The School of Sociology looks forward to welcoming eminent US cultural sociologist and ethnographer Gary Alan Fine, James E. Johnson Professor of Sociology at Northwestern University. For the past four decades Professor Fine has explored how the micro-cultures of small groups affect social life, on this topic he recently published Tiny Publics: A Theory of Group Culture and Action (2012). He has carried out ethnographies of diverse groups including competitive chess players, senior citizen progressive activists, visual art students and Little League Baseball participants. He is also known for his work on reputation, rumour and urban legends. He has held fellowships with the Guggenheim Foundation, the Russell Sage Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton.

Professor Fine will be an RSSS Visiting Fellow at the school from February 27 to April 2. He will be giving a master class on ethnography and a public lecture on the sociology of fun.