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Larissa Buchholz

Dr. Larissa Buchholz is an award-winning sociologist whose research focuses on the dynamics of cultural institutions and art markets within a global context. She has earned four graduate degrees, including three Master’s degrees and a PhD in Sociology from Columbia University. Buchholz is currently an Associate Professor of Communication Studies and Sociology (by courtesy) at Northwestern University and a faculty fellow at the Critical Realism Network at Yale University. Previously, she was a Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows, breaking barriers as the first woman elected from the field of sociology.

Buchholz’s book, The Global Rules of Art (Princeton University Press, 2022), explores global transformations in contemporary visual arts and examines how artists from previously “peripheral” countries achieve global visibility and recognition. The book has received notable reviews, with descriptions such as “a stunning scholarly achievement that sets a new standard for sociology,” “theoretically and empirically exceptional,” and “a reference book for now and future generations.” It also won the International Book Award for Art. Buchholz has published more than thirty academic pieces, including peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and encyclopedia entries, which have been cited by scholars across the social sciences and humanities on six continents.

Dr. Buchholz has delivered keynote addresses at leading academic institutions both nationally and internationally, including Cambridge University (UK), the University of Pennsylvania (USA), the Max Planck Institute in Cologne (Germany), Uppsala University (Sweden), and the University of Geneva (Switzerland). Her contributions to the field have garnered several awards, including Columbia University’s Robert K. Merton Award, the Junior Theorist Prize from the International Sociological Association, the Junior Theorist Award from the American Sociological Association, and the Outstanding Recent Alumni Award from Columbia University, among others.

Outside the U.S., Buchholz has offered seminars or held visiting scholarships in Germany, France, Austria, Hungary, Mexico, Qatar, and China. In addition to her academic pursuits, she has also consulted for cultural organizations both in the United States and internationally.

Main faculty page: https://communication.northwestern.edu/faculty/LarissaBuchholz
Personal website: http://larissabuchholz.soc.northwestern.edu/

MSLCE Course: Cultural Nonprofit Organizations