Erich Steinman, PhD
Assistant Professor of Sociology

Research Interests:

• Social movements; political sociology; culture; institutional theory, law and society; American Indians and indigenous people; race and ethnicity; public policy; and sexuality, sexual orientation and gender.

Recent Courses:

• Sociology and Its View of the World (SOC01)
• Political Sociology (SOC91)
• Social Movements and Social Change (SOC111)
• Sociology of Law: Power, Rights, and Change (SOC115)
• Indigenous Peoples of the Americas: Colonization, Identity, Resistance (SOC78)
• Women and Law (SOC116)
• Sexual Politics & Sexuality Movements (SOC120)

Selected Publications:

• “Sovereigns and Citizens? The Contested Status of American Indian Tribal Nations and Their Members,” Citizenship Studies, vol.15, no.1 (February 2011).
• “Obama Administration Policy toward American Indians and Tribal Nations,” Journal of Race and Policy, vol.6, no.1 (spring 2010).
• "Explaining Contemporary Federal Indian Policy: Book Review Essay," Indigenous Policy Journal, vol.24, no.3 (2008).
• “(Mixed) Perceptions of Tribal Nations’ Status: Implications for Indian Gaming,” American Behavioral Scientist, vol.50, no.3 (November 2006).
•  “The Contemporary Revival and Diffusion of Indigenous Sovereignty Discourse,” American Studies, vol.46, no.3/4 (fall-winter 2005).
•  “Legitimizing American Indian Sovereignty: Mobilizing the Constitutive Power of Law through Institutional Entrepreneurship,” Law and Society Review, vol.39, no.4 (December 2005).
• Indigenous Nationhood Claims and Contemporary Federalism in Canada and the United States,” Policy and Society, vol.24, no1 (2005).
• “American Federalism and Intergovernmental Innovation in State-Tribal Relations,” Publius, vol.34, no2 (2004).
• “Interpreting the Invisibility of Male Bisexuality: Theories, Interactions, Politics,” Journal of Bisexuality, vol.1, no.2-3 (2001).
• Bisexuality: Facts and Fiction. Binghampton, NY: Harrington Park Press, 2001. Co-edited with Brett Beemyn.

Recent Conferences and Invited Talks:

• "Tribal-Academic Collaboration: Challenges, Opportunities and Benefits of Working with Federally Non-Recognized Tribes," paper presented at the Western Social Science Association Meeting, Albuquerque, NM, April 2009.
• Organizer, panel on "Teaching about American Indian Policy Issues," the Annual Meeting of the California Sociological Association, Riverside, CA, November 2008.
• "Myths and Misconceptions: Tribal Sovereignty, Treaty Rights and American Indian Identity," paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the California Sociological Association, Riverside, CA, November 2008.
• "Working with Indian Tribes: Building Community Relationships in Challenging Contexts,” paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Pacific Sociological Association, Spring 2008.
• "Indian Gaming, Tribal Members and U.S. Citizenship: Unresolved Issues in American Political Development," paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Western Political Science Association, spring 2008.

Selected Grants, Awards, and Honors:

• Periclean Faculty Leadership Award, 2010