Social Forces remains one of the most influential sociology journals in the world, and under Arne Kalleberg’s editorship the journal has launched several new initiatives to expand its reach within the social sciences and around the globe. Social Forces was founded in 1922 by Howard Odum and has been housed in the UNC Sociology Department since that time.
In 2011, Social Forces entered into a publishing agreement with Oxford University Presss. At that time, Social Forces also reorganized its editorial board to include UNC Sociology faculty, a US editorial board, and an international board comprised of leading sociologists from forty-one countries. In addition, the journal has developed affiliations with professional associations in Brazil, Israel, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Norway, and Taiwan. Social Forces encourages submissions by non-US scholars and papers on comparative and cross-national topics.
To expand the reach of Social Forces, Arne Kalleberg and his editorial team have undertaken several new initiatives including:
- Creating posts on the OUP blog that links recent SF articles to timely topics in the news (see http://arnekalleberg.web.unc.edu/editorial).
- Posting interviews with country affiliates. (You can also access the blog posts and interviews at the SF OUP website: http://sf.oxfordjournals.org)
- Launching a twitter account to publicize our blog posts and other news about the journal content. Follow us @SF_Journal.
These initiatives are having a big impact. For example submissions have grown dramatically over recent years and readers are accessing the journal through traditional pathways as well as coverage in the mainstream news and social media. Some recent coverage includes:
Recent blog posts on Social Forces’ articles:
- Who Decides if ISIS is a Terrorist Group?
- Are NFL Players at Greater Risk for Committing Domestic Violence?
- Race relations in America and the case of Ferguson
- Charlie Hebdo and French Muslim identity
On the history and future of Social Forces see:
- Arne Kalleberg reflects on 90 years of Social Forces
- Social Forces at 90, Social Forces 91 (1): 1–2, September 2012
- Social Forces Tomorrow, Social Forces 90 (2): 345–347, December 2011
