Dr. DaShanne Stokes
Dr. DaShanne Stokes (pronounced Duh-Shane) is a sociologist, educator, and Research Associate in Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh. Previously, he held research and teaching appointments at the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Kentucky, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He earned his doctorate in Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh, a master’s in Sociology from Minnesota State University, a master’s in psychology from Boston University, and a baccalaureate in Biology from The University of South Dakota.
Dr. Stokes' research examines institutional power and inequality across politics, social institutions, and crime. His work focuses on how institutions construct social and political categories, confer or withhold legitimacy, regulate populations, and shape social and political opportunities. A central thread of his research is the study of recognition, classification, and misrecognition as institutional processes that shape legitimacy, criminalization, social belonging, protection, and inequality. His research draws on mixed methods, comparative-historical analysis, macro-causal analysis, and theory building to examine how relations of power become institutionalized, reproduced, contested, and transformed.
A significant contribution of Dr. Stokes’ research is the Opportunity Structure of Recognition (OSR) framework, which he originated in his comparative-historical research on the political recognition of states. The framework examines how political opportunities, alignment of interests, timing, and external patronage interact to shape recognition outcomes. Recognition is a key mechanism in the formation of states and international society and sets the stage for which entities can enter into treaties, receive foreign aid, and protect the rights of their citizens. His current research extends this program to criminalization, social regulation, gendered violence, social inequalities, victimization, and institutional protection, examining how classification and recognition shape the boundaries between legitimate citizens, governable populations, and subjects of social control.
His work and peer-reviewed research have appeared in journals and edited volumes including the International Review of Sociology, the American Indian Culture and Research Journal, and the peer-reviewed book Social Problems in the Age of COVID-19 (Policy Press). He has also contributed invited entries on "Biopower" and "Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women" to the peer-reviewed Sage Encyclopedia of Crime and Gender. He regularly presents research at national conferences including the American Sociological Association and the Society for the Study of Social Problems.
Academic Background
- Ph.D. in Sociology, University of Pittsburgh
- M.A. in Sociology, Minnesota State University, Mankato
- M.A. in Psychology, Boston University
- B.S. in Biology, The University of South Dakota