Society And Culture

In 2016, a surprising decline in life expectancy was ascribed to "deaths of despair" among working-class middle-aged white men displaced by a changing economy. However, new research shows indicators of despair are rising among Americans approaching middle age regardless of race, education and gender. Read More

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded a $1.5 million grant to Vanderbilt for renewed support of its Center for Digital Humanities. Read More

Cecelia Tichi, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of English and professor of American studies, will discuss the many rules for making it into the top tier of late-19th century high society during a reading and discussion of her book "What Would Mrs. Astor Do?" March 13 in the Vanderbilt Library's Special Collections. Read More

Public policies rooted in racial resentment can carry grave consequences for health and well-being, according to new research by Vanderbilt psychiatrist and sociologist Jonathan Metzl. Read More

Social media has brought sexual assault into the public eye, but bearing witness to sexual violence in popular culture didn’t begin with the invention of tweets and posts, according to Vanderbilt art history professor Vivien Green Fryd, who explores the topic in her new book. Read More

New insights into how disease and impurity were viewed in first-century Jewish society suggests scholars may need to reevaluate how they interpret Jesus' interaction with people affected by leprosy. Read More

We’re more likely to overeat when we only have a little bit of food left over, and we justify it by convincing ourselves it’s not as unhealthy as it is, according to new research by marketing professor Kelly Haws. Read More

Elizabeth Zechmeister and Noam Lupu will study the role that messaging app WhatsApp plays in the spread of political misinformation and public opinion in Latin America. Read More

New research by Lijun Song suggests that knowing high-status people may not always be good for your health--but it depends on how economically unequal your country is. Read More

Reminding people that nobody has all the answers and everyone has something to contribute can reduce racial inequality and improve outcomes in group projects, according to new research by sociologist Bianca Manago. Read More

The Department of Education grant allows Vanderbilt's Center for Latin American Studies to retain its status as one of the nation's top educational resources for subjects pertaining to Latin American society and culture. Read More

Anthropology professor Tom Dillehay and co-investigators will undertake anthropological, historical, engineering and geological studies to uncover the many forces shaping the development of the southern Andes. Read More

A team of Vanderbilt students from a diverse array of majors traveled to the Central American island of Utila, Honduras, for a research experience examining the impact of tourism on the underwater ecosystem. Read More

Norbert Ross will use theater and other tools to explore how chronic violence impacts children growing up in El Salvador in a three-year study funded by NSF and the Fulbright Foundation. Read More

Vanderbilt historian Peter Lake is recognized as a major voice in the history of post-Reformation politics and the history of the English Civil Wars of the 17th century. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have received a two-year, $250,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to develop a new way to measure trust in African American men as it relates to health care. Read More

Social Science One will study the impact of Facebook on democracy around the world. Vanderbilt political science professors Elizabeth Zechmeister and Noam Lupu will serve on the regional advisory committee focusing on research involving Latin America. Read More

Boys and men of color or who identify as LGBTQI experience higher rates of trauma, substance use, depression and violence, and that worsens their overall health, according to a new report coauthored by Derek Griffith, who is part of the American Psychological Association’s Working Group on Health Disparities in Boys and Men. Read More

The $150,000 digital extension grant from the American Council of Learned Societies funds the development of a digital platform that promises to greatly expand our understanding of Andean culture. Read More

Ten projects involving 25 faculty and staff members have been awarded nearly $750,000 through the internally funded Library Collections Initiative to strategically bolster collections. Read More