Carol Rambo

Carol Rambo is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Memphis, where she has held roles including editor of Symbolic Interaction (2008–2011). She earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Florida in 1993. Her research focuses on narrative strategies addressing trauma, marginality, and identity, employing autoethnography, discourse analysis, and participant observation. Key contributions include the 'layered account' method and autoethnographic works on childhood sexual abuse, disability, and exotic dancing. She has been recognized with the Norman Denzin Qualitative Research Award, W. Russell Smith Teaching Excellence Award, and Distinguished Teaching Award.

Dr. Rambo’s teaching spans undergraduate courses like Sociology of Deviant Behavior and graduate courses such as Qualitative Methods. Her research co-authored with students explores marginalized identities, including overweight females, self-injurers, and racially ambiguous individuals. Over 30+ years, her work has appeared in journals like Symbolic Interaction and Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, emphasizing narrative resistance and symbolic interactionism.

• Education: Ph.D. in Sociology, University of Florida (1993)
• Awards:
  • Norman Denzin Qualitative Research Award
  • W. Russell Smith Award for Teaching Excellence (2005)
  • Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Award (2018)
• Key Research Themes: Autoethnography, narrative resistance, identity management, trauma studies.

Her articles analyze topics ranging from academic culture to Native American racial formation, reflecting her commitment to sociological inquiry into marginalized experiences.