C.J. Pascoe, PhD
C.J. Pascoe is a sociologist, speaker, writer and expert on inequality, youth and schooling. She is an award winning teacher and associate professor of Sociology at the University of Oregon where she teaches classes on schools, inequality, social psychology, culture and sexuality. She is also a co-editor of academic journal Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World.
Dr. Pascoe’s award winning book, Dude, You’re a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School, tells the story of how boys come to think of themselves and others as men, carefully documenting the way in which schools and boys themselves grapple with sexism and homophobia. Dude has received widespread acclaim for its careful analysis and Dr. Pascoe's ability to capture the voices and experiences of the students she studied. It became a foundational text in sociology, education and gender studies, as well as a valuable resource for educators, policymakers, and those interested in understanding the social dynamics of high school culture.
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It won the American Educational Research Association’s Book of education and gender studies, as well as a valuable resource for educators, policymakers, and those interested in understanding the social dynamics of high school culture. It won the American Educational Research Association’s Book of the Year Award as well as an honorable mention for the American Sociological Association's Section on Sex and Gender Section's Distinguished Book Award.
Dr. Pascoe has continued to explore issues of schooling, inequality, gender, sexuality, and youth, researching and writing about gender based violence, young people’s new media use, bullying, harassment and education. Along with a team of co-researchers she authored Hanging Out, Messing Around and Geeking Out: Kids Living and Learning with New Media, a qualitative analysis of young people's new media use. Dr. Pascoe and Tristan Bridges edited comprehensive anthology of research on men and masculinity: Exploring Masculinities: Identity, Inequality, Continuity and Change. Most recently, along with Freeden Oeur she co-edited an anthology, Gender Replay: On Kids, Schools and Feminism that reflects on the legacy of the foundational text on gender and schooling, Gender Play: Girls and Boys in School by Barrie Thorne. Dr. Pascoe's books and articles have been translated into Chinese, Portuguese and German and reprinted widely.
Dr. Pascoe’s new book, Nice is Not Enough: Inequality and the Limits of Kindness at American High tells the story of American High School, a school characterized by acceptance, connection, and kindness—a school where, a prominent sign states, “there is no room for hate.” This book describes how American High, like many high schools, uses a “regime of kindness” to address persistent inequalities. By examining how this regime of kindness works at American High Nice is Not Enough shows the limits of this approach and suggests ways we might begin to dismantle systemic inequalities in high school and beyond.
Dr. Pascoe lectures widely to academic and public audiences on contemporary issues facing young people and schools such as bullying, harassment, gender inequality, and homophobia. Dr. Pascoe's research has been featured in documentaries and media outlets such as Frontline, National Public Radio, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Toronto Globe and Mail and Le Monde. She has also worked with and advised various organizations such as The Born This Way Foundation, True Child, and The Gay/Straight Alliance Network to translate academic research into policy and programming for young people. Dr. Pascoe’s goal is to help bridge the gap between academia and society, helping to create, what she calls in her newest book, “a politics of care," and approach to addressing social problems that puts humans and human needs at the center of institutions, organizations, and policy.