Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 02/10/2026I’ve been writing articles for a while now, but nothing has made me feel like a writer like working on my book. It’s all writing, but I get to be a writer in that one space somehow. Can’t explain it. 020
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 24/09/2026I’m resetting during my sabbatical to take care of myself first: practicalphd.net/2026/09/24/r...practicalphd.netResetting During SabbaticalNow that I have given my university 6 years of teaching and service, I am finally on sabbatical! As is expected, I’m using the time for research, but I’m also using the time as to reset… 061
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 09/09/2026I’ll take a writing problem over an idea problem any day! Easy fix! 020
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 27/08/2026Things I hate about Outlook: 1) reactions: why do I get an email summary instead of making them easy to see when they come in? 2) folders: so what about something where more than one folder applies?? 3) email chains: why do they get broken up so I can’t see one conversation?? 4) search function 180
Reposted by Dr. Zawadi Rucks-AhidianaElieNYC @elienyc.bsky.social · 19/08/2026Trump is already planning for the 20*30* Census. This time, not only does he want to stop counting noncitizens, he wants to stop counting race and ethnicity. Can't have an unconstituional racial gerrymander if you pretend not to know where Black people live. My latest in @thenation.comthenation.comThe Trump Plan to Cook the Census BooksFrom adding a citizenship question to not tracking race and ethnicity, the administration wants to minimize Black and brown political power. 431985706
Reposted by Dr. Zawadi Rucks-AhidianaKim Lane Scheppele @kimlanelaw.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Zero new NSF grants in sociology, anthropology, political science and economics. The agenda of this US govt is to stop documenting the society in which we live while they are destroying it. We will find other ways to track and explain our times and fight to restore our research funding. 15893454
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 21/08/2026This is exactly why I side eyed hard at the emails and meetings encouraging us to continue to apply to federal grants last year. Why??? They are not funding the kind of work I do…static.klipy.comMy LordALT: My Lord 160
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Just a reminder that part of outward facing contributions is maintaining a website that shares insight into the black box of all things PhD: practicalphd.netpracticalphd.netpractical phda transparent source for all things PhD 131
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 20/08/2026With a semester of sabbatical starting shortly, I’m not thinking about my syllabi right now. I am thinking about what boundaries to set to protect my time and what is a reasonable set of goals for the semester. 140
Reposted by Dr. Zawadi Rucks-AhidianaBex is WEAK on crime @bextraordinary.bsky.social · 14/08/2026I struggle similarly with improving conditions in prisons without undermining the mission of abolition. I understand that renovating prisons or building new ones delays just emptying & closing them, but also hear directly from those inside that they need relief *now*. 151
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 14/08/2026I genuinely struggle with this as someone who studies and cares about low-income Black neighborhoods. Investment is necessary, but could also create a space residents can’t live in. The problem is the lack of protections for those long-term residents. I can’t support investment without protection! 3154
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 29/07/2026What someone wears to class isn’t going to make or break their grade. Being exposed to the course content is! 070
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 23/07/2026What “summers off” looks like: - 5 comp exams - 1 dissertation defense - biweekly check ins with group of grad students - dept committee meeting - board meetings - prep and organizing for soc conference circuit - writing on 3 articles and a book manuscript - analysis for 2 articles - reading 050
Reposted by Dr. Zawadi Rucks-AhidianaJess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 22/07/2026When power is rooted in disinformation, data become a threat. apnews.com/article/eeoc...apnews.comUS civil rights agency moves to end demographic data collection after 60 yearsThe Trump administration is seeking to toss aside a 60-year-old requirement for tens of thousands of private sector employers to submit workforce demographic reports each year to the Equal Employment ... 4369176
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 20/07/2026Just met with a grad student and helped them broaden their research questions. They asked “how do you do that so quickly?!” Practice my friend…just start practicing. 040
