Department of Sociology

An assistant professor in sociology, Professor Hunter holds a courtesy appointment in African American Studies, and is also a faculty affiliate of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies and LGBT Studies at Yale University. Having received his PhD in 2011 from Northwestern University in sociology, Professor Hunter is generally interested in urban race relations, sexuality, politics, gender, history and change with an especial focus on urban black Americans. His book, Black Citymakers: How the Philadelphia Negro Changed Urban America (Oxford University Press) revisits the Black Seventh Ward neighborhood immortalized in W.E.B. DuBois’s The Philadelphia Negro. Through the dual lens of political agency and critical historical events, Black Citymakers follows the transformation of the neighborhood from predominantly black at the beginning of the 20th century into a largely white upper middle class and commercial neighborhood by the century’s conclusion. His research has benefited from grants from the National Science Foundation, the Social Science Research Council, and the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. In addition, Hunter’s research and commentary on urban black life and inequality has been featured in the journals the Du Bois Review, City & Community, Sexuality Research & Social Policy and the New York Times.