Amin Ghaziani

The Sexualities section of the American Sociological Association has recognized me with *both* the Distinguished Book Award (for Long Live Queer Nightlife) and Distinguished Article Award (for “Situational Solidarity and the Use of Identity Labels in Interactions“). So much incredible scholarship was published in this recent competitions. To be doubly recognized at a national level is a huge honor.

I have been elected chair of the Culture section of the American Sociological Association, one of the largest sections of the ASA. It’s a huge honor, although it comes at a moment when many of us are reflecting on the nexus of our ethical and professional commitments. I don’t know how the years ahead will unfold, but I am motivated by an ethos of service, I feel grateful to work with exceptional scholars who care deeply about the world, and I look forward to meaningful collaborations with other ASA sections.

Recently published in The Sociological Quarterly is a special issue that I have guest edited on queer nightlife. In my introduction, entitled The Sociology of Queer Nightlife, I blend arguments from the social sciences about “dirty work” with humanistic notions of “disidentification” as a survival strategy to amplify a distinctive disciplinary point of view. What theoretical opportunities arise from working on and against the conservative tendencies of sociology, neither abandoning queer nightlife for something perceived as more legitimate nor refusing entirely to engage with other sociologists? The special issue features 8 articles and a cross-disciplinary roundtable forum.

Long Live Queer Nightlife has been shortlisted as a finalist for the 2025 Lammy Award for Best Book in LGBTQ+ Nonfiction! 1,339 titles were submitted this year, spanning 26 categories, evaluated by 80 judges over 6 months. See all the finalists here, and coverage of the awards and finalists by the CBC here.

As the flagship journal of the Eastern Sociological Society (ESS), I participated in a session at the 2025 ESS Annual Meeting that focused on publishing in general journals of the discipline. The organizers invited editors of our field’s top generalist journals as panelists: Andrew Fullerton from Social Problems, I represented Contexts, and Laurel Smith-Doerr from American Sociological Review. Our conversation was published at Sociological Forum. Open access and free to read/share. Find it here.

Queer nightlife spaces are rapidly disappearing. Want to know how to keep them alive? Check out my article in Maclean’s, Canada’s premier current affairs magazine, often compared with The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and Newsweek. Read it here.