength of their social bonds, and their feelings about their quality of life. Fostering sust...
After more than eight years of studying white power activism in the United States — research that... more After more than eight years of studying white power activism in the United States — research that includes more than 100 interviews with movement leaders and members, observation of a wide range of Aryan activities, and extensive analysis of the white power movement’s cyberpresence — we see the Aryan cyberculture as a critical piece in explaining how this marginalized and highly stigmatized movement continues to retain its members and cultivate new ones
La gouvernance performative. Maîtrise des impressions, travail d'équipe et contrôle du confli... more La gouvernance performative. Maîtrise des impressions, travail d'équipe et contrôle du conflit dans les débats d'une City Commission Robert Futrell Les commissions municipales ouvertes aux habitants qui souhaitent y participer constituent le principal dispositif de gouvernance locale délibérative aux Etats-Unis. En s'appuyant sur les catégories de Goffman, on peut avancer que les interactions entre les commissaires et le public permettent la mise en scène d'une concertation démocratique et d'une implication du public tout en laissant aux officiels une large maîtrise des débats. La façon dont l'agenda est établi, les mécanismes marquant les différences d'autorité, les stratégies de coopération entre les commissaires et les modes d'échange entre public et commissaires permettent généralement à ces derniers d'éviter les perturbations et de contrôler le cadre des impressions que les participants ont du processus.
... Jackson, Orrin Williams (a brilliant man and great friend), the late Carretta McCarter, Chery... more ... Jackson, Orrin Williams (a brilliant man and great friend), the late Carretta McCarter, Cheryl Johnson, Hazel Johnson, Sara Parran, Bob Ginsburg, Charles Lee, Robert Bullard, Stefan Noe, Jim Burris, Ken Dunn, Bill Eyring, Kevin Greene, Ann Irving, Joanna Hoelscher, Keith ...
The history of anti-gambling impulses is perhaps as old as the gambling impulse itself, but acade... more The history of anti-gambling impulses is perhaps as old as the gambling impulse itself, but academic research has thus far neglected the topic of anti-gambling social movements. Using social movement literature as a theoretical guide and ethnographic content analysis as a methodological tool, this paper examines anti-gambling documents produced in the United States over nearly two hundred years. During this period, three distinct periods emerge: first, an early (1816-1915) period framed the gambling act on strict religious grounds as an individual sin. This religious framing was then challenged by the rise of more rational and scientifically-based medical discourses on problem gambling (1915-1980). From 1980 through the present, gambling opponents have modified (and in some cases reversed) their argumentsand now incorporate both moral and scientific rhetoric into their claims. Drawing from sociological research and theory, we identify a process of "frame inversion" in whic...
and Giselle Touzard. UNLV's Cannon Survey Center administered the survey. Finally, we would espec... more and Giselle Touzard. UNLV's Cannon Survey Center administered the survey. Finally, we would especially thank Elizabeth Kahre and Catherine Moorhead for their administrative assistance.
This article elaborates on Robert Kastenbaum’s death system analysis by explaining social change ... more This article elaborates on Robert Kastenbaum’s death system analysis by explaining social change efforts among Ecological Death Advocates (EDAs), a diverse group of designers, scientists, spiritualists, and entrepreneurs who seek to develop more environmentally sensitive and humanistic alternatives to contemporary death management practices. Drawing from online and documentary data, we highlight EDAs claims about problems with conventional death management and the solutions they propose. Specifically, EDAs challenge hyperrationalized and professionalized death management practices by advocating for more ecologically benign approaches that link past traditions with new technological innovations to better align death practices with personal and community needs. We theorize EDA reform efforts as an aspect of “death-system” politics to carve out cultural, economic, and political space for alternative end-of-life decisions that better reflect broad ecological sensibilities and changing a...
According to the Clark County Department of Air Quality Management, vehicle exhaust accounts for ... more According to the Clark County Department of Air Quality Management, vehicle exhaust accounts for 85% of carbon monoxide air pollution in Clark County. In the late 1990s, the Las Vegas Valley failed to meet federal standards for carbon monoxide levels and, in November 1997, construction activities, and limiting other sources of PM10 (e.g., off-highway driving). The Clark County officials expect to achieve the EPA's 24-hour standard for PM10 by 2006. Air pollution affects everyone's health. Symptoms include watery eyes, coughing, and wheezing. Small children breathe at a faster rate than do adults, and their developing lungs make them more susceptible to pollutants. People with emphysema or asthma-a sizable population group in the area-are facing the greatest risks. Recent research conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that 13.4% of Nevada residents are suffering from asthma. Water Water-or lack thereof-is a vital feature of desert living. The booming Las Vegas Valley and the Reno-Sparks-Tahoe area are bursting at the seams as new homes rapidly spill out into dry desert valleys. But cities cannot grow without water. Combined with reckless water use and outright abuse, growth poses a threat to our water supplies and the quality of those supplies in both Southern Nevada and the Reno-Sparks-Tahoe area.
