Sharon Zukin (see also), Professor Emerita of Sociology at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center, is the author of The Innovation Complex: Cities, Tech, and the New Economy. In her new book, just out this week from Oxford U. Press/Academic, Sharon covers hackathons, meetups, Brooklyn’s “Innovation Coastline” and myriad other inventions that would make our grandparents’ heads spin, as well as the impact of the digital/tech economy on workers and on residents.
Sharon is interviewed in this episode by her colleague Richard Ocejo. Richard is Associate Professor of Sociology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the CUNY Graduate Center and was our very first guest here on Indoor Voices. The two share a deep knowledge of and zest for the city as well as for the multi-faceted terrain of urban sociology. They discuss the meaning of the term “innovation complex” (yes, there is a nod to psychoanalysis), recent NYC mayors, Amazon HQ2, the evolution of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, and of course, C. Wright Mills.
Bonus material:
Event: Another Silicon Valley? New York as tech city (March 10, 2020)
New York Tech Dossier: The Dark Side of New York’s Tech Economy
Coming soon: A short video made by Sharon on the tech ecosystem and CUNY SUM feature of The Innovation Complex
Listen to Episode 41 now!
Indoor Voices Podcast 