Peter Catron is assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and faculty affiliate of the Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology. His research interests lie in immigration and immigrant labor, specifically the socioeconomic mobility and assimilation of immigrants who entered the United States in the first half of the twentieth century. His work explores the idea of ‘making it’ in America and how processes of mobility and labor market outcomes of immigrants are interlinked with societal institutions and economic structures that may condition individual efforts to do so. Through the use of US census data Catron is recreating immigrant experiences over the life course, following individuals from the passenger list to US censuses and then tracking them and their families through subsequent censuses over time to explore the economic and social realities of these migrants. As an educator he offers students classes on social mobility and social stratification, amongst other topics. Catron’s research has been published in journals including the American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, and the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies.
Research/Teaching Areas: Historical Sociology, Immigration, Social Demography
