Faculty Recognition Award
Julia Adams

One of the top historical sociologists in the country, Julia Adams works at the intersection of history, culture and social theory.

She combines theoretical insight with a deep knowledge of the history of the politics of early modern European statebuilding, politics, social arrangements and colonial outposts. Her forthcoming book, “The Familial State: Ruling Families and Merchant Capitalism in Early Modern Europe” (Cornell University Press), introduces a key dimension to the study of European states—the familial ideologies of the elite in England, France and the Netherlands, and the way the elites’ long-term, intergenerational horizons influenced their policies.

Adams, a member of the Department of Sociology faculty since 1990 and an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, is a rigorous, demanding and intellectually stimulating teacher. Students describe her courses as an “incredible learning experience.” She is a recipient of the Class of 1923 Memorial Award, the Julia Lockwood Award and the Excellence in Education Award, and has supervised countless honors students and served on more than 40 dissertation committees.
Her good will, organizational skills and unparalleled intellectual range keep Adams in demand for extra teaching and administrative service, work that she performs with generosity, grace and unfailing efficacy. In addition to serving numerous terms on the Sociology Department’s executive committee, she has contributed to the University’s overall well-being as a member of the Institute for the Humanities Executive Committee and the Pew Committee on Undergraduate Teaching.

Adams is active in the American Sociological Association (ASA) and the Social Science History Association, and has served on the editorial boards of numerous journals. A fellow of the Russell Sage Foundation and senior fellow of the U-M Society of Fellows, she has received many accolades, including the ASA’s Barrington Moore, Jr. Award for Best Recent Article in Comparative-Historical Sociology, an honor she has received twice.