Associate Professor

Biography

Dr. Brandon A. Jackson is currently an associate professor in the Department of Sociology. In his research, he examines the relationship between racial inequality, emotion management, and social support. His research has appeared in journals such as Symbolic Interaction, Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, and the ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. His book, Brotherhood University: Black Men's Friendships and the Transition to Adulthood (Rutgers University Press, 2024), garnered an Honorable Mention for the Distinguished Contribution to Scholarship Book Award from the Race, Gender, and Class Section of the American Sociological Association. He regularly teaches courses on Race and Ethnicity, and in 2021, he was honored with the Daryl P. Evans Outstanding Teaching Award from the Purdue University Sociology Department. Born and raised in Texas, he received his B.A. in sociology from Southern Methodist University and his Ph.D. from Florida State University.

Education

Ph.D., Florida State University (Sociology)

Additional Campus Affiliations

Associate Professor, Sociology

Highlighted Publications

Jackson, Brandon A. 2024. Brotherhood University: Black Men’s Friendships and the Transition to Adulthood. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press.  (Honorable Mention, Distinguished Contribution to Scholarship Book Award, Race, Gender, and Class Section of the American Sociological Association, 2025)

Jackson, Brandon A. 2018. “Beyond the Cool Pose: Black Men and Emotion  Management Strategies.” Sociology Compass. 12: 4. 

Jackson, Brandon A. and Mary Margaret Hui. 2017. “Looking for Brothers: Black Male Bonding at a PWI.” Journal of Negro Education. 86: 463-478.

Jackson, Brandon A. and Adia Harvey Wingfield. 2013. “Getting Angry to Get Ahead: Black College Men, Emotional Performance, and Encouraging Respectable Masculinity.” Symbolic Interaction. 36: 275-292. 

Jackson, Brandon A. 2012. “The Bonds of Brotherhood: Emotional and Social Support among College Black Men.” ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 642: 61-71.

Recent Publications

Hearne, B. N., Jackson, B. A., & Niño, M. (2025). Coping at the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Differences in Psychological Distress by Race/Ethnicity and Educational Attainment. Sociological Focus. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/00380237.2025.2552168

Jackson, B. A. (2025). The Stories We're Told: Nation‐Specific Narratives of Race and Racism. Symbolic Interaction. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/symb.70006

Jackson, B. A. (2024). Brotherhood University: Black Men's Friendships and the Transition to Adulthood.

Jackson, B. A. (2024). Motivated by Money? Class, Gender, Race, and Workers’ Accounts of Platform-Based Gig Work Participation. RSF, 10(4), 191-206. https://doi.org/10.7758/RSF.2024.10.4.09

Yang, S., Jackson, B. A., & Zajicek, A. (2021). A changing landscape? An intersectional analysis of race and gender disparity in access to social capital. Sociological Spectrum, 41(1), 80-95. https://doi.org/10.1080/02732173.2020.1850375

View all publications on Illinois Experts