Cultures at Odds

Polarization seems to be the order of the day, nationally as well as internationally and socially as well as politically.

On the domestic front, few camps in America are as much at odds as Christian conservatives and gays and lesbians. What social and cultural attitudes drive the two sides, what are the issues, and how do members of each side view themselves and members of the opposition? These are some of the questions that Thomas J. Linneman ’90, an associate professor of sociology at the College of William and Mary, explores in his study, Weathering Change: Gays, Lesbians, Christian Conservatives, and Everyday Hostilities (New York University Press, 2003).

Linneman’s ground for the study was two cities at opposite ends of Washington: Seattle, known for its liberalism, and Spokane, its conservative cousin to the east. He begins by looking at the general cultural and political climates that exist in the two cities as measured by general perceptions of media attention to the issues, public opinion, and political activism and power. He then turns to more personal impressions, such as identification with one of the points of view and individual levels of comfort in expressing that identity within the social context of each community. Finally, he examines strategies—both conventional activism and what he calls everyday activism—that affiliates of each faction use to change the social climate and make it more hospitable toward their cause. Throughout, Linneman does not simply observe how members think about themselves and their group; far more interesting is his examination of the ways members use their opposition to the other side to define themselves and their place in culture and society.

Much of Linneman’s research is based on interviews with members of both groups in the two cities. His decision to follow this course wasn’t easy. “I was concerned that if I asked the respondents to talk about hostile and hospitable aspects of their climates, I would commit a grave mistake,” Linneman writes. “This fear quickly abated as I began conducting the interviews. The respondents were more than willing to tackle these difficult questions, and the immediacy with which they often responded signaled that these were issues about which they often thought.” Direct quotes from these interviews fill much of the text and provide fascinating reading, often revealing underlying attitudes that bolster the respondents’ stated beliefs.

Linneman skillfully culls the threads of these attitudes to weave the warp and woof of his study. “I continually tried to remind myself of the big picture,” he writes. “This project addresses two central sociological questions: How do people perceive the worlds around them, and how do they try to change these worlds?” The result is a valuable addition to sociological literature on a topic of growing public attention.

—Christopher Dow