Benny Witkovsky

We have a ton of data on this from the Bridging Divides Initiative at Princeton. A survey from the fall found that that 43% of local officials said threats and harassment made them less willing to run for re-election: bridgingdivides.princeton.edu/Understandin...

Right? Throw in Mamiya, Harriford, Tyrone Simpson, Pinar, and I'm sure a bunch of other professors I never crossed paths with. I'm not sure this story would cast Vassar in the most flattering light, but I think it would be super interesting and important.

I am once again asking someone to write "The Vassar School of Race and Racism" tracing the incredible thinkers who taught and graduated there from like 2000-2010.

Thank you for reading and for the kind words!

Amazing!! Congrats!

Plus lots of fun details on debates about COVID mitigation, LGBTQ+ Pride month, backyard chicken keeping, and more!

I argue that the demands of nonpartisan offices and a charged partisan atmosphere create a series of strategic performances that local officials use to navigate this tension, placate supporters, and pursue policies.

Building a Broken Wall: Small Cities, Nonpartisanship, and Polarization Nonpartisanship has been a core element of U.S. local governments for over a century. Today, these institutions face a new challenge as polarization has grown more intense, intimate, and ideological. ...

Excited to share my latest publication out today at Theory and Social Inquiry! I use tools from cultural sociology to study the performance of nonpartisanship in local government. Check it out!: www.theoryandsocialinquiry.org/article/id/1...

Podcasts | American Sociological Association Each month, several authors of articles published in ASA journals record podcasts in which they provide, through an interview format, an overview of their

Katherine Jensen, @bwitkovsky.bsky.social, and Monika Krause's article, “Human Rights as a Lay Category of Thought,” was the featured Socius article in the ASA Journals Newsletter. Listen to the accompanying podcast about the article here. www.asanet.org/publications...
@asanews.bsky.social

As Jess says, @sadiemdempsey.bsky.social’s incredible work on the social and emotional dimensions of political participation is going to be critical to rebuilding our movements going forward!

Fascinating work in the WWI era on the weaponization of this new nonpartisanship. Nonpartisanship is a "capacious category and can be exploited by different actors."

@uwsoc.bsky.social team @bwitkovsky.bsky.social and Carter Burg present on the production of nonpartisanship in Prog Era Wisc. Benny's dissertation sheds even more light on how "nonpartisan local governance was always the product of political parties, partisan conflict, and partisan institutions."

Another outstanding @asapolisoc.bsky.social panel on Electoral Politics. #asa2025

How Communities Can Respond to Threats of Political Violence Left unchecked, political violence will continue to pose a significant danger to community safety and the health of America’s democracy.

In the aftermath of the Minnesota attacks, how can communities respond to the growing threat of political violence? @samajones.bsky.social and Roudabeh Kishi offer a range of ideas, from expanding access to security funding to collaborative threat monitoring

www.justsecurity.org/114944/minne...

"But I egress."

Cooperation agreements between Wisconsin Counties and ICE have nearly doubled since Trump's second inauguration. (In other news, I'm learning how to use Tableau).

💬 How do people think about #HumanRights?

New #Socius research by Drs. Jensen, Krause, and @bwitkovsky.bsky.social finds #freedom of speech as a cognitive prototype, with civil & political rights leading in the U.S.

Key insights for #CognitiveSociology: doi.org/10.1177/2378...

Interesting article on the perceptions of human rights. Studying the meanings of human rights for ordinary individuals is absolutely necessary for transnational advocacy.

Human Rights as a Lay Category of Thought: Content and Structure in the United States - Katherine Jensen, Monika Krause, Benjamin Witkovsky, 2025 What are human rights? Although legal scholars point to a growing list of international entitlements, social scientists have highlighted underlying ideological ...

New publication out today in @sociusjournal.bsky.social! In " Human Rights as a Lay Category of Thought," Katherine Jensen, Monika Krause, and I map how the American public think about what counts as a human right. journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

Congratulations!

Thanks! I can definitely share something as we get closer!

So happy this paper accepted to ASA! Get ready to hear all about a 1912 special election for Racine City Council and Progressive Era conflicts over nonpartisanship!

Working with Wisconsin Humanities the last few years has been such an honor. I don't know another organization with such deep commitments to serving, representing, and sharing the stories of every community in our state. Defunding humanities councils is such a self-destructive move.

Election data from WI Legislative Technology Services Bureau has demographic data in it. Not exactly sure how good it is, but its a good place to start: gis-ltsb.hub.arcgis.com/pages/downlo...

I am thrilled to share that I’ve accepted a position as the Wisconsin State Lead/Senior Research Specialist at the Bridging Divides Initiative at Princeton University. Feeling incredibly lucky to get to do this work while still living in and serving the state that I love!

My recent paper provides a particular lens on the upcoming local elections in Wisconsin. Candidates for county office must contend with the increasing polarization between their rural and urban constituents.

Cities and Their Neighbors: Examining the Rural–Urban Divide on a Local Scale - Benny Witkovsky, 2025 In recent years, the rural–urban divide has become one of the defining features of American partisan politics. Usually conceptualized as a regional phenomenon, ...

Benny Witkovsky (@bwitkovsky.bsky.social) published "Cities and Their Neighbors: Examining Rural-Urban Polarization on A Local Scale" in @urbanaffairsreview.bsky.social. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

I start my Soc of Race classes asking students whether UW Madison "feels" diverse (a question I stole from @pamelaoliver.bsky.social). At 68% white, UW is by far the most racially mixed institution many in WI will encounter. That's why it can be the target of so much anti-DEI fear-mongering.

I have a paper with a whole section about backyard chickens and performative conservative politics! It checks so many boxes for the new conservative coalition: libertarianism (keep gov inspectors off my land), MAHA (don't trust store bought eggs), trad gender roles and self sufficiency.

Every once in a while I end up at a hotel breakfast without the toddler and eat so many berries.