Sofya Aptekar

Dr. Sofya Aptekar is an Associate Professor of Urban Studies at St. John's University (CUNY), with a PhD in Sociology from Princeton University (2010) and a BA from Yale University (2001). Her research focuses on immigration, gentrification, public space, military and US empire dynamics, and alternatives to capitalism. She is the author of Green Card Soldier: Between Model Immigrant and Security Threat and The Road to Citizenship: What Naturalization Means for Immigrants and the United States, and co-author of Lend and Rule: Fighting the Shadow Financialization of Public Universities. She actively participates in labor movements through the Public Higher Education Workers network with Labor Notes and serves as a delegate of the Professional Staff Congress-CUNY.

Research Interests: Dr. Aptekar explores how immigration policy shapes undocumented status, the role of militarism in citizenship narratives, and the impact of neoliberal policies on higher education. Her work bridges sociological theory with grassroots activism, particularly in urban spaces like community gardens and libraries. She critically examines the intersections of race, class, and state power.

Recent Work: Her recent articles analyze debt and military labor, DACA's educational impacts, and the legal violence faced by undocumented Chinese migrants. She has received grants including the 2024 Social Practice CUNY Faculty Fellowship and the 2017 T. Grant Foundation award for research on immigration and education.

Awards & Grants

• 2024-2025 Social Practice CUNY Faculty Fellow
• 2023-2024 CUNY Black, Racial, and Ethnic Studies Research Faculty Fellow
• 2019-20 Russell Sage Foundation Visiting Fellow

Advising & Advocacy: Co-authoring studies with Amy Hsin on undocumented students at CUNY, she advocates for systemic changes in higher education financing and labor rights. Her activism includes organizing with the Coalition against Campus Debt and contributing to policy debates on immigration reform.

Labs/Teams: Engaged with the Public Higher Education Workers network and the Scholar Strategy Network, she collaborates to advance equity in urban spaces and public institutions.