Joya Misra, distinguished professor of sociology and public policy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has received the 2026 Jessie Bernard Award from the American Sociological Association. The annual award recognizes scholars whose work has enlarged the horizons of sociology to encompass fully the role of women in society.
A UMass Amherst faculty member since 1999, Dr. Misra has significantly advanced how scholars understand gender, race, and class within social policy. She has published several books, including Walking Mannequins: How Race and Gender Inequalities Shape Retail Clothing Work (University of California Press, 2022) and Gendered Lives, Sexual Beings: A Feminist Anthology (SAGE Publications, 2017). Dr. Misra previously served as editor of the journal Gender & Society and was president of the American Sociological Association from 2023 to 2024.
Dr. Misra is a graduate of Centenary College in Louisiana, where she majored in religion. She holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in sociology from Emory University in Atlanta.