Ali R. Chaudhary

Ali R. Chaudhary serves as Associate Professor of Sociology at Rutgers University's School of Arts and Sciences, where he investigates how socially constructed categories like race, ethnicity, and religion mediate social opportunities. Currently on leave as a visiting scholar at CUNY Graduate Center's Advanced Research Collaborative, he examines pandemic impacts on NYC/NJ music ecosystems while developing comparative-historical research on racial segregation in musical instruments.

His educational background includes a Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis.

Dr. Chaudhary's research spans critical domains:

• Race & Ethnicity: Analyzing symbolic boundary activation in immigrant communities and institutional contexts
• Migration Studies: Focusing on Pakistani diaspora organizations across North America and Europe
• Music Sociology: Investigating segregationist logics in instrument production and pandemic disruptions to musical labor
• Transnational Politics: Exploring voting behaviors and political engagement among European immigrants

His recent publications demonstrate evolving methodological sophistication, transitioning from transnational migration analysis to interdisciplinary cultural studies examining music's racialized dimensions. Current fieldwork documents pandemic-induced transformations in musician livelihoods and venue ecosystems across urban America.

Dr. Chaudhary actively disseminates findings through media engagement, including features by Oxford University's International Migration Institute and coverage in USA Today Network regarding New Jersey Supper Clubs as intergroup tension reducers.