Dr. Wilson is a sociologist who studies how race, work, and culture get connected in the new economy.
Recent News
Just Released!
Unpacks the problems and privileges of pursuing a career of passion by exploring work inside craft breweries.
Go behind-the-scenes on restaurant kitchens!
Read Dr. Wilson’s recent essay for The Conversation with Dr. Ellen Meiser (UH Hilo Sociology).
Then listen to his radio interview on “Kitchen Rage” for KKOB (New Mexico news station).
For more, see the original peer reviewed article by Dr. Wilson and Dr. Meiser in Work, Employment, and Society.
Beer and Society is “highly recommended” by Choice Magazine!
January 2023, Vol 60, Number 5.
This interesting, creative book blends academic scholarship with beer industry expertise to produce a unique sociological and psychological perspective on the function and meaning of beer, especially craft beers, in American society. Developing the concept of “beer psychology,” Wilson and Stone (both, Univ. of New Mexico) examine the way beer drinking serves as a highly ritualized social event that fosters sociability and nurtures community identity. Beer drinking practices reflect underlying psychological principles shaped by society. One's choice of beer is personal, but it is simultaneously dictated by broader cultural norms. The authors critically assess the subjective meanings of authenticity, quality, and taste, which forces readers to reflect on the many taken-for-granted expressions of beer consumption. The authors also address the racial, class, and gendered dynamics of beer drinking, which provides an avenue for exploring how beer drinking reinforces cultural values while challenging the divisions underlying society. This well-written book blends academic arguments with a personalized style that allows general readers, beer connoisseurs, brewers, and industry specialists to understand the nuances of the beer industry and the social and psychological impact beer drinking has had on society.
--F. H. Smith, North Carolina A & T State University
Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers through faculty; professionals.
Beer and Society is co-authored with Dr. Asa Stone. For more information about the book and publisher discount code, click title for link.
PRAISE FOR BEER AND SOCIETY
“This isn't just a book for beer lovers. It's a great, deep dive into beer, society, and everything in between. Regardless of your level of beer knowledge, the authors have crafted a wonderful guide into the inner workings of the industry and its connection to culture that should be required reading!”
— Ren Navarro, Beer. Diversity.
“An important contribution to the growing body of literature on craft beer, Wilson and Stone offer a unique and approachable interdisciplinary perspective to better understand the ways in which cultural profudtion is intertwined with consumer psychology. There is something here for the craft beer connoisseur as well as the advanced undergraduate student.”
— Nathaniel G. Chapman, Arkansas Tech University.
“A timely and enjoyable look at beer and its many pleasures through a fresh lens: that of the social and cultural phenomenon.”
— Josh Noel, author of Barrel-Aged Stout and Selling Out.
Front of the House, Back of the House is named a 2021 Outstanding Academic Title by Choice Magazine!
Based on six years of first-hand ethnographic research, Dr. Wilson’s new book explores how the restaurant industry reinforces and perpetuates socioeconomic divides among its workforce. Released in January 2021 from NYU Press, Front of the House, Back of the House: Race and Inequality in the Lives of Restaurant Workers is available now.
The book was featured as part of Choice Review’s monthly newsletter: 2021 Outstanding Academic Titles: Social Justice and Activism.
Praise for Front of the House, Back of the House
“This should be required reading for anyone interested in the social, economic and racial coding of labor in America – and for anyone who comes to the table to consume the foods of that labor."
-Merry White, author of Coffee Life in Japan
"This beautifully written book uses the world of restaurants to provide readers with a primer on the making and re-making of everyday social inequality. Filled with lively ethnographic detail and yet always keenly analytical, Eli Wilson has delivered a volume to be savored by scholars and students alike."
-Roger David Waldinger, The Cross-Border Connection: Immigrants, Emigrants, and Their Homelands
Offering nuanced insights into how race and class operate in the workplaces of 21st century global cities, this book is a must read not only for students and scholars, but also for fine dining enthusiasts, celebrity chefs and their Instagram followers—if they are willing to look beyond their plates."
-Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo, Florence Everline Professor of Sociology, USC
“Eli Wilson invites us inside some of the fanciest restaurants in Los Angeles. The food may be exquisite, but the mundane racism he documents will churn your stomach. As a waiter he is privy to a system of racial apartheid between the front of the house and the back of the house. This book vividly shows how white managers and workers benefit from the everyday oppression of immigrant laborers.”
-Christine Williams, author of Inside Toyland: Working, Shopping, and Social Inequality
New Mexico PBS In Focus
Featured Interview with Dr. Wilson about inequality in the restaurant industry.
“Can Restaurants Become Drivers of Opportunity—Not Inequality?”
Learn more about Dr. Wilson’s featured essay for Zocalo Public Square. Published in March 2021.