John Grady

Professor of Sociology

Degrees

Ph.D., Brandeis University
A.M., Yale University
A.B., Boston College

Research Interests

Professor Grady's research focuses on the impact and significance that the material world of nature and human artifacts has on social organization and daily life; the use of visual imagery in social research and analysis; and making documentary films. He was President of the International Visual Sociology Association (IVSA). He is currently a Visiting Scholar at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine, (http://www.salt.edu), and is the New Media Editor for Visual Studies

Teaching Interests

Visual Sociology; Quantitative Sociology as Narrative; Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Selected Publications, Creative Work or Performances

Recent Papers and Conferences

2009 "Erving Goffman's Contribution to the Social Analysis of Advertising Images" Keynote Address at Nordic Visual Studies Workshop on "The Visual Presentation of Self", University of Reykjavik,Iceland, (November 25)

2009 "The Place of Narrative in Visual Social and Cultural Research" Department of Communications, University of Antwerp (May 14).

2009 "Social Science and the Study of Advertising Images: The Development of Racial Iconography in America" Department of Sociology, University of Antwerp (May 13).

2009 "Trends, Anomalies, and Period Effects in Advertising Imagery", Department of Sociology, Tulane University, New Orleans (January 13).

2007 "Visual Research at the Crossroads," keynote address delivered at Qualitative Analysis of Visual Data, European Science Foundation Workshop on Visual Methods, Berlin, September 18.

2007 "Future of Visual Sociology", International Visual Sociology Association Conference, New York University, August 11.

2007 "Visual Sociology and the City: The Case of Mission Hill", EUREX (European Online Seminar on Urban Transformation, Poverty, Spatial Segregation and Social Exclusion) 2007: Changing Cities hosted by the University of Urbino, Italy, April 24.

2006 "Telling Stories with Numbers", International Visual Sociology Association Conference, University of Urbino, Italy, July 5.

Selected Articles and Book Chapters
2010 "Exploring Society Visually": 15 on-line slideshow exercises to accompany Dalton Conley's You May Ask Yourself, Kerry Ferris and Jill Stein's The Real World, and Anthony Giddens et. al. Introduction to Sociology, all published by W.W. Norton.

2009 "Review of Louie Palu Cage Call," Visual Studies, Volume 24,3: 178-181.

2009 "World in Change Series: Eleven Sociological Vignettes", in Anthony
Giddens, Mitchell Duneier, Richard Appelbaum and Deborah Carr. Introduction to Sociology, 7th Edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.(graphing evidence, 38-39; dorm rooms and socialization, 102-103; communication and cell phones, 122-123; how tough is it in the bottom fifth?, 234-235; global inequality, 268-269; gender norms, 284-285; white racial images and attitudes, 322-323;kids in cartoon, 466-467; how secular are we?, 536-537; self-reflections, 568-569)

2008 "Visual Research at the Crossroads" Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research. Volume 9,3
http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/issue/view/11. Reprinted as "Badania wizualne na rozdrozu" in Przeglad Socjologii Jakosciowej (Qualitative Sociology Review), 2009 Tom V Numer 2: 82-117.
http://www.qualitativesociologyreview.org/PL/volume10_pl.php

2008 "Using Metaphors in Dynamic Social Stratification Visualizations" in IV08: 12th International Conference on Information Visualization (London) with Gousie, M.B., Burrage, B., Grossman, R., Machado, D., Milewski, S., and Stuetzle, C.

2007 "Advertising Images As Social Indicators: Depictions Of Blacks In LIFE Magazine (1936-2000)" Visual Studies, Volume 22, No.3: 211-239. Also published as "Le immagini pubblicitarie come indicatori sociali", translated by Patrizia Faccioli) in Patrizia Faccioli and Guiseppe (Pino) Losacco (eds) Lavorare Con le Immagini. Milano: FrancoAngeli.

2007 Advertising Images of Blacks: LIFE Magazine (1936-2000). FileMakerPro Database of every advertising image that contains a black figure or representation. Available from jgrady@wheatonma.edu for cost of production and shipping.

