Hey there! Thanks for checking out my site. A little bit about myself: I’m a writer, teacher, editor, and public sociologist.
My first book is called The New Prophets of Capital (Verso 2015). In it I examine the pervasive feeling that capitalism is leading us in the wrong direction and argue that it’s time for ideas that challenge the core assumptions of our for-profit system. In New Prophets I cover a range of topics from feminism to green capitalism, to public education and therapy culture.
My second book is called The Smartphone Society: Technology, Power, and Resistance in the New Gilded Age (Beacon 2020). Using the smartphone as a lens, I examine the cultural, political, and economic shifts reshaping American society since the birth of the smartphone in 2007. In particular, I interrogate the defining tension of digital life: the stark disconnect between the ordinary smartphone user seeking entertainment, connection, information, and justice, and the tech companies looking to profit from our every tap and swipe.
I write about technology, labor, politics, feminism, the economy, and the environment. Check out the Articles page for links.
I have a PhD in sociology from Johns Hopkins University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Boston University. I wrote my dissertation on capital mobility in the automotive industry; here’s a piece that covers some of its themes. I’ve worked on a variety of other academic projects as well, like this article on accumulation by dispossession and development in southern Africa. I have taught at Johns Hopkins, Boston University, and most recently at the University of Massachusetts, Boston in the Labor Resource Center.
These days I can be found at Verso Books (versobooks.com) where I’ve taken on the role of Publishing Director.
You can reach me at nicoleaschoff@protonmail.com or nicole@versobooks.com.