This is the website of Mathieu Deflem, Professor of Sociology at the University of South Carolina. Click on the tabs above or links below for more info, including online copies of publications.
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Mathieu Deflem studied sociology and anthropology at universities in Belgium, England, and the United States. Upon obtaining his Ph.D. in sociology in 1996, he held academic positions at Kenyon College, Purdue University, and the University of South Carolina, where he has been since 2002. His teaching and research interests include social control, law, popular culture, and sociological theory. On law and social control, most of his research concerns police institutions, including books on counterterrorism (The Policing of Terrorism) and international cooperation (Policing World Society). These interests are also connected with theoretical issues, such as in the book Sociology of Law: Visions of a Scholarly Tradition and the anthology The Handbook of Social Control. In the area of popular culture, key interests are celebrity and fame, including a book, Lady Gaga and the Sociology of Fame, and other writings following a rather famous course. Other work on culture involves heavy metal, the cinema of Alfred Hitchcock, music censorship, ritual, and celebrity activism. Theoretical interests include disourse theory, systems theory, and sociological structuralism.
Recent publications:
- October 7 and International Police Cooperation: The Silence of Interpol. Belügyi Szemle: Academic Journal of Internal Affairs, 2025.
- Becoming a Mental Health Activist: The Learning of Naomi Osaka (with Megan Routh). Journal for Cultural Research, 2025.
- Racial Justice Activism and Democracy: The Deliberative Role of Black Women Athletes (with Brandii Brunson). In Democracy, Governance, and Law, edited by M. Deflem, 2025.
- Japanese Perspectives on Law and Culture. Introduction to Law and Culture in Japan: Institutions, Justice, and Media. Emera!d Publishing, 2025.
- More publications on the Articles and Books pages.
Recent research:
- Research visit to Israel on the occasion of the October 7 commemoration, October 2-8, 2025.
- ASPIRE-AI grant, project on “AI-Assisted Academic Dishonesty, Anomie, and Strain: An Examination of Institutional Policies,” Office of the Vice President for Research, University of South Carolina, 2025 – 2026.
Mathieu Deflem, Ph.D.
Department of SociologyUniversity of South Carolina
911 Pickens Street
Columbia, SC 29208 (USA) | www.mathieudeflem.net Thieu Deflem
