Philip Lewin

Philip Lewin

Associate Professor of Sociology

Phone: (561) 297-0261
Email: lewinp@fau.edu
Office: CU 260/Boca Campus

Research: Cultural and political conflicts; Community responses to economic and environmental injustice; Youth subcultures
Teaching: Qualitative Research Methods; Sociological Theory; Cultural Sociology; Youth Subcultures; Political Economy of Culture; Sociology of Work

Professor Lewin joined FAU’s Sociology Department in 2014 after earning his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Georgia. He teaches a variety of courses, including Qualitative Research Methods, Sociological Theory, Sociology of Work, and Political Economy of Culture (a graduate seminar that examines cultural conflicts in the contemporary United States). 

Professor Lewin’s last major research project examined how energy market changes, mining-related pollution, population loss, government malfeasance, opioid addiction, and cultural stigmatization are affecting communities in Central Appalachia. The purpose of the research is to document how mountain communities are responding to these social problems, produce knowledge that can be used to more effectively address them, and debunk cultural stereotypes about the region.

Lewin has also studied youth subcultures. His research on punks, and more recently on meme stock traders, examines how young people use subcultures to bring attention to their unmet needs, adapt to blocked opportunities, and critique the deficiencies they perceive in mainstream society.

Prior to going on sabbatical for the 2022-23 academic year, Professor Lewin coordinated the Department’s Workshop on Sociological Research and served as its Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Selected Works
Lewin, Philip. Forthcoming. “‘Don’t Call Me White’ (Or Middle-Class): Constructing an Authentic Identity in Punk Subculture.” Pp. TBD in Studies on the Social Construction of Identity and Authenticity, edited by J. Patrick Williams and Kaylan Schwarz. London, UK: Routledge.

Lewin, Philip. Forthcoming. “Reaching the Boiling Point: Energy and Climate Policy under the Trump Administration.” Pp. TBD in The Future of U.S. Empire in the Americas: The Trump Administration and Beyond, edited by Timothy M. Gill. New York, NY: Routledge.

Lewin, Philip. 2019. “‘I Just Keep My Mouth Shut’: The Demobilization of Environmental Protest in Central Appalachia.” Social Currents 6(6): 534-552.

Lewin, Philip. [2017] 2019. “‘Coal is not just a Job; It’s a Way of Life’: The Cultural Politics of Coal Production in Central Appalachia.” Social Problems 66(1): 51-68.

Lewin, Philip. 2017. “Fighting King Coal: The Challenges to Micromobilization in Central Appalachia.” Contemporary Sociology 46(6): 657-65.

Lewin, Philip. 2016. “The Public Engagement Industry and the Future of Democratic Praxis.” Trajectories 28(1): 26-30.

Lewin, Philip. 2015. “Embodying the Postmodern Self: Ecstatic Ritual as a New Mode of Youth Identity Work.” Studies in Symbolic Interaction 44: 161-195.

Lewin, Philip. 2014. “Political Participation, Demobilization, and the Problem of Community Embeddedness.” States, Power, and Societies 20(1): 1-6.

Lewin, Philip. 2013. “Scenes, Subcultures and the 21st Century.” Symbolic Interaction 36(3): 365-369.

Lewin, Philip and Tim Gill. 2012. “Propagandhi and the Politics of Subcultural Resistance.” Pp. 391-415 in The Art of Social Critique: Painting Mirrors of Social Life, edited by Shawn Bingham. Plymouth, UK: Lexington Books.

Lewin, Philip and J. Patrick Williams. 2009. “The Ideology and Practice of Authenticity in Punk Subculture.” Pp. 65-83 in Authenticity in Self, Culture and Society, edited by Phillip Vannini and J. Patrick Williams. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate.