Peter Bearman

Peter Bearman

Research Interests

Biographical Note

Peter Bearman is Director of the Incite Institute and Cole Professor of Social Science in the Department of Sociology. He co-designed the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health and is a specialist in network analysis and historical sociology. He is author of Doormen (University of Chicago Press, 2005) and with Adam Reich, of Working for Respect: Community and Conflict at Walmart (Columbia University Press, 2018). He is currently co-editor of the Middle Range Series and the Oral History Series at Columbia University Press. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Science, the National Academy of Science, and the National Academy of Medicine. His recent work focuses on the analysis of texts and narratives. He teaches introductory sociology, qualitative research design, research designs, historical sociology, social networks, and classical social theory.

News

October 22, 2018

Working for Respect Community and Conflict at Walmart

In Working for Respect, Adam Reich and Peter Bearman examine how workers make sense of their jobs at places like Walmart in order to consider the nature of contemporary low-wage work, as well as the obstacles and opportunities such workplaces present as sites of struggle for social and economic justice. They describe the life experiences that lead workers to Walmart and analyze the dynamics of the shop floor. 

March 31, 2016

Peter Bearman awarded The Golden Goose Award

Congratulations to Peter Bearman for receiving the Golden Goose Award for his impactful contribution to the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, a landmark health study on social factors affecting adolecent health and long-term well being.