José Itzigsohn

About

José Itzigsohn is a Professor of Sociology at Brown University with a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University obtained in 1995. His research focuses on developing sociological theory, particularly a Du Boisian sociology and decolonizing sociological theory, as well as examining identity and group formation processes related to racialization and colonial capitalism. He is also interested in alternative economic organizations, including cooperative and solidarity economies. Itzigsohn has authored several books, notably 'The Sociology of W. E. B. Du Bois: Racialized Modernity and the Global Color Line,' which explores Du Bois's contributions to sociological theory and urban sociology, emphasizing a critique of racialized modernity. His work traces the global and historical development of racial and colonial capitalism, positioning Du Bois as a foundational figure in this critique. Additionally, he authored 'Developing Poverty,' analyzing the informal economy in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 'Encountering American Fault-Lines,' which examines the experiences of Dominican immigrants in the United States and how class and racial structures shape their trajectories and identities. His research has been recognized with awards, including the 2009 Best Book Award from the American Sociological Association Latino/a Sociology Section. Itzigsohn teaches courses on race and ethnicity, sociological theory, development, and comparative historical sociology, contributing to the academic…

Research topics

• Sociology
• Social Science
• Political Science
• Anthropology
• Epistemology
• Law

Selected publications

• The Sociology of W. E. B. Du Bois

  New York University Press eBooks · 2020 · 222 citations

  1st authorCorresponding

  The first comprehensive understanding of Du Bois for social scientists The Sociology of W. E. B. Du Bois provides a comprehensive introduction to the founding father of American sociological thought. Du Bois is now recognized as a pioneer of American scientific sociology and as someone who made foundational contributions to the sociology of race and to urban and community sociology. However, in this authoritative volume, noted scholars José Itzigsohn and Karida L. Brown provide a groundbreaking…

  PublisherDOI

• Decolonizing Sociology: An Introduction

  Sociology of Race and Ethnicity · 2021-06-06 · 37 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Decolonizing Migration Studies: A Du Boisian/Decolonial Perspective¹

  Sociological Forum · 2023-07-20 · 17 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  This essay addresses my current thinking on the question of the decolonization of the sociology of migration. Coloniality in knowledge production means that knowledge systems are founded in the ways of seeing created by colonialism. To decolonize a field means to think beyond these ways of seeing. This essay first identifies the key ways through which coloniality is expressed in the sociology of migration and then it presents an alternative decolonial approach based on the sociology of W. E. B.…

  PublisherDOI

• Rethinking Historical Sociology

  Du Bois Review Social Science Research on Race · 2024-10-11 · 9 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract For too long, questions of racism and colonialism have not been part of historical sociology’s understanding of modernity. Yet, a new generation of scholars has begun to address this, placing racism and empire at the center of their inquiries. This new generation looks to previously marginalized scholars for guidelines and inspiration. In line with this shift in historical sociology, this paper brings the work of W.E.B. Du Bois and other writers in the Black Radical Tradition to bear on…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Sociology and the Theory of Double Consciousness

  2022-04-05 · 7 citations

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding

  I could see that the scientific task of the twentieth century would be to explore and measure the scope of chance and unreason in human action, which does not yield to argument but changes slowly and with difficulty after long study and careful development.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Karida L. Brown

  Emory University

  17 shared

• Matthias vom Hau

  12 shared

• Marcelo A. Bohrt

  4 shared

• Aldon Morris

  4 shared

• Fatma Müge Göçek

  University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

  4 shared

• Marion Orr

  3 shared

• Ricarda Hammer

  University of California, Berkeley

  3 shared

• Ali Meghji

  University of Cambridge

  3 shared

Education

• B.A.

  Johns Hopkins

  1995

Awards & honors

• Encountering American Faultlines: Class, Race, and the Domin…

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