Upon recognizing the theme of this issue — “active” — sociology professor Dr. Leontina Hormel sprang to my mind as the epitome of social activism. I am beyond happy to have had the opportunity to interview her, as her work has truly inspired me and has positively impacted countless lives.
Hormel began her journey in sociology in 1990 and has been sharing her expertise at the University of Idaho since 2006. Yet this passion was kindled long before her academic career, stretching back to her childhood years.
“Usually, there is this wrong impression of people who end up being arrested or charged with things and end up in jail, but their lives are more complicated and worth knowing.”
“My dad was a criminal defense attorney,” Hormel said. “He and my mom used to sit around the table and talk about all these terrible things that seem to happen to people. Usually, there is this wrong impression of people who end up being arrested or charged with things and end up in jail, but their lives are more complicated and worth knowing.”
Hormel’s research interests span a wide range, encompassing topics from masculinity and gender relations in Ukraine, to community action research projects such as the cultural and environmental values of the Nez Perce Tribe, to the Syringa Mobile Home Park housing and water crisis.
Despite this intriguing diversity, Hormel finds a common thread that links all these areas: social change in the field of sociology.
“I realized what I have always been interested in is how communities figure out ways of cooperating and not just being in conflict,” Hormel said.
“So, the other underlying aspect is looking at how people want to protect certain things that are important to them,” she continued. “Some of that could be just basically protecting the ways in which they know how to make ends meet. In the Nez Perce case their lives have been very dependent on interactions with the natural world such as salmon and medicinal plants. So that is one way they would express livelihoods, whereas men in Ukraine would express livelihoods of being able to be a breadwinner, to be able to provide food to their family. Then in Syringa, it was simply the ability to live in a place where people accepted you.”
Speaking of social change, I took the opportunity to ask Hormel about her perspective on social activism, recognizing its essential role in promoting social change.
“I have plenty of great examples of people who are out and doing the demonstrations in the street and what they call ‘doing stuff at the frontline,’ and that works for some people, but not everyone feels safe doing that,” Hormel said.
According to Hormel, activism can take a variety of forms. At the smallest level: being someone who remains curious and open-minded to other people’s experiences and perspectives.
“In this day and age, some people may feel really exhausted by all the things they feel they don’t agree with that are going on,” Hormel said. “But activism is the ability to step back and ask: ‘Why would people feel this way? How do I humanize the experience of people that may seem like they do not have anything in common with me?’”
“But activism is the ability to step back and ask: ‘Why would people feel this way? How do I humanize the experience of people that may seem like they do not have anything in common with me?’”
Learning that maintaining a socially active lifestyle largely depends on one’s mindset, I asked Hormel for advice on how the average student can practice this.
“It doesn’t have to be limited to your major. Maybe there is something in your personal life that really gives you a sense of having skills and being appreciated and use those to maybe share with others around you,” she said.
In college, Hormel would write song lyrics to give words to her feelings.
“I shared them with close loved ones. It is not like you have to broadcast it,” Hormel said.
Reflecting on how people typically share their perspectives with each other, I thought about social media. Many people produce and share content that aligns with their beliefs and seek connections with like-minded individuals.
“Social media can serve as communication for strategically getting people to places at the snap of a finger,” Hormel said. “At some point, you have to do these things in person, and it doesn’t mean that you have to be out on the streets. But it does mean that it is much easier to talk face-to-face and sort out differences and shared strengths and all of that in person than it’s trying to type in a hashtag that does not necessarily say it all because there is a lot of miscommunication. I think, on social media, when things are super passionate it sometimes can be counterproductive.”
There are many lessons to take away and plenty left unsaid in this brief interview. From what I understood, the key to social activism is maintaining a questioning mind and compassionate spirit. Also, it is important to reflect on current events, challenge one’s beliefs and engage in face-to-face conversations. Let’s not leave it all to hashtags.
