Joel P. Stillerman
Professor of Sociology and Faculty-in-Residence in Honors College
Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI
PhD, Sociology, New School for Social Research
Contact: stillejo@gvsu.edu
My scholarly work focuses on trade unionists' and street vendors' protest, consumer culture, and cultural capital in Chile; I have also published two articles on transnational labor activism in North America.
1) My first project examines the trajectory of metalworkers' protests under democratic, authoritarian and post-authoritarian regimes. I have been particularly interested in the relationship between geography and the character of protest.
2) My second project focuses on the nature of social relationships in street markets, flea markets, and malls, and their implications for the future of urban public space and economic life.
3) I have worked on a research team focused on consumer behavior in Chilean shopping malls, which emphasizes shoppers' agency and creativity in mall settings.
4) I built on this research to develop an undergraduate text, The Sociology of Consumption: A Global Approach (Polity)
5) Finally, I have studied how adults within different segments of the middle classes invest in the home decoration, education, housing, and leisure markets. I am particularly interested in how individuals' assets (cultural, economic, and social capital), gender, and household structure influence families' mobility and identity strategies. I am developing a book from this project.