Nancy A. Naples is an American sociologist, and currently Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Connecticut, where she is also director of graduate studies.[1][2] She has contributed significantly to the study of community activism, poverty in the United States, inequality in rural communities, and methodology in women's studies and feminism.[3]
Naples has been chair of organisations, including the Race, Gender and Class Section of the American Sociological Association, the Discrimination Committee of Sociologists for Women in Society, and the Conflict, Social Action and Change Division of the Society for the Study of Social Problems. She has also served as president of the Eastern Sociological Society and the Society for the Study of Social Problems. Much of Naples' career has been focused on Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and in reflection of this she has been the director of related programs at University of California, Irvine, and the University of Connecticut.[7]
Naples was awarded the Jessie Bernard Award by the American Sociological Association, which recognises scholarly work that has enlarged the horizons of sociology to encompass fully the role of women in society.[8]
Research
Naples works with ethnographic, discourse analysis, archival, and comparative research methods to explore the connection between social actors and economic and political structures and policies.[9] Her work has addressed rural economic development, community activism, globalization, and welfare.[10][11][12] Inter-sectional feminism has been a consistent focus of and trend in Naples' research.[13][14][15][16]
Selected works
Naples, Nancy A. (ed.), Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Gender and Sexualities Studies Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell (2016).
Naples, Nancy A; Bickhman Mendez, Jennifer (eds.), Border Politics: Social Movements, Collective Identities, and Globalization, New York: New York University Press (2015).
Cantú, Lionel; Vidal-Oritz, Salvador; Naples, Nancy A (eds.), The Sexuality of Migration: Border Crossing and Mexican Immigrant Men. New York: New York University Press (2009).
Naples, Nancy A. (ed.), Feminism and Method: Ethnography, Discourse Analysis, and Activist Research. New York: Routledge (2003).
Naples, Nancy A., Grassroots Warriors: Activist Mothering, Community Work, and the War on Poverty. New York: Routledge (1998).
^Naples, Nancy A., Feminism and Method: Ethongraphy, Discourse analysis and activist research, (2013)
^Naples, Nancy A., Grassroots warriors: Activist mothering, community work, and the war on poverty, (1992)
^Naples, Nancy A., 'Contradictions in Agrarian Ideology: Restructuring Gender, Race-Ethnicity, and Class', Rural Sociology, (1994)
^Naples, Nancy A., 'Standpoint Epistemology and the Uses of Self-Reflection in Feminist Ethnography: Lessons for Rural Sociology', Rural Sociology, (2000)
^Naples, Nancy A., 'Contradicitons in the gender subtext of the War on Poverty: The community work and resistance of women from low income communities', Social Problems, (1991)
^Naples, Nancy A., 'Teaching Intersectionality Intersectionally', Conversations, pp.566-577 (2009)
^Hood, Jane., 'Book Review: Feminism and Method: Ethongraphy, Discourse Analysis, and Activist Research', Gender & Society, (February, 2006)