By: Vivien Carli, Alex Mochnacki, Chuk Plante, and Kalyani Thurairajah
McGill Sociological Review, Volume 1, January 2010, p. 1
Dear Reader:
We are proud to welcome you to the first edition of the McGill Sociological Review. This journal is an initiative undertaken by the graduate students at the Department of Sociology at McGill University. The McGill Sociological Review is produced by graduate students for graduate students engaged with sociological issues.
It has been a long journey since the idea of this journal was first conceived back in September 2008. As graduate students, we knew that publishing would be crucial to our success as scholars, but we did not know a lot about the process, and there seemed to be a lack of journals for scholars at our stage of development. Therefore, we saw an opportunity to create a new space to exchange ideas, disseminate research and foster discussion among peers in the graduate community, while also providing a unique forum to gain practical knowledge concerning the publishing process. We envisioned a journal that would promote collaboration across universities and disciplines, build a stronger profile for McGill’s Department of Sociology and its graduate students, and nourish the development of a broader sociological community in both French and English.
This issue is the culmination of over a year of planning and coordination, developing a charter, seeking out contributors, learning new skills, establishing partnerships, and building an infrastructure that would be a foundation for what we hope will be a sustainable and successful project for years to come. For this first issue we kept our goals modest, in that we limited our call for papers. Nonetheless, we present a diverse selection of works that reflect some of the ongoing discussions in contemporary sociology. These include a literature review of the work-family balance within the field of economic sociology, an article on the emergence of the World Social Forum in the World Systems tradition, and an exploratory piece on taking an organizational approach to relations between Northern and Southern development agencies. This issue also features two book reviews pertaining to the sociologies of literature and health, and a candid discussion with Neil Fligstein, a leading scholar in economic sociology.
In establishing this space for graduate students, we believe we have laid the groundwork for future issues. We look forward to expanding the reach of our audience and contributors, developing new projects, and encouraging greater participation among graduate students in the editorial process. We truly hope that you enjoy the premiere issue of the McGill Sociological Review.
Sincerely,
The Editorial Board
McGill Sociological Review
