Jooyoung Lee, PhD
@joojitsulee.bsky.social
Sociology Professor at U of Toronto. Author of Blowin' Up (2016) & The Walking Wounded (2026). TEDx speaker. Gun Violence, Health. True Crime Docs on Hulu, MGM, Oxygen. Bylines in NYT, VICE, Globe and Mail. BJJ Black Belt. Judo Brown Belt. Tired Dad.
Pinned
Just got the cover art from the press! Dropping in March 2026!
Adventures in aging…Today I made a passing reference to Saved by the Bell and none of my 4th year university students knew what I was talking about. Just blank stares 😂. Excuse me while I go and have my soup with a side of mid afternoon existential crisis 🫠
October 2, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Adventures in aging…Today I made a passing reference to Saved by the Bell and none of my 4th year university students knew what I was talking about. Just blank stares 😂. Excuse me while I go and have my soup with a side of mid afternoon existential crisis 🫠
Just got the cover art from the press! Dropping in March 2026!
October 1, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Just got the cover art from the press! Dropping in March 2026!
"The Walking Wounded: Festering and Ricocheting Trauma after Gun Violence" is coming out in March 2026 on U of Chicago Press! Excited, relieved, and a bit anxious as one always feels whenever you wrap up a big project.
June 19, 2025 at 3:22 PM
"The Walking Wounded: Festering and Ricocheting Trauma after Gun Violence" is coming out in March 2026 on U of Chicago Press! Excited, relieved, and a bit anxious as one always feels whenever you wrap up a big project.
Got the best news today from my editor…My new book “Gunshot” got approval from the University of Chicago editorial and faculty committees and is now “forthcoming”! It’s been a long, long road. 10+ years coming to fruition 😌
April 16, 2025 at 11:06 PM
Got the best news today from my editor…My new book “Gunshot” got approval from the University of Chicago editorial and faculty committees and is now “forthcoming”! It’s been a long, long road. 10+ years coming to fruition 😌
There’s no coming back if a POTUS ignores a Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling. Different branches of federal government exist to check and balance against tyranny. Regardless of your politics, this is a pivotal moment with immense downstream effects.
April 15, 2025 at 2:57 PM
There’s no coming back if a POTUS ignores a Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling. Different branches of federal government exist to check and balance against tyranny. Regardless of your politics, this is a pivotal moment with immense downstream effects.
Some 🦋 friends don’t know this, but I have published work on serial homicide investigations and have been in a number of serial killer documentaries. Just got a Google notification that CTV is showing Catching a Serial Killer, which originally debuted on Oxygen and is now streaming on CTV. 🎥
April 6, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Some 🦋 friends don’t know this, but I have published work on serial homicide investigations and have been in a number of serial killer documentaries. Just got a Google notification that CTV is showing Catching a Serial Killer, which originally debuted on Oxygen and is now streaming on CTV. 🎥
Sometimes flailing is progress. Channeling this mantra as I struggle with this new paper. 🫠
April 5, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Sometimes flailing is progress. Channeling this mantra as I struggle with this new paper. 🫠
Pretty cool reading a peer reviewed article by a former undergrad who is now a PhD candidate. You don't see them for years and then one day you come across their very helpful article. The teacher learning from the student. A true full circle. ☺️
April 3, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Pretty cool reading a peer reviewed article by a former undergrad who is now a PhD candidate. You don't see them for years and then one day you come across their very helpful article. The teacher learning from the student. A true full circle. ☺️
One of my challenges as an academic is balancing the backlog of papers that are collecting dust on my hard drive with the pull of new ideas that appear in a flash of inspiration. This sabbatical has mostly been about catching up, but now I’m nerding out over a BJJ study that has me excited again.🙃
April 3, 2025 at 3:29 AM
One of my challenges as an academic is balancing the backlog of papers that are collecting dust on my hard drive with the pull of new ideas that appear in a flash of inspiration. This sabbatical has mostly been about catching up, but now I’m nerding out over a BJJ study that has me excited again.🙃
Major research universities are already bending the knee to Trump’s anti-DEI crusade, which just exposes how silly and overblown the “Marxist brainwashing camp” narrative really is. That was always a red herring. Academics know that universities are neoliberal corporations chasing funding.
March 29, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Major research universities are already bending the knee to Trump’s anti-DEI crusade, which just exposes how silly and overblown the “Marxist brainwashing camp” narrative really is. That was always a red herring. Academics know that universities are neoliberal corporations chasing funding.
Just published a new article on using L.A. Noire to teach Sociology students about serial homicide investigations.This was a sneak peak into my teaching methods, which include video games and streaming on Twitch.Very stoked that the article includes hyperlinks to Twitch clips from my streams 👀🎮📚
March 28, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Just published a new article on using L.A. Noire to teach Sociology students about serial homicide investigations.This was a sneak peak into my teaching methods, which include video games and streaming on Twitch.Very stoked that the article includes hyperlinks to Twitch clips from my streams 👀🎮📚
There is an art to writing cover letters in response to academic reviewers (especially when they're harsh). It is one of the most sacred and challenging forms of scholarly combat. How many scholars feel like this was part of their training in their PhD program?
