Reuben A. Buford May
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The trailblazers in human, academic, scientific and religious freedom have always been in the minority… It will take such a small committed minority to work unrelentingly to win the uncommitted majority. Such a group may transform America’s greatest dilemma into her most glorious opportunity.
Background
Reuben A. Buford May is an urban ethnographer and professor of sociology at Texas A&M University. May earned his PhD from the University of Chicago.
Interests
May’s research areas include urban ethnography, race and culture, the sociology of sport, and the sociology of the everyday. As an urban ethnographer, he views the city as a laboratory for examining the complexities of social life. His research goal is to theoretically elaborate the kinds of social forces that influence African Americans’ interactions with non-minorities.
While at MIT as an MLK visiting professor, May took a nuanced look at how African Americans negotiate the public spaces of downtown Athens, Georgia. With Prof. Susan Sibley as his host in the Department of Anthropology, he offered undergraduate courses on “Urban Cultures” and “Sport and Culture.”
News Items
May, Mbiti, and Fox are MLK Visiting Scholars for 2010-11
The School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences welcomes three MLK Visiting Professors.
MIT welcomes 8 MLK visiting professors and scholars
Scholars’ diverse backgrounds enhance MIT community, research and teaching.