This article addresses the relationship between identity and activism and discusses implications ... more This article addresses the relationship between identity and activism and discusses implications for social movement persistence. We explain how individuals negotiate opportunities as parents to align and extend an activist identity with a movement's collective expectations. Specifically, we focus on how participants in the U.S. white power movement use parenting as a key role to express commitment to the movement, develop correspondence among competing and potentially conflicting identities, and ultimately sustain their activism. We suggest that parenting may provide unique opportunities for activists in many movements to align personal, social, and collective movement identities and simultaneously affirm their identities as parents and persist as social movement activists.
When the inaugural Earth Day launched the first environmental decade in the U.S. more than forty ... more When the inaugural Earth Day launched the first environmental decade in the U.S. more than forty years ago, protecting our air, water, land and other natural resources seemed a relatively straightforward task. Environmental polluters and exploiters would be brought to heel by tough laws. The U.S. and other industrialized nations responded to quality of life concerns associated with environmental degradation by adopting dozens of major environmental and resource policies and creating new institutions such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to manage environmental programs. Following these national developments, states and local communities began systematic efforts to address environmental problems. Highlights In the last four decades, Nevada has been the country's fastest growing state, with its population climbing 66.3% during the 1990s. The Las Vegas metropolitan area is located in a valley with one of the world's harshest climates. Hydrologists estimate that there is a 50% chance Lake Mead will be dry by 2021 if draught conditions persist. Vehicle exhaust accounts for some 85% of carbon monoxide air pollution in Clark County.
Popular stereotypes paint neo-Nazis as young, swastika-tattooed skinheads yelling obscenities abo... more Popular stereotypes paint neo-Nazis as young, swastika-tattooed skinheads yelling obscenities about blacks, Jews, gays and other so-called enemies of the white race, usually surrounded by counterprotesters and the police. In some ways, we are comforted by such images, because they let us believe it’s easy to identify extremists and intervene when they seem threatening. But the reality is more complicated. White power adherents are not typically \u27out\u27 about their extremist leanings. They straddle the worlds of white power and mainstream society, often publicly playing down or hiding their extremist identities. In the past, this might have been a hindrance. But these days they thrive in what we call hidden spaces of hate, often online, where they gather to support one another and their cause
LAS VEGAS HAS COME TO EPITOMIZE THE CRISIS OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN THE United States today. For n... more LAS VEGAS HAS COME TO EPITOMIZE THE CRISIS OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN THE United States today. For nearly 20 years, Las Vegas was touted as the most dynamic region in the country. It boasted the nation's most rapid population growth and economic development fueled by tourism and housing growth. By 2007, Las Vegas became the epicenter of the housing crisis. The city now ranks high in unemployment, home foreclosures, and underfunding for social services. Residential morale, quality of life, and sense of belonging have been compromised. For social scientists, policymakers, and urban planners, understanding the complex relationship between urban distress and community attachment is the first step toward strengthening communities and improving the quality of life for urban residents. A key component of any sustainable metropolitan area is the sense of attachment residents have to the area, the strength of their social bonds, and their feelings about their quality of life. Fostering sust...
After more than eight years of studying white power activism in the United States — research that... more After more than eight years of studying white power activism in the United States — research that includes more than 100 interviews with movement leaders and members, observation of a wide range of Aryan activities, and extensive analysis of the white power movement’s cyberpresence — we see the Aryan cyberculture as a critical piece in explaining how this marginalized and highly stigmatized movement continues to retain its members and cultivate new ones
La gouvernance performative. Maîtrise des impressions, travail d'équipe et contrôle du confli... more La gouvernance performative. Maîtrise des impressions, travail d'équipe et contrôle du conflit dans les débats d'une City Commission Robert Futrell Les commissions municipales ouvertes aux habitants qui souhaitent y participer constituent le principal dispositif de gouvernance locale délibérative aux Etats-Unis. En s'appuyant sur les catégories de Goffman, on peut avancer que les interactions entre les commissaires et le public permettent la mise en scène d'une concertation démocratique et d'une implication du public tout en laissant aux officiels une large maîtrise des débats. La façon dont l'agenda est établi, les mécanismes marquant les différences d'autorité, les stratégies de coopération entre les commissaires et les modes d'échange entre public et commissaires permettent généralement à ces derniers d'éviter les perturbations et de contrôler le cadre des impressions que les participants ont du processus.
... Jackson, Orrin Williams (a brilliant man and great friend), the late Carretta McCarter, Chery... more ... Jackson, Orrin Williams (a brilliant man and great friend), the late Carretta McCarter, Cheryl Johnson, Hazel Johnson, Sara Parran, Bob Ginsburg, Charles Lee, Robert Bullard, Stefan Noe, Jim Burris, Ken Dunn, Bill Eyring, Kevin Greene, Ann Irving, Joanna Hoelscher, Keith ...