March 21, 2025 at 5:29 PM
There is an art to writing cover letters in response to academic reviewers (especially when they're harsh). It is one of the most sacred and challenging forms of scholarly combat. How many scholars feel like this was part of their training in their PhD program?
My toxic academic trait is that I use Apple Pages and prefer it over MS Word by a long shot.
February 27, 2025 at 3:42 PM
My toxic academic trait is that I use Apple Pages and prefer it over MS Word by a long shot.
What are you all doing to maintain your mental health during these dystopian days? I have to almost intentionally tune out at times or else it negatively impacts my mood, how I parent, etc. Hoping you all have good self care on standby.
February 12, 2025 at 4:32 PM
What are you all doing to maintain your mental health during these dystopian days? I have to almost intentionally tune out at times or else it negatively impacts my mood, how I parent, etc. Hoping you all have good self care on standby.
I recently read a Reddit post from a PhD candidate debating whether to attend their grandma’s funeral or their dissertation defense, and it perfectly encapsulates academia’s toxic grind culture to a T. The fact that this is even a question shows how academia can warp your priorities 😔
February 11, 2025 at 3:16 AM
I recently read a Reddit post from a PhD candidate debating whether to attend their grandma’s funeral or their dissertation defense, and it perfectly encapsulates academia’s toxic grind culture to a T. The fact that this is even a question shows how academia can warp your priorities 😔
Revisiting Interaction Ritual Chains by Randall Collins (2004) and blown away by this passage. He really foresaw how addicting social media would become. Sabbatical is all about returning to my microsociological roots, and it feels like I'm coming home.
February 6, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Revisiting Interaction Ritual Chains by Randall Collins (2004) and blown away by this passage. He really foresaw how addicting social media would become. Sabbatical is all about returning to my microsociological roots, and it feels like I'm coming home.
Reposted by Jooyoung Lee, PhD
We know you're thinking about culture and society rightabout now -- why not write something up for @contexts.org's culture section? contexts.org/submission-g... Reach out to section editor @joojitsulee.bsky.social with your ideas, because the more sociology the better right now, eh?
February 5, 2025 at 6:42 PM
We know you're thinking about culture and society rightabout now -- why not write something up for @contexts.org's culture section? contexts.org/submission-g... Reach out to section editor @joojitsulee.bsky.social with your ideas, because the more sociology the better right now, eh?
About 75% of firearms used in Canadian crimes originate in the U.S. The Orange dude loves talking about border enforcement but why aren’t leaders up here also talking about how lax U.S. gun laws fuel violence beyond its borders including in Canada? The costs of this violence are paid by taxpayers 🤔
February 2, 2025 at 3:18 AM
About 75% of firearms used in Canadian crimes originate in the U.S. The Orange dude loves talking about border enforcement but why aren’t leaders up here also talking about how lax U.S. gun laws fuel violence beyond its borders including in Canada? The costs of this violence are paid by taxpayers 🤔
Metaphor is such a fascinating tool in sociological theorizing. One more reason why social scientists should read more fiction.
January 27, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Metaphor is such a fascinating tool in sociological theorizing. One more reason why social scientists should read more fiction.
Does anyone else completely forget about food when they’re deep in a writing or work session? I have home-cooked meals ready to go, but instead, I’m here eating a hastily made PB&J because I’ve gotta ride this productivity wave. ADHD folks, you get it 👀
January 22, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Does anyone else completely forget about food when they’re deep in a writing or work session? I have home-cooked meals ready to go, but instead, I’m here eating a hastily made PB&J because I’ve gotta ride this productivity wave. ADHD folks, you get it 👀
Rediscovering my love of reading and writing articles. Is this a mid-career crisis? 😂
January 22, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Rediscovering my love of reading and writing articles. Is this a mid-career crisis? 😂
Now's the time to really double down on things that spark joy, because the world feels a lot darker after that inauguration. What a scary time this is.
January 21, 2025 at 3:29 AM
Now's the time to really double down on things that spark joy, because the world feels a lot darker after that inauguration. What a scary time this is.
Reading European Sociology reminds me how insular North American Sociology can be. We could learn a lot from their comparative approach.
January 20, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Reading European Sociology reminds me how insular North American Sociology can be. We could learn a lot from their comparative approach.
There’s an understated elegance to standalone research articles. I got into book writing for awhile, and was convinced I had found my lane, but I am enjoying a pivot back to articles during sabbatical. It’s been awhile, but I am enjoying the challenge of figuring out “What is this a case of?”
January 14, 2025 at 2:44 PM
There’s an understated elegance to standalone research articles. I got into book writing for awhile, and was convinced I had found my lane, but I am enjoying a pivot back to articles during sabbatical. It’s been awhile, but I am enjoying the challenge of figuring out “What is this a case of?”
What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received? Mine was to write rough drafts quickly and not obsess over phrasing or copy editing mistakes. I still struggle with it, but it’s become a mantra I repeat to myself (and my grad students).
January 10, 2025 at 3:38 PM
What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received? Mine was to write rough drafts quickly and not obsess over phrasing or copy editing mistakes. I still struggle with it, but it’s become a mantra I repeat to myself (and my grad students).