Forrest Stuart

Forrest Stuart is a Professor of Sociology at Stanford University, where he directs the Stanford Ethnography Lab and serves as Faculty Director for the Program on Urban Studies.

• Education:
  • Ph.D. in Sociology (UCLA, 2012)
  • M.A. in Sociology (UCLA, 2008)
  • M.S. in Justice, Law & Society (American University, 2006)
  • B.A. in Politics (UC Santa Cruz, 2004)

As an urban ethnographer, Stuart investigates how large-scale forces like criminal justice expansion, economic shifts, and violence-related trauma reshape disadvantaged urban communities. His research focuses on social inequality, digital cultural production, and collateral consequences of policing.

His acclaimed books include Down, Out, and Under Arrest: Policing and Everyday Life in Skid Row and Ballad of the Bullet: Gangs, Drill Music, and the Power of Online Infamy, which introduced the concept of digital disadvantage.

• Scientific Awards:
  • MacArthur Fellow
  • Robert E. Park Book Award
  • Michael J. Hindelang Book Award
  • Gordon J. Lang Book Prize

Stuart’s work bridges qualitative methods with digital sociology, offering critical insights into urban poverty, gang culture, and systemic inequality.