Skip to main content

J. Miller McPherson

Professor Emeritus in the Department of Sociology
Sociology

Overview


Most of my research focuses on voluntary groups and the social networks that draw people into and out of them. But my research agenda is more ambitious than that. I think that the general ecological theory of affiliation that I have developed shows how any social entity that spreads through networks behaves. We’ve already applied the theory to occupations, musical tastes, religious congregations, voluntary organizations and other social groups. Now I am working on applying it to fuzzier cultural entities like attitudes, beliefs and social identities. I think that the theory will explain some important things about the behavior of virtually any social characteristic.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor Emeritus in the Department of Sociology · 2012 - Present Sociology, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

Recent Publications


"Gender Identity Recognition and Task Performance"

Journal Article Advances in Group Processes: Social Identification in Groups · 2005 Cite

"A Blau Space Primer: Prolegomenon to an Ecology of Affiliation"

Journal Article Industrial and Corporate Change · 2004 Cite

Birds of a feather: Homophily in social networks

Journal Article Annual Review of Sociology · January 1, 2001 Similarity breeds connection. This principle - the homophily principle - structures network ties of every type, including marriage, friendship, work, advice, support, information transfer, exchange, comembership, and other types of relationship. The result ... Full text Cite
View All Publications

Recent Grants


Self and Interaction in an Ecology of Identities

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2003 - 2005

View All Grants

Education, Training & Certifications


Vanderbilt University · 1973 Ph.D.
University of Alabama, Birmingham · 1968 B.A.