Dr. Michael Arévalo

Biography

Michael Sierra-Arévalo is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Texas at Austin and serves as the Associate Director of the Liberal Arts Honors Humanities Program. He earned his Ph.D. in Sociology from Yale University. His research utilizes both quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate issues of violence, culture, social inequality, policing, firearms, and violence prevention in the United States. His recent book, 'Danger Imperative: Violence, Death, and Soul Policing' (Columbia University Press, 2024), explores the cultural preoccupations of policing and their impacts on social inequality, supported by ethnographic fieldwork and interviews with police officers across various U.S. cities. This work has been recognized with awards such as the American Sociological Association's Distinguished Book Award and the Outstanding Book Award from the American Society of Criminology's Division of Policing. His research has been published in various peer-reviewed journals and has reached a wider audience through outlets like Texas Monthly and NPR.

Research Interests

Courses