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 15/07/2026Reflecting on my personal experience and advice I give grad students about the big picture: practicalphd.net/2026/07/15/g...practicalphd.netGetting to the Big PictureOne of the hardest things for some researchers (including myself) is getting to the big picture. This might be an overarching research question for your research, a way of describing the research … 010
Reposted by Dr. Zawadi Rucks-AhidianaLauri Donahue @lauridonahue.bsky.social · 04/07/2026www.nytimes.com/2026/06/30/o... 492097456
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 25/06/2026Translating from Stata to R is coming along. Got stuck on a collapse command in my Stata code, but taking some time to read to figure it out. 100
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 22/06/2026Committed to recoding a dataset from Stata to R this summer to really learn R. Today’s work started slow and I was stuck quickly, but I figured it out (order matters! Duh!) and made good progress! Slowly but surely! 020
Reposted by Dr. Zawadi Rucks-AhidianaBaltimore Beat @baltimorebeat.bsky.social · 18/06/2026People living in this city are often told who they are, often by people who haven’t bothered to learn anything about them. At Baltimore Beat, we know that our job isn’t just to educate — it’s to listen to and amplify the people who are already here. baltimorebeat.com/2025-impact-...baltimorebeat.com2025 Impact ReportPeople living in this city are often told who they are, often by people who haven’t bothered to learn anything about them. At Baltimore Beat, we know that our job isn’t just to educate — it’s to… 062
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 18/06/2026It’s easy to create stress in an academic job. Even taking tenure out of the equation, there’s always more to do and it’s easy to feel like it’s all a priority and all should have been done yesterday. Putting that kind of pressure on work that really doesn’t have a deadline is something we can fix.1 1101
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 12/06/2026Proud to announce my very first article award!! Honorable mention for the SREM Oliver Cromwell Cox Award!! 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽 This one is for the village that helped me untangle the complex story that became an article about controlling images of neighborhoods. academic.oup.com/socpro/artic... 2131
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 09/06/2026Do foundations post statistics anywhere so you can see how many folks have applied in the past? I’m imagining a similar report to what some peer review journals produce with number of submissions, rejections, R&Rs, and acceptances. 110
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 08/06/2026With my book manuscript in, I’ve been taking a much needed break! Today involved doing nothing!! Lounging! It has been fabulous! 1110
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 03/06/2026Just sent a draft of my BILF (book I’d like to finish) off to the press editor!!! It’s a real thing that’s finally happening!!! 😭🎉😭🎉😭🎉 250
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 02/06/2026I don’t have it all figured out (like how do I get a gray color scheme???), but I am making maps in R! 010
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 29/05/2026A colleague suggested this could be the product of AI use…👀👀👀 030
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 28/05/2026Gotta love when a reviewer (not me) recommends my work to an author! Also does the author think I’m that reviewer and not me? 😂😂😂 010
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 28/05/2026It’s very interesting to see mischaracterizations of my research pop up in the citations…also how some scholars completely avoid engaging with my methodological contributions…hmmm… 010
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 26/05/2026Y’all!! This book is really coming together!!! I can’t wait for the next phase in the process and being closer to sharing it with the world! 030
Reposted by Dr. Zawadi Rucks-AhidianaDan Hirschman @asociologist.bsky.social · 26/05/2026Sociology folks: If you're interested in having a conversation about the @soc4pal.bsky.social boycott, show up tomorrow morning to talk to some of the organizers! Register here: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi... 1167
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 23/05/2026Just spent a week serving as a mentor for a group of amazing graduate students studying topics around poverty and policy. It reminded me of a workshop I participated in as a graduate student years ago. Full circle moment! 030
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 15/05/2026I only caught one of the witty 2000 hip hop references at graduation, but whoever came up with them deserves a raise! 060
