Michael Halpin

Education

• BA, University of Calgary
• MA, University of British Columbia
• PhD, University of Wisconsin – Madison

I am a sociologist interested in health, gender, and social isolation. I examine how science (e.g., neurobiology and genetics) is changing how we define, treat, and experience illness. Here, I am particularly interested in how scientists are identifying new types and phases of illness, and the consequences for ill individuals, physicians, and healthcare systems. In another area of research, I am examining gender, misogyny, and online communities, focusing on how online communities facilitate misogyny. My research also combines my interests in medicine and gender, and I examine the relationship between social isolation, masculinity, and health. My research is supported by SSHRC, and my findings have been discussed in various media outlets, including The Globe and Mail, Salon, and the National Post. 

Selected Publications:

Halpin, M. (2022). “Weaponized subordination: How incels discredit themselves to degrade women.” Gender & Society, 36, 813-837.    

Postill, G., Adams, C., Zanin, C., Halpin, M. & Ritter, C. (2022). “Adherence of those at low risk of disease to public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study. PLOS One, 17, e0276746.

Halpin, M. (2022). “Countervailing medicalization: Treatment and surveillance on the boundaries of medicine.” Social Science & Medicine – Qualitative Research in Health, 2, 100118.   

Halpin, M. (2022). “The brain and causality: How the brain becomes an individual-level cause of illness.” Social Problems, 69, 510-526.   

Halpin, M. & Richard, N. (2021) “An invitation to analytic abduction.” Methods in Psychology, 5, 100052.