William Julius Wilson facts for kids

William Julius Wilson (born December 20, 1935) is an American sociologist. He is a professor at Harvard University and writes books about cities, race, and social classes. He won the National Medal of Science and was the president of the American Sociological Association. Professor Wilson has shown how limited job chances and weak community resources can make poverty worse in American inner-city areas.

Professor Wilson's Career

William Julius Wilson is a special professor at Harvard University. He is one of only 25 "University Professors," which is a very high honor for a Harvard teacher.

He earned his PhD from Washington State University in 1966. After that, he taught sociology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In 1972, he joined the University of Chicago. There, he became a top professor and led a center that studied problems in cities.

In 1996, he moved to Harvard University. He works with different centers there, including one that studies social policy and another that focuses on African and African American research. He is also part of the Library of Congress Scholars Council.

Professor Wilson has been a board member for several important organizations. These groups work on social issues and public policy. He also advised Sudhir Venkatesh, who became a well-known sociologist himself.

Professor Wilson's Books

Professor Wilson has written many important books. These books help us understand how society works, especially for different groups of people.

• Power Racism and Privilege: Race Relations in Theoretical and Sociohistorical Perspectives (1973, 1976)
• The Declining Significance of Race: Blacks and Changing American Institutions (1978, 1980, 2012). This book won an award from the American Sociological Association.
• The Truly Disadvantaged: The Inner City, the Underclass, and Public Policy (1987, 2012). This book was chosen as one of the best books of 1987 by the New York Times Book Review. It also won several other awards.
• When Work Disappears: The World of the New Urban Poor (1996). This book was also named a notable book by the New York Times Book Review and won awards.
• The Bridge Over the Racial Divide: Rising Inequality and Coalition Politics
• There Goes the Neighborhood: Racial, Ethnic, and Class Tensions in Four Chicago Neighborhoods and Their Meaning for America (2006) (co-author)
• Good Kids in Bad Neighborhoods: Successful Development in Social Context (2006) (co-author)
• More than Just Race: Being Black and Poor in the Inner City (2009)

Key Ideas in His Books

In The Declining Significance of Race (1978), Professor Wilson suggested that a person's social class became more important than their race in determining their life chances. This was especially true for African Americans.

In The Truly Disadvantaged (1987), he talked about the "spatial mismatch" theory. This idea explains how inner-city poverty grew. As factory jobs left cities, many people lost their work. This made it harder for men to support families, which affected marriage and family life. He also disagreed with ideas that said welfare caused poverty.

His book More Than Just Race (2009) looks at why poverty continues for many African Americans in cities. He explores how things like unfair laws, housing rules, and job discrimination have affected people. He also looks at how people's attitudes and beliefs play a role. Professor Wilson believes we need to understand both big societal problems and individual choices to solve poverty. He wants to change how we talk about race and poverty in public discussions.

His Influence

Professor Wilson's book When Work Disappears was an inspiration for the second season of the TV show The Wire. This shows how his ideas have reached beyond academic circles.