Derron O. Wallace is an Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Education Policy. Prior to joining Brown, he served as the Jacob S. Potofsky Associate Professor of Sociology and Associate Professor of Education at Brandeis University. An award-winning sociologist of race, ethnicity, and education, Dr. Wallace examines the relationship between social policies, political power, and young people, nationally and internationally.
Professor Wallace is the author of the widely celebrated book, The Culture Trap: Ethnic Expectations and Unequal Schooling for Black Youth (Oxford University Press). The Culture Trap received a dozen awards and finalist distinctions, including the Ida B. Wells-Barnett Outstanding Book Award from the Association of Black Sociologists, the Pierre Bourdieu Award for the Best Book in Sociology of Education, the Oliver Cromwell Cox Book Award for Anti-Racist Scholarship, Honorable Mention for Best Book in the Sociology of Children and Youth from the American Sociological Association, among other prizes. The Culture Trap was also finalist for the coveted C. Wright Mills Book Award from the Society for the Study of Social Problems, and the Best Book of the Year Award from the British Educational Research Association.
Dr. Wallace has received five distinguished early career awards from various sections of the American Sociological Association, the American Educational Research Association and the Comparative and International Education Society.
A former community organizer, Dr. Wallace's work on youth safety, immigrant rights, fair housing, and public education has been featured by BBC News, BBC Radio, the Guardian, ITV, and NBC News.
