Prudence L. Carter, the Sarah and Joseph Jr. Dowling Professor of Sociology and the Peltz Ruttenberg Family Director of the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, is the 2026 recipient of the Cox-Johnson-Frazier Award from the American Sociological Association. The award honors scholars with a sustained record of contributions to social justice; engagement in institution building and public-facing work; and a consistent focus on populations shaped by histories of racial and ethnic inequality.
A leading sociologist of education, Professor Carter has significantly advanced the sociological understanding of inequality and reshaped how inequality is conceptualized and addressed. Her work consistently centers the experiences of racially minoritized youth while situating them within broader historical and institutional contexts. Professor Carter is the author of Keepin’ It Real: School Success Beyond Black and White (Oxford University Press, 2005) and Stubborn Roots: Race, Culture, and Inequality in U.S. and South African Schools (Oxford University Press, 2012). She is the co-editor of Closing the Opportunity Gap: What America Must Do to Give Every Child an Even Chance (Oxford University Press, 2013).
Before joining the Brown University faculty, Professor Carter served as dean of the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley. She previously taught at Stanford University and Harvard University, and she is a past president of the American Sociological Association.
Professor Carter is an alumna of Brown University, where she majored in applied mathematics and economics. She earned a master’s degree in sociology and education from Columbia University’s Teachers College and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in sociology from Columbia University.