Faculty and Staff Profile

Thomas Maher

Educational Background

Ph.D Sociology
Ohio State University 2013

M.A. Sociology
Ohio State University 2007

B.A Sociology and History
Purdue University 2004

Courses Taught

Introduction to Sociology
Research Methods
Sociological Theory

Profile

Dr. Maher's research focuses on the intersection between social movements, organizations, and political sociology. He is primarily interested in state and organizational reactions to protest movements, and who participates in activism.

Research Interests

Politics, Social Movements, Organizations, Culture

Research Publications

2025. Maher, Thomas V. and J. Craig Jenkins “Getting Attention: What Gets into International Newswire.” Comparative Sociology. 24:1-32.

2024 Maher, Thomas V.*, Charles Seguin*, and Yongjun Zhang. “The Racial Limits of Disruption: How Race and Tactics Influence Social Movement Organization Testimony Before Congress, 1960-1995.” Social Forces. 103(1): 202-222.

2023 Maher, Thomas V. and Eric W. Schoon. “Navigating Interests and Cultivating Innovation in the Study of Social Movements, Conflict, and Change” Research in Social Movements, Conflict, and Change. 47: 1-9.

2023 Seguin, Charles*, Thomas V. Maher*, Yongjun Zhang. “A Seat at the Table: A New Dataset of Social Movement Organization Representation Before Congress during the 20th Century.” Socius, 9: 1-13.

2022 Elliott, Thomas, Jennifer Earl, Thomas V. Maher, and Heidi Reynolds-Stenson “Softer Policing or the Institutionalization of Protest? Decomposing Changes in Observed Protest Policing Over Time” American Journal of Sociology., 127(4): 1311-1365.

2022 Earl, Jennifer~, Thomas V. Maher~, and Jennifer Pan~. “The Digital Repression of Social Movements, Protest, and Activism: A Synthetic Review.” Science Advances Vol. 8(10).

2021 Maher, Thomas V. and Jennifer Earl. “Living Down to Expectations: Age Inequality and Youth Activism.” Research in Political Sociology Vol. 28: 215-35.

2020 Maher, Thomas V., Morgan Johnstonbaugh, and Jennifer Earl. “’One Size Doesn’t Fit All’: Connecting Views of Activism with Youth Activist Identification” Mobilization. 25(1): 27-44.