Larissa Buchholz, Associate Professor of Communication Studies and Sociology (by courtesy), Northwestern University
Larissa Buchholz brings a distinctly global and theoretically integrative perspective to the editorship of Sociological Theory, a journal of the American Sociological Association (ASA). She is associate professor of communication studies and sociology (by courtesy) at Northwestern University and was previously a junior fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows, where she was the first woman sociologist to be elected. Trained across European and American intellectual traditions, she works at the intersection of sociological theory, global and transnational sociology, and the sociology of culture, with additional interests in comparative-historical sociology and the sociology of markets. She has conducted research and held visiting positions in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and East Asia. Her work is animated by a broader question: how can sociological theory travel—conceptually, empirically, and geographically—without losing analytical precision and substantive depth?
Buchholz’s scholarship combines conceptual development with sustained empirical inquiry. Drawing on and extending traditions such as field theory, network theory, world polity theory, actor-network theory, and critical realism, she develops frameworks that place global interconnections, spatial inequalities, and cultural processes at the center of sociological explanation. Her work advances new ways of theorizing how culture, knowledge, and value circulate across borders, and how global intellectual and cultural inequalities evolve beyond the Global North.
Her award-winning book, The Global Rules of Art: The Emergence and Divisions of a Cultural World Economy (Princeton University Press 2022), offers a comparative analysis of how cultural producers from historically peripheral regions of the world achieve visibility and recognition globally. Widely reviewed, the book has been described as setting a new benchmark for the study of cultural globalization. Her influential article, “What is a Global Field? Theorizing Fields beyond the Nation-State” (The Sociological Review), addresses how core sociological concepts can be reworked for transnational contexts and has contributed to the consolidation of global field theory as an emerging paradigm. Her broader body of work engages foundational questions of concept formation, causal explanation, and comparative abstraction while remaining closely attuned to empirical transformations. Her publications have been cited across subfields and continents, and her contributions to sociological theory have been recognized with awards from the ASA and the International Sociological Association.
Buchholz brings substantial editorial experience and a strong record of service to the discipline. She has served two terms on the editorial board of Sociological Theory and sits on the advisory board of the Princeton Studies in Cultural Sociology book series. Her broader disciplinary service includes participation on major award committees, such as the ASA Theory Section’s Junior Theorist Award, as well as extensive reviewing for leading journals, including American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, Social Forces, and Theory and Society. Through this work, she has developed a sustained commitment to fostering rigorous, constructive, and generative scholarly exchange.
As co-editor of Sociological Theory, Buchholz will be part of a collaborative editorial team that understands theory not as a discrete subfield but as a central site of disciplinary dialogue. The journal, in this view, is a space for theoretically oriented work from across sociology, alongside contributions that engage more directly with foundational questions. A key priority for Buchholz and her co-editors is to expand the global scope of sociological theory by fostering understanding and exchange across diverse intellectual traditions and geographic contexts. This includes strengthening the representation of scholars based outside the United States, supporting theoretically ambitious work from a wider range of settings, and ensuring that manuscripts are evaluated in ways that are attentive to differing epistemological and stylistic conventions. At the same time, the editors are committed to maintaining a fair, transparent, and constructive review process that provides meaningful feedback to authors at all stages of their careers.
Buchholz’s own scholarly trajectory, marked by sustained engagement with global research contexts and interdisciplinary collaboration, aligns closely with this vision. Through her editorship, she aims to contribute to a journal that not only reflects the evolving landscape of sociological theory but also helps shape it by cultivating new conversations, expanding conceptual horizons, and supporting the next generation of theorists.
Larissa Buchholz has been appointed initially for a three-year term running from 2027 through 2029.