Joseph Guzman

Assistant Professor, Sociology

Joseph Guzman’s research focuses on dynamics of race and class among African Americans and their social organizations. Through an ongoing ethnography of a Black social club I examine how sociability shapes the construction of Black masculinity and the tensions of navigating race- and class-based identities at the small group level and in relation to the larger Black community. In terms of economic and political mobilization, I use archival methods to examine how organizational and contextual dynamics affect the emergence, persistence, and decline of local civil rights organizations. At the communal level my sociohistorical work explores the urban projects of Bronzevilles. Specifically, I examine the emergence of Bronzeville as a concept, the influence of class, gender, and status (e.g., regional, skin tone) dynamics on its development, and how it ultimately transcended local circumstances. 

Degrees

  • Ph.D. in Sociology, The Ohio State University, 2022
  • M.A. in Sociology, The Ohio State University, 2018
  • B.A. in History and Sociology, St. Joseph’s College, 2016

Affiliated Department

Sociology

Scholarly and creative works

  • Presentations

    Brotherhood University: Black Men’s Friendships and the Transition to Adulthood by Brandon Jackson. Author Meets Critics Session

    Annual Meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society
    Boston, MA
    March
    2025
    Joseph A. Guzman
  • Presentations

    Ethnography, Its Benefits and Challenges

    2025
    Joseph A. Guzman
  • Presentations

    Ethnography, Its Benefits and Challenges

    Joseph A. Guzman
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    Black Newspapers and the Black Public Sphere: The Utility of Cartoons in the Context of World War II

    Published in Poetics
    April
    2023
    Vol. 97
    Joseph A. Guzman, Brandon Moore