Credentials
PhD, Sociology
Columbia University (2023)
- Dissertation chairs: Drs. Shamus Khan, Peter Bearman & Andreas Wimmer; External Reviewers: Fabio Rojas & Michele Lamont
M.Phil, Sociology
Columbia University (2020)
MA, Sociology
Columbia University (2017)
MA, Philosophy
University of Arizona (2013)
- Thesis chair: Dr. Jonathan Weinberg; Committee: Drs. Marga Reimer & Stewart Cohen.
BA, Near Eastern Studies & Philosophy
University of Arizona (2012)
AA, Philosophy
Cochise College (2009)
Publications
BookS
- al-Gharbi, Musa (2027). Those People. Princeton University Press.
- al-Gharbi, Musa (2024). We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite. Princeton University Press.
Journal Articles
- Tyler, Chris w/ KL Akerlof, Musa al-Gharbi et al. (2026). “Six Ways to Put the Public at the Heart of Science.” Nature 655: 34-37
- Clark, Cory w/ Lee Jussim, Komi Frey, Sean Stevens, Musa al-Gharbi et al. (2023). “Prosocial Motives Underlie Scientific Censorship by Scientists: A Perspective and Research Agenda.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 120(48): e2301642120.
- Clark, Cory w/ Musa al-Gharbi et al. (2024). “Reply to Darlow and Gray: Censorship Is Exclusion.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 121(21): e2404156121.
- Rozado, David w/ Musa al-Gharbi & Jamin Halberstadt (2021). “Prevalence of Prejudice-Denoting Words in News Media Discourse: A Chronological Analysis.” Social Science Computer Review 41(1).
- Rozado, David & Musa al-Gharbi (2021). “Using Word Embeddings to Probe Sentiment Associations of Politically-Loaded Terms in News and Opinion Articles from News Outlets.” Journal of Computational Social Science 5: 427-448.
- al-Gharbi, Musa (2021). “People of the Book: Empire and Social Science in the Islamic Commonwealth Period.” Socius 7. DOI: 10.1177/23780231211021200.
- Smith, Benjamin w/ Andrea Figueroa-Caballero, Musa al-Gharbi & Michael Stohl (2020). “Do You Know Your Enemy? The Role of Known Actors as Framing Devices in News Media.” International Journal of Communication 14: 4717-4738.
- al-Gharbi, Musa (2019). “Resistance as Sacrifice: Towards an Ascetic Antiracism.” Sociological Forum 34 (S1): 1197-1216.
- Smith, Benjamin w/ Michael Stohl & Musa al-Gharbi (2019). “Discourses on Countering Violent Extremism: The Strategic Interplay Between Fear and Security After 9/11.” Critical Studies on Terrorism 12(1): 151-168.
- al-Gharbi, Musa (2018). “Race and the Race for the White House: On Social Research in the Age of Trump.” The American Sociologist 49(4): 496-519.
- al-Gharbi, Musa (2016). “From Political Liberalism to Para-Liberalism: Epistemological Pluralism, Cognitive Liberalism & Authentic Choice.” Comparative Philosophy 7(2).
- al-Gharbi, Musa (2013). “Syria, Contextualized: The Numbers Game.” Middle East Policy 20(1): 56-67.
Chapters
- al-Gharbi, Musa (forthcoming). “How Journalists Can Foster Humble Inquiry In their Work and Readers.” Humble Inquiry: New Perspectives on Intellectual Humility (eds. Nathan Ballantyne, Jared Celniker & Norbert Schwarz). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Reviews
- al-Gharbi, Musa (2024). “Why We Disagree about Inequality: Social Justice vs. Social Order.” Contemporary Sociology: A Journal of Reviews 53(4): 346-349.
Public Sociology
I am deeply committed to public sociology — to speaking to the needs, priorities and concerns of citizens and policymakers in a language they can understand — and to ensuring his work is impactful not only within the Ivory Tower but beyond.
My work has also been published in the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, The Atlantic, New Republic, The Nation, Columbia Journalism Review, Wilson Quarterly, The Conversation, NBC Think, The Baffler and elsewhere. I’ve done interviews with NPR, Bloomberg, USA Today, CNN, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Voice of America and many other outlets to contextualize current events. My research has been featured in stories for New York Magazine, Times of London, The Intercept, Foreign Affairs and more.
I am also a Substack Bestseller, with hundreds of paid subscriptions, roughly 12k overall newsletter subscribers, and nearly 18k platform followers.
Pedagogy
2023-Present: Assistant Professor of Journalism, Communication and, by courtesy, Sociology (Stony Brook University)
- COM 206: Interpersonal Communication
- COM 391: Studio Production
- JRN 544: Freelance Writing
- JRN 603: Storytelling and Narrative Design
2021: SNF Agora Institute Visiting Fellow (Johns Hopkins University)
- FA21 SOUL: The Knowledge Economy and Inequality
2017-2023: Teaching Assistant, Sociology (Columbia University)
- SOCI UN1000: The Social World
- SOCI UN3000: Classical Social Theory
- SOCI UN3009: Contemporary Social Theory
- SOCI UN3324: Global Urbanism
2014-5: Instructor, Government & Public Service (University of Arizona South)
- GPSV 314: National Security Policy
- GPSV 341: International Organizations
- GPSV 397A: Negotiation Workshop (T.A.)
2011-3: Teaching Assistant, Philosophy (University of Arizona)
- PHIL 160D: Mind, Matter & God
- PHIL 233: Philosophy of Religion
- PHIL 263: Medieval Philosophy
- PHIL 344: Issues and Methods in Analytic Philosophy
- PHIL 347: Neuroethics
- PHIL 463/ 563: Philosophy of Language
Comms/ Journalism Roles
- Columnist: The Guardian (2022 – Present)
- Freelance journalist (2016-2022)
- Columnist: Salon (2015-2016)
- Columnist: Al-Jazeera America (2013-2015)
- Communications Director: Heterodox Academy (2016-2020)
- Managing Editor: Southwest Initiative for the Study of Middle East Conflict (2013-2016)
- Outreach Scholar: UA Center for Middle East Studies (2012-2013)
For more information on my research, pedagogy, public engagement, honors, fellowships and grants, professional experience and service commitments, see my full CV below: