For Sociology
For Sociology
Podcast Description
"For Sociology" is the podcast of the Kohli Foundation, featuring conversations with some of the most distinguished minds in sociology.
In each episode, we explore our guests’ academic journeys, delve into their groundbreaking research, and gain unique insights into today’s sociological challenges.
The Kohli Foundation celebrates and promotes curiosity about societies. Learn more about our mission at kohlifoundation.eu.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast explores themes such as social mobility, welfare states, and the challenges facing contemporary sociology, with episodes that delve into topics like the impact of early childhood policies and the decline in fertility rates in advanced countries, providing listeners with insights into critical sociological issues and theories.
"For Sociology" is the podcast of the Kohli Foundation, featuring conversations with some of the most distinguished minds in sociology.
In each episode, we explore our guests' academic journeys, delve into their groundbreaking research, and gain unique insights into today's sociological challenges.
The Kohli Foundation celebrates and promotes curiosity about societies. Learn more about our mission at kohlifoundation.eu.
Why does one pair of jeans feel right, while another looks hopelessly out of date? And how much of our personal fashion taste is shaped before we even enter a shop?
In this episode of For Sociology, host Kevin Caners speaks with sociologist and Kohli Fellow Alex Hoppe about the people, processes and decisions behind the clothes we wear. Drawing on eleven months of fieldwork inside clothing factories in India, Alex explains how suppliers are taking on design work long associated with Western fashion capitals.
Alex begins by recalling the socks he needed to fit in at school, which first sparked his interest in fashion and belonging, and how a month in Nicaragua at sixteen set him on the path to sociology.
The conversation then turns to how suppliers help trends gather momentum, why fashion remains so difficult to predict, and what changing tastes in everything from clothes to baby names reveal about social life. Alex also reflects on his two years as a Kohli Fellow at the WZB Berlin Social Science Center and the slow work of turning field observations into a book.
For Sociology is a podcast from the Kohli Foundation. Learn more at kohlifoundation.eu.
00:00 Introducing Alex Hoppe
02:27 Cool socks and fitting in
04:28 A turning point in Nicaragua
08:14 Why study fashion?
11:53 What is fashion?
15:26 When suppliers become designers
19:48 Inside India’s clothing factories
23:03 Turning fieldwork into a book
28:26 Who shapes what we wear?
30:11 Why trends are hard to predict
33:13 How designers spot trends
35:38 Quick-fire questions
41:41 The book and what comes next
45:46 Closing and credits
Disclaimer
This podcast’s information is provided for general reference and was obtained from publicly accessible sources. The Podcast Collaborative neither produces nor verifies the content, accuracy, or suitability of this podcast. Views and opinions belong solely to the podcast creators and guests.
For a complete disclaimer, please see our Full Disclaimer on the archive page. The Podcast Collaborative bears no responsibility for the podcast’s themes, language, or overall content. Listener discretion is advised. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for more details.