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William Julius Wilson

ウィリアム・ジュリアス・ウィルソン

Uiriamu Juriasu Wiruson

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1935-12-20 （Derry, Pennsylvania, U.S.）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Derry, Pennsylvania → Chicago, Illinois → Cambridge, Massachusetts

Career

Occupations
sociologist, university professor, researcher, author
Active Years
1966-
Affiliations
Harvard University, University of Chicago, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Harvard Kennedy School (Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy), Hutchins Center for African and African American Research
Memberships
National Academy of Sciences, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, National Academy of Education, American Philosophical Society, Institute of Medicine, British Academy
Influenced
Michael Burawoy, Sudhir Venkatesh, Loïc Wacquant

Education

Wilberforce University
Country: United States
Bowling Green State University
Country: United States
Washington State University
Department of Sociology / Sociology
Degree: PhD
Year of Graduation: 1966
Country: United States
PhD earned

Awards

National Medal of Science
1998
Organization: United States (National Science Foundation/Presidential)
Result: 受賞
Talcott Parsons Prize
2003
Organization: American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Result: 受賞
Daniel Patrick Moynihan Prize
2013
Organization: Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
Result: 受賞
Hillman Prize (for Book Journalism)
1997
Work: When Work Disappears
Category: 書籍部門
Organization: The Sidney Hillman Foundation
Result: 受賞
Anisfield-Wolf Book Award (Lifetime Achievement)
2010
Organization: Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards
Result: 受賞
W.E.B. Du Bois Career of Distinguished Scholarship Award
2014
Organization: American Sociological Association
Result: 受賞
MacArthur Fellowship
1987
Organization: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Truly Disadvantaged

1987 urban sociology / sociology

Analyzes how deindustrialization, declining institutional resources, and limited employment opportunities contribute to concentrated urban poverty and the emergence of an underclass; elaborates on neighborhood effects and spatial mismatch.

urban povertyclassraceneighborhood effects

When Work Disappears

1996 urban sociology / labor sociology

Examines how the disappearance of stable employment in urban areas reshapes communities and family structures, exploring the long-term effects of job loss on urban poor populations.

job lossfamily structureurban communities
Adaptations
  • [Television (inspiration/influence)] HBO's The Wire Season 2 (inspired)

The Declining Significance of Race

1978 sociology / race studies

Argues that while race remains important, class increasingly shapes life chances for African Americans, shifting focus toward socioeconomic factors.

race and classinstitutional discriminationsocial structure

More Than Just Race

2009 sociology / public policy

Reconsiders concentrated urban poverty by tracing interactions among structural, economic, and cultural factors, arguing against one-sided explanations.

structural vs cultural factorspolicyurban poverty

There Goes the Neighborhood

2006 urban sociology / race and ethnicity

Co-authored study of racial, ethnic, and class tensions across four Chicago neighborhoods and their implications for America.

neighborhood comparisonrace relationscommunity studies

Good Kids in Bad Neighborhoods

2006 sociology / education / development

Analyzes factors enabling positive development among youth in disadvantaged neighborhoods, focusing on the role of local resources and supports.

youth developmentneighborhood resourceseducation

Bibliography

  • Power, Racism and Privilege: Race Relations in Theoretical and Sociohistorical Perspectives
  • The Declining Significance of Race
  • The Truly Disadvantaged
  • When Work Disappears
  • There Goes the Neighborhood
  • More Than Just Race
  • Good Kids in Bad Neighborhoods

Adaptations

  • HBO's The Wire Season 2 (inspired by When Work Disappears)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
empirical, policy-oriented proseanalysis emphasizing interaction of structure and culture
Recurring Motifs
urban povertyclass disparitiesneighborhood effectsdecline of institutional resources

Legacy

William J. Wilson reshaped understanding of concentrated urban poverty, neighborhood effects, and the interplay of race and class through empirical research that influenced both academia and public policy; he has been widely honored with major awards and honorary degrees.

Academic Societies

  • American Sociological Association
  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences
  • National Academy of Sciences

Archives

  • Harvard University Archives

In Popular Culture

  • HBO's The Wire (influenced Season 2)

Quotes

  • Why do poverty and unequal opportunity persist in the lives of so many African Americans? We must trace how structural, economic, and cultural factors interact.
    Source: More Than Just Race (2009)

Trivia

  • Named a University Professor (one of Harvard's highest faculty distinctions).
  • Recipient of more than 45 honorary degrees.
  • Selected by Time magazine in 1996 as one of America's 25 Most Influential People.