Reposted by Dr. Zawadi Rucks-AhidianaCaitlin G. DeAngelis @caitlindeangelis.bsky.social · 14/05/2026Recently, FamilySearch digitized and uploaded tons of microfilmed records, including many from 18th-century Massachsuetts. They're using some sort of AI to transcribe/summarize the handwritten documents. I've noticed that the AI strips out references to race and enslavement in 18thc documents. 9235461778
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 07/05/2026This year, I’ve made more time for reading. I built it into my teaching, figured out how to prioritize it for the work I’m doing on book (special shout to driving the kiddo places for an easy time to read a book), and tried a new way of notetaking that is working. It’s brought so many new ideas! 040
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 05/05/2026I keep getting suggestions for grad programs like I don’t already have 2 MAs and a PhD… 160
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 23/04/2026Heading to the library to make myself pick up a book in person so I can peruse the section the book is in. Might be leaving with more than just the one.media.tenor.coma man in a suit and sunglasses is sitting in front of a bookshelf and says the library is open .ALT: a man in a suit and sunglasses is sitting in front of a bookshelf and says the library is open . 110
Reposted by Dr. Zawadi Rucks-AhidianaHaymarket Books @haymarketbooks.org · 19/04/2026How We Get Free Join @keeanga.bsky.social for a virtual conversation with Ula Y. Taylor about Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective Thursday, April 23rd at 5:00 pm ET RSVP to attend:events.haymarketbooks.orgRegister Now – How We Get Free: Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor and Ula Y. Taylor – YouTubeHow We Get Free: Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor and Ula Y. Taylor – YouTube, Thu Apr 23, 2026 - Join Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor and Ula Y. Taylor as they celebrate the new edition of How We Get Free: Black Femi... 19946
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 13/04/2026After dragging a bit on revising the intro chapter last week, I had a great writing day that made me feel back to my normal writing self. Onward and upward! Getting closer to a full and complete draft of this book manuscript! 050
Reposted by Dr. Zawadi Rucks-AhidianaVictor Ray @victorerikray.bsky.social · 12/04/2026Making tenure count, for MSNOW I wrote about my employer, The University of Iowa, creating a center for intellectual freedom. It's a reactionary project built on decades of conservative propaganda about higher ed.ms.nowOpinion | Beware conservatives promoting “intellectual freedom”Victor Ray: This conservative lie about schools like mine is furthering authoritarianism 432131763
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 11/04/2026The necessity to rush things out the door that came with being pretenure means I read things now like “damn, I wish I had cited this in that published article”…it is an unfortunate downside of the system. 020
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 10/04/2026Student: I’m having trouble finding this newspaper article from a small local newspaper published in 1916 for the final project. Me:media.tenor.coma man in a suit and tie says challenge accepted in a restaurantALT: a man in a suit and tie says challenge accepted in a restaurant 170
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 10/04/2026This semester has been a lot. At first I thought it was the extra independent study I took on (that I an enjoying!). And then I realized it was that and a bunch of little things that had snuck up on me in service work in particular. It makes it harder to isolate and reduce when it’s 10 things, not 1 010
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 09/04/2026File under most random thing left in my classroom. And also I would have left those too! 😅😅 170
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 04/04/2026Post-tenure I have been prioritizing getting back to the parts of the job that bring me joy: being a lifelong learner, playing in data, and reading broadly. The latter is hard to make time for, but I have opted to build it into my teaching with a discussion based class last semester with a broad 1/ 2110
Reposted by Dr. Zawadi Rucks-AhidianaHeba Gowayed هبة جويد @hebagowayed.bsky.social · 01/04/2026Yup. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...theguardian.comThe ethnic cleansing of the US will destroy it | Heba GowayedTrump’s racist remarks on Ilhan Omar and Somali immigrants reveal his vision for the US as a white Christian nation 16818
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana @zraresearch.bsky.social · 27/03/2026I am constantly addressing this issue in feedback on draft articles and in peer review. Your study is a case of some broader phenomenon language is way more stronger than no one has studied x group/place/etc. Tell me why I should care. 172