We think all the time about individuals and what’s inside their heads. We think surprisingly little about what’s around them.

My name is James Cook. Since 1997, I’ve been a professor of sociology, first at Duke University, then at the University of Maine at Augusta. Moving into the future as an applied sociologist, I am seeking working relationships with change-oriented organizations that serve two purposes: to uplift the people of the state of Maine and the United States more broadly, and to transparently pursue answers to the questions, “What is the truth?” and “How do we know what the truth is?”

This way of seeing reality as not isolated individuals but as a set of contexts set by relationships, affiliations, and institutions is atypical in the American cultural context, but it is a way of seeing that opens a number of distinctive questions and ways of answering those questions. I look forward to exploring those with you. If you are interested in diving into the vibrant world of sociology, where curiosity leads the way and every answer unfurls a new question, please be in touch.