February 17, 2011

Sociologist Receives Award for Scholarship on the Role of Women in Society

Verta Taylor, professor of sociology at UC Santa Barbara, has received the Jessie Bernard Award from the American Sociological Association (ASA). The award recognizes Taylor's scholarly work over the course of her career as it has broadened the disciplines of sociology to encompass fully the role of women in society. It will be presented at the association's annual meeting in Las Vegas in August.

"This is the preeminent scholarly award in sociology given annually to someone who, over the course of their career, has shaped the discipline of sociology to encompass fully the experiences and contributions of women," said Taylor. "I am deeply honored to count myself among the remarkable women who have won the Jessie Bernard Award, and I am awed by how much things have changed for women during our lifetimes because of the scholarly achievements of this distinguished group of scholars who came before me."

Said Melvin Oliver, the SAGE Sara Miller McCune Dean of Social Sciences at UCSB: "Professor Taylor is the first recipient of this award from UCSB, and it is a tribute to our strength in the area of sex and gender that one of our own has been recognized with one of the American Sociological Association's major awards. Professor Taylor has established herself as an innovative scholar whose work is both timely and theoretically generative."

Taylor, who joined the faculty at UCSB in 2002, is a specialist in the women's movement, and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender movement. She has taught sociology and women's studies at The Ohio State University. She is the author or co-author of several books, and her writings have appeared in numerous scholarly collections, and in journals such as Signs, Gender & Society, The American Sociological Review, Social Problems, Mobilization, the Journal of Women's History, Qualitative Sociology, the Journal of Marriage and Family, and the Journal of Homosexuality. Her most recent book, "Drag Queens at the 801 Cabaret," which analyzes drag performance as a collective action repertoire of the gay and lesbian movement, won the 2003 Best Book Award from the ASA's Sex and Gender Section.

Founded in 1905, the ASA is a nonprofit membership association dedicated to advancing sociology as a scientific discipline and profession. With over 14,000 members, the organization encompasses sociologists who are faculty members at colleges and universities, researchers, practitioners, and students.

About UC Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara is a leading research institution that also provides a comprehensive liberal arts learning experience. Our academic community of faculty, students, and staff is characterized by a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration that is responsive to the needs of our multicultural and global society. All of this takes place within a living and learning environment like no other, as we draw inspiration from the beauty and resources of our extraordinary location at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.