ASA Theory Section

Junior Theorist Award

The Junior Theorist Award honors the best paper each year submitted by an early-career sociologist (who has received the Ph.D., but who, at the time of nomination, is not more than eight years beyond the calendar year in which the Ph.D. was granted). Only self-nominations will be accepted. All submissions should be accompanied by a letter explaining how the paper advances sociological theory. This work may take the form of: (a) a paper published or accepted for publication; (b) a paper presented at a professional meeting; or (c) a paper suitable for publication or presentation at a professional meeting. All submissions should be written or published in the 12 months preceding the nomination deadline. No paper can win more than one Theory section award. The winner is to present a keynote address at the Junior Theory Symposium the year after the award is given. The deadline for submissions is March 2, 2026. Articles and nomination letters should be emailed to the entire committee by the deadline. In the case of co-authored papers, at least one author must be an early-career sociologist (as defined above), and no author can be more senior than these “early-career” eligibility guidelines. In these cases of co-authorship, letters submitted alongside the award submission must specify how the talk would be delivered.

Committee:

Lewis A. Coser Award for Theoretical Agenda Setting

The Coser Award recognizes a mid-career sociologist whose work, in the opinion of the committee, holds great promise for setting the agenda in the field of sociology. While the award winner need not be a theorist, their work must exemplify the sociological ideals Coser represented. The Coser award winner must be within 20 years of receiving their PhD. In evaluating whether work strives for these ideals, the committee will consider Coser’s commitment to: maintaining the centrality of sociological theory to sociology; avoiding the fragmentation of the field into overly narrow subfields; maintaining the critical edge of the discipline; separating political commitments from academic pursuits; and insuring the continued predominance of substance over method in the development of sociology.

To be considered for the award, candidates must be nominated by one or more people who are familiar with their work. Nomination letters should make a strong substantive case for the nominee’s selection and should discuss the nominee’s past work and their anticipated future trajectory. People nominated in the past are eligible to receive the award until they are more than 20 years past their PhD. Eligible nominees are passed along to subsequent committee members. Committee members may nominate candidates if they choose to do so. No self-nominations are allowed.

After nomination, the committee will solicit additional information from nominees and others for those candidates they consider appropriate for consideration. Specifically, they will compile a dossier of the candidate’s published works and at least two additional letters of support from third parties. The committee will make its selection based on this information and their own research into the candidates’ experience and promise. The committee may decide, in any given year, that no nominee warrants the award, in which case no award will be awarded.

Initial nominating letters should be sent by email to the chair and all members of the committee no later than March 2, 2026.

The committee is made up of the following members:

  • Kevin Anderson, kbande@ucsb.edu (Chair of the Theory Section of the ASA, or their designate)
  • Seth Abrutyn, seth.abrutyn@ubc.ca (One member, appointed by the Chair of the Theory Section of the ASA)
  • Michelle Jackson, mvjsoc@stanford.edu (President of the ASA, or their designate)
  • Steve Benard, sbenard@iu.edu (One member, appointed by the president of the ASA)
  • Sarah Jane Brubaker, sbrubaker@vcu.edu (President of the SSSP, or their designate)

The Best Student Paper Prize

The Best Student Paper recognizes distinguished work in theory by a graduate student. Work may take the form of (a) a paper published or accepted for publication; (b) a paper presented at a professional meeting; (c) a paper suitable for publication or presentation at a professional meeting. To be eligible for this award, you must be a graduate student at time of submission. The deadline for submissions is March 2, 2026. Nominations for the Student Prize and the paper under consideration should be sent to all members of the committee (see below). Self-nominations are welcome. No paper can win more than one section award. The graduate student prize will include $500 award.

Committee:

The Theory Prize (Book in 2026)

The Theory Prize is given to recognize outstanding work in theory. In even-numbered years, it is given to a book, and in odd-numbered years, to a paper; in both cases, eligible items are those published in the preceding four calendar years. The deadline for submissions is March 2, 2026. Self-nominations are welcome. The book should be sent to all five members of the committee either in electronic or paper format. No paper can win more than one section award.

Committee:

Mailing Addresses:

Fatma Muge Gocek
1113 Ferdon Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Beatriz Aldana Marquez
Department of Sociology
University of Connecticut
322 Mansfield Rd., Unit 1068
Storrs, CT 06269-1068

Heba Alex
Department of Sociology
University of Chicago
1126 E. 59th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
United States

Trevor Gardner
Vice Dean for Research and Faculty Development & Professor of Law
Washington University Law School in St. Louis
One Brookings Drive, CB 1120
St. Louis, MO 63130

Atef Said
Department of Sociology
University of Illinois at Chicago
1007 West Harrison Street (MC 312)
Chicago, Illinois 60607-7140