Douglas Steven Massey stands as a preeminent scholar in the field of sociology and demography, widely recognized for his transformative contributions to understanding human migration and social inequality. He currently holds the distinguished position of Henry G. Bryant Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs at Princeton University, with a joint appointment at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, where he directs the Office of Population Research and the Program in Population Research. A graduate of Western Washington University with a Bachelor's degree in Sociology, Psychology, and Spanish, he earned both his Master's and Doctorate in Sociology from Princeton University in 1977 and 1978 respectively. Prior to his current position, Massey held faculty appointments at the University of Chicago and the University of Pennsylvania, where he served in multiple leadership capacities including Chair of the Department of Sociology, Director of the Population Studies Center, and Chair of the Graduate Group in Demography.
Massey's groundbreaking research has fundamentally reshaped scholarly understanding of international migration, particularly the Mexico-U.S. migration stream, and the structural foundations of racial segregation in American society. His influential works including American Apartheid, Climbing Mount Laurel, and Categorically Unequal have established new frameworks for analyzing residential segregation and social stratification, with his publications collectively garnering over 78,000 citations and an h-index of 117. As founder and co-director of the Mexican Migration Project and the Latin American Migration Project, he has pioneered innovative methodologies for studying undocumented migration through binational survey research, generating invaluable longitudinal data used by hundreds of scholars worldwide. His research demonstrating the institutional foundations of racial segregation has been instrumental in shaping legal arguments and policy discussions regarding housing discrimination and residential patterns in the United States.
Beyond his scholarly contributions, Massey has provided exceptional leadership to the social sciences through his presidency of the American Sociological Association, the Population Association of America, and the American Academy of Political and Social Science, where he has championed rigorous empirical research and interdisciplinary collaboration. He has mentored generations of scholars and built extensive research networks across institutions and national boundaries, particularly between North American and Latin American universities. Currently serving as co-editor of the Annual Review of Sociology and continuing his work with the Mexican Migration Project, Massey remains actively engaged in advancing understanding of migration dynamics and social inequality. His ongoing research examines the consequences of U.S. border policies and the academic experiences of minority students at selective institutions, ensuring his work continues to address pressing societal challenges with methodological rigor and theoretical insight.
