Christopher Muller

Christopher Muller is a Professor of Sociology at Harvard University, where he has been since 2023. Previously, he taught at the University of California, Berkeley. His research focuses on the political economy of incarceration in the U.S., examining how agricultural labor markets, migration, and struggles over land and labor have shaped racial and class inequality in incarceration. He also studies environmental inequality and disparities in infectious disease mortality.

• Current Position: Professor of Sociology at Harvard University (on leave 2025-26)
• Former Position: Professor at UC Berkeley

His research explores long-term patterns of incarceration, particularly the historically lower Black incarceration rates in the South compared to the North and the shift in the early 1970s. He investigates connections between incarceration, slavery, peonage, and agricultural economic shifts. His work highlights how labor demand and social exclusion shape incarceration trends.

Key areas of interest include historical sociology, criminology, and the intersections of race, class, and punishment. His recent work documents declining racial disparities but rising educational inequality in incarceration rates since the 21st century.

• Scientific Awards: None explicitly listed in provided texts
• Advising/Grants: Not detailed in the provided materials

He is affiliated with Harvard’s Crime and Punishment, Health and Population, and Race, Ethnicity and Immigration research clusters.