 Sarah
Sobieraj
Associate Professor
Ph.D. SUNY Albany, M.A. American University
Office phone: 617-627-2472
Expertise:
Political Sociology, Mass Media; Civil Society and the
Public Sphere; Sociology of Culture; Social Movements
Biography and Interests:
Sarah Sobieraj is a specialist in media, politics, and culture. Her 2011 book,
Soundbitten: The Perils of Media-Centered Political Activism offers an
ethnographic portrait of fifty activist groups over the course of two
presidential campaign cycles, revealing that while most groups equate political
success with media success and channel their energies accordingly, their efforts
fail to generate news coverage and come with unintended consequences. The book
unravels the ways in which activists’ all-consuming media work and unrelenting
public relations approach undermine their ability to communicate with
pedestrians, comes at the expense of other political activities, and perhaps
most insidiously, damages the groups themselves. Professor Sobieraj’s current
major research project (a collaboration with political scientist Jeff Berry),
examines the remarkable expansion of political opinion media, focusing on
political blogs, talk radio, and cable news programming. She is an award-winning
teacher, and her most recent publications can be found in Political
Communication, Social Problems, Sociological Theory, Sociological
Inquiry, The Sociological Quarterly, and Social Science Quarterly.
In her free time she enjoys reading, listening to storytelling podcasts (such
as The Moth, This American Life, and StoryCorps), talking
politics, and eating cookies.
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