Suzi Hall

Suzi Hall is Professor of Sociology and Head of Department at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Her research explores the intersections of global migration, urban marginalisation, and racialisation, with a focus on everyday life in multicultural cities. She is a leading figure in urban ethnography and contributes significantly to debates on citizenship, public space, and migrant livelihoods.

• University: London School of Economics and Political Science
• School: Department of Sociology
• Academic Rank: Professor

Her research interests include urbanisation, migration, racialisation, livelihoods, and ethnography, with a strong emphasis on the lived realities of marginalised communities in cities. She combines sociological theory with architectural insight, drawing from her background as a practicing architect in South Africa.

The recent publications of Professor Hall reveal a consistent trajectory in urban ethnography, focusing on migrant infrastructures, gendered precarity, and the politics of urban space. Her work spans high-impact journals in sociology, urban studies, and geography, demonstrating interdisciplinary reach and methodological rigor. Themes such as super-diversity, street economies, and urban belonging recur across her scholarship, often grounded in fieldwork in London, Cape Town, and other global cities.

Scientific awards and recognitions include:

• Philip Leverhulme Prize in Sociology (2017)
• ESRC Future Research Leaders award (2015–2017)
• LSE Student Union 'Outstanding Teacher of the Year' (2025)
• Rome Scholarship in Architecture (1998–1999)
• LSE Robert McKenzie Prize for outstanding PhD research (2010)

She teaches on the MSc City Design & Social Science programme and convenes an undergraduate module on Racial Borderscapes. She is part of the Urban Sociology research cluster at LSE and welcomes PhD enquiries in her research areas, though not for the 2026–27 session. She has supervised and mentored numerous students and contributes to academic leadership as Head of Department.

Her major works include the books The Migrant’s Paradox (2021) and City, Street and Citizen (2012), as well as edited volumes like The Sage Handbook of the 21st Century City. She has also contributed to public scholarship through films like Ordinary Streets and the open-access website Race, Space and Architecture.