The history of anti-gambling impulses is perhaps as old as the gambling impulse itself, but acade... more The history of anti-gambling impulses is perhaps as old as the gambling impulse itself, but academic research has thus far neglected the topic of anti-gambling social movements. Using social movement literature as a theoretical guide and ethnographic content analysis as a methodological tool, this paper examines anti-gambling documents produced in the United States over nearly two hundred years. During this period, three distinct periods emerge: first, an early (1816-1915) period framed the gambling act on strict religious grounds as an individual sin. This religious framing was then challenged by the rise of more rational and scientifically-based medical discourses on problem gambling (1915-1980). From 1980 through the present, gambling opponents have modified (and in some cases reversed) their argumentsand now incorporate both moral and scientific rhetoric into their claims. Drawing from sociological research and theory, we identify a process of "frame inversion" in whic...
and Giselle Touzard. UNLV's Cannon Survey Center administered the survey. Finally, we would espec... more and Giselle Touzard. UNLV's Cannon Survey Center administered the survey. Finally, we would especially thank Elizabeth Kahre and Catherine Moorhead for their administrative assistance.
This article elaborates on Robert Kastenbaum’s death system analysis by explaining social change ... more This article elaborates on Robert Kastenbaum’s death system analysis by explaining social change efforts among Ecological Death Advocates (EDAs), a diverse group of designers, scientists, spiritualists, and entrepreneurs who seek to develop more environmentally sensitive and humanistic alternatives to contemporary death management practices. Drawing from online and documentary data, we highlight EDAs claims about problems with conventional death management and the solutions they propose. Specifically, EDAs challenge hyperrationalized and professionalized death management practices by advocating for more ecologically benign approaches that link past traditions with new technological innovations to better align death practices with personal and community needs. We theorize EDA reform efforts as an aspect of “death-system” politics to carve out cultural, economic, and political space for alternative end-of-life decisions that better reflect broad ecological sensibilities and changing a...
According to the Clark County Department of Air Quality Management, vehicle exhaust accounts for ... more According to the Clark County Department of Air Quality Management, vehicle exhaust accounts for 85% of carbon monoxide air pollution in Clark County. In the late 1990s, the Las Vegas Valley failed to meet federal standards for carbon monoxide levels and, in November 1997, construction activities, and limiting other sources of PM10 (e.g., off-highway driving). The Clark County officials expect to achieve the EPA's 24-hour standard for PM10 by 2006. Air pollution affects everyone's health. Symptoms include watery eyes, coughing, and wheezing. Small children breathe at a faster rate than do adults, and their developing lungs make them more susceptible to pollutants. People with emphysema or asthma-a sizable population group in the area-are facing the greatest risks. Recent research conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that 13.4% of Nevada residents are suffering from asthma. Water Water-or lack thereof-is a vital feature of desert living. The booming Las Vegas Valley and the Reno-Sparks-Tahoe area are bursting at the seams as new homes rapidly spill out into dry desert valleys. But cities cannot grow without water. Combined with reckless water use and outright abuse, growth poses a threat to our water supplies and the quality of those supplies in both Southern Nevada and the Reno-Sparks-Tahoe area.
This article addresses the relationship between identity and activism and discusses implications ... more This article addresses the relationship between identity and activism and discusses implications for social movement persistence. We explain how individuals negotiate opportunities as parents to align and extend an activist identity with a movement's collective expectations. Specifically, we focus on how participants in the U.S. white power movement use parenting as a key role to express commitment to the movement, develop correspondence among competing and potentially conflicting identities, and ultimately sustain their activism. We suggest that parenting may provide unique opportunities for activists in many movements to align personal, social, and collective movement identities and simultaneously affirm their identities as parents and persist as social movement activists.
When the inaugural Earth Day launched the first environmental decade in the U.S. more than forty ... more When the inaugural Earth Day launched the first environmental decade in the U.S. more than forty years ago, protecting our air, water, land and other natural resources seemed a relatively straightforward task. Environmental polluters and exploiters would be brought to heel by tough laws. The U.S. and other industrialized nations responded to quality of life concerns associated with environmental degradation by adopting dozens of major environmental and resource policies and creating new institutions such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to manage environmental programs. Following these national developments, states and local communities began systematic efforts to address environmental problems. Highlights In the last four decades, Nevada has been the country's fastest growing state, with its population climbing 66.3% during the 1990s. The Las Vegas metropolitan area is located in a valley with one of the world's harshest climates. Hydrologists estimate that there is a 50% chance Lake Mead will be dry by 2021 if draught conditions persist. Vehicle exhaust accounts for some 85% of carbon monoxide air pollution in Clark County.
Uploads
Papers by Robert Futrell