2007 "Photographs as Answers" Visual Studies, Vol. 22, No. 1: 85-94 With Richard Chalfen, Patrizia Faccioli, Doug Harper, Pino Lossacco and Charles Suchar.

2007 "Surprise and Discovery: Using GIS to Explore Social Diversity in Contemporary America" in D. Sinton and J Lund (eds) Understanding Place: GIS and Mapping Across the Curriculum. ESRI Press: Redland (CA): 83-96.

2007 "Visual Sociology" in Clifton D. Bryant and Dennis L. Peck (eds) 21st Century Sociology: A Reference Handbook, Volume 2. Sage Publications: Thousand Oaks (CA): 63-70.

2007 "Visual Methods" in George Ritzer (ed) The Encyclopedia of Sociology. Blackwell Publications: London: 2286-2289.

2006 "Edward Tufte and the Promise of a Visual Social Science", in Luc Pauwels (ed) Visual Cultures of Science. University Press of New England: Hanover: 222-265.

2004 "Working with Visible Evidence: An Invitation and Some Practical Advice," In Caroline Knowles and Paul Sweetman (eds.) Picturing the Social Landscape: Visual Methods and the Sociological Imagination. Routledge: London. Pps. 18-31.

2003 "Putting Animals in the Picture" Visual Studies, Vol. 18, No. 2. pps. 92-95, With Jay Mechling.

2003 "Review of Origins of the European Economy by Michael McCormick" Visual Studies, Volume 18, No. 2: pp. 192-195.

2002 "Toward a More Humanistic Environmentalism" in The Future of Life by E.O. Wilson and Four Essays by Wheaton Faculty. Norton, MA, Wheaton College: pps. 13-19.

2001 "The Missing Context of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down" in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman and Eight Essays by Wheaton Faculty. Norton, MA,Wheaton College: pps. 19-23

2001 "Becoming a Visual Sociologist," Sociological Imagination (Vol. 38:2-3), pps. 81 126.

2001 "Sociology's New Workshop: the Visual Challenge to Sociology", Sociological Imagination (Vol. 38:2-3), pps 3-5.

1999 "Conclusioni: le Potenzialita della Sociologia Visual," (expanded version of "The Scope of Visual Sociology" translated by Federica Maselli) in Patrizia Faccioli and Doug Harper (eds.) Mondi Da Vedere: Verso Una Sociologia Pi Pisuale. Franco Agnelli: Bologna: 491-524.

1998 "Towards a Quantitative Visual Social Science: The Vision of Edward Tufte," Visual Sociology, Vol. 13, No. 1: 74-84.

1996 "The Scope of Visual Sociology," Visual Sociology, Vol. 11, No. 2: 10-24.

1991 "The Visual Essay and Sociology," Visual Sociology, Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 23-38.

Selected Films, Videos and Slide Show
1995 Just a Fight: The Place of Violence in Men's Lives. A video production by Cine Research Associates. 15 minutes. Producer and Director.

1990 Home-Care: Elderly and Disabled. A video production by Cine Research Associates. 30 minutes. Producer and Director.

1987 Love Stories: Women, Men and Romance. A documentary film by Cine Research Associates. 88 minutes, color. Producer and Research Associate.

1986 The Collective: Fifteen Years Later. A video production by Cine Research Associates. 60 minutes. Executive Producer and Research Director.

1983 Water and the Dream of the Engineers. A documentary film by Cine Research Associates. 80 minutes, color. Executive Producer and Research Director.

1982 Down the Projects: The Crisis of Public Housing. A documentary film by Cine Research Associates. 60 minutes, black and white. Executive Producer and Research Coordinator.

1979 Mission Hill and the Miracle of Boston. A documentary film by Cine Research Associates. 60 minutes, black and white. Producer and Research Associate.

Selected Photojournalism
1988 Let Me Tell You Where I've Been: Seven Vietnam Veterans. Co-authored with Janice Rogovin.

1987 The Fight for Newton Corner. Senior editor and production associate with Jon Chase.