Dr. Anne Taylor is a cultural sociologist and theorist. Her research broadly focuses on interpretive agency, charisma, enchantment, belonging, and joy. More specifically, she uses qualitative methods to study moral formation in pop culture, media, and politics, including previous work on Bernie Sanders volunteers, a podcast called “Harry Potter and the Sacred Text,” and NFL Hall of Famer Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders. She has published peer-reviewed research in the American Journal of Cultural Sociology, Material Religion, Sociologica, and Cultural Sociology. In 2023, she was the winner of the British Sociological Association’s SAGE Prize for Innovation and Excellence, and she is a faculty fellow at the Yale Center for Cultural Sociology. She is currently writing a book about American travel writer and long-time PBS television host, Rick Steves, as well as a book about the development of cultural sociology with Jeffrey C. Alexander.
Taylor teaches Introduction to Sociology, as well as courses on cultural sociology, ritual, travel, religion, and popular culture. She is passionate about helping students develop their sociological imaginations through writing, immersive reading, and research experiences, and loves to connect her students with active sociologists working beyond the academy, including advertising, political strategy, and tech research.
