Peter Bearman - Incite at Columbia University

Peter Bearman

(Director) (He/Him)
Contact psb17@columbia.edu
Downloads CV

Peter Bearman is the founding Director of Incite, the co-founding director of the Oral History Master of Arts program, and the Jonathan R. Cole Professor of Social Science at Columbia University.

A specialist in network analysis and historical sociology, Bearman has authored over 60 peer-reviewed research publications, in addition to three books: Relations into Rhetorics: Local Elite Social Structure in Norfolk, England, 1540–1640 (ASA Rose Monograph Series, Rutgers University Press, 1993), Doormen (University of Chicago Press, 2005), and Working for Respect: Community and Conflict at Walmart, with Adam Reich (Columbia University Press, 2018). He has edited several others, including the Oxford Handbook of Analytical Sociology (Oxford University Press, 2011).

Bearman is a 2016 Guggenheim Fellow and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Medicine. He was awarded the NIH Director's Pioneer Award in 2007 to investigate the increased prevalence of autism. With J. Richard Udry, he co-designed the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, which was awarded the 2016 Golden Goose Prize. The recipient of numerous teaching awards, Bearman has chaired over 55 doctoral dissertations in sociology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (1986–1998) and Columbia (1998–present).

Projects

go to Averted Lynching Project

Averted Lynching Project
Examining the social, political, and historical conditions that trigger the formation of violent mobs and analyzing factors that deter them.
go to Domestic Health Index

Domestic Health Index
Developing a domestic health index using data from wearable technologies. Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
go to Facing Whiteness

Facing Whiteness
Exploring how Americans who identify as white understand their own racial and ethnic identities. Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Chicago Media Project
go to Health and Society Scholars

Health and Society Scholars
Promoting interdisciplinary research in population health through working groups, internal funding, and public events Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
go to Institute for Research on Women, Gender and Sexuality Oral History

Institute for Research on Women, Gender and Sexuality Oral History
Detailing the history of feminism at Columbia University through the memories of an historic organization. Funded by Columbia University's Office of the President
go to Measuring Liberal Arts

Measuring Liberal Arts
Using a novel dataset to measure of the degree to which American colleges and universities offer a liberal arts education. Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
go to Mellon Interdisciplinary Fellows

Mellon Interdisciplinary Fellows
Bringing together over 200 graduate students in interdisciplinary training across the humanities and sciences. Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
go to NYC Covid-19 Oral History, Narrative, and Memory Project

NYC Covid-19 Oral History, Narrative, and Memory Project
Documenting New York City’s experience of the Covid-19 pandemic. Funded by the National Science Foundation and the Board of Trustees of the American Assembly
go to Obama Presidency Oral History

Obama Presidency Oral History
Creating a comprehensive oral history of the Obama years with over 450 officials, activists, organizers, and extraordinary people from all walks of life. Funded by Columbia University's Office of the President
go to Reclaiming Lost Data on American Racial Inequality

Reclaiming Lost Data on American Racial Inequality
Producing a big-data genealogy of the African-American past by combining algorithmic linking techniques with historical and genealogical methods. Funded by the Russell Sage Foundation
go to Research and Empirical Analysis of Labor Migration

Research and Empirical Analysis of Labor Migration
Addressing gaps in knowledge about temporary labor migration to the Gulf through ethnography, surveys, and workshops. Funded by New York University Abu Dhabi Institute
go to Robert Rauschenberg Oral History

Robert Rauschenberg Oral History
Documenting the American avant-garde movement and the conditions that enabled it through the life and work of one of its most renowned artists. Funded by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation
go to September 11, 2001 Oral Histories

September 11, 2001 Oral Histories
Capturing a comprehensive, longitudinal memory of responses to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Funded by the National Science Foundation, Rockefeller Fund, and Columbia University
go to Summer for Respect: Organizing and Oral History

Summer for Respect: Organizing and Oral History
Spending a summer documenting economic disenfranchisement across America through oral history interviews with workers' groups. In partnership with Organization United for Respect at Walmart
go to The Spread of Autism Diagnosis

The Spread of Autism Diagnosis
Studying the impact of diffusion of knowledge on the increasing prevalence of autism. Funded by the National Institutes of Health
go to Understanding Autism

Understanding Autism
Understanding the factors that have led to an increase in autism prevalence over the last four decades. Funded by the National Institutes of Health

Related Works

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Peter Bearman, Chad Borkenhagen, Siqi Han, Jack LaViolette, "Interdisciplinary college curriculum and its labor market implications", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, October 16, 2023
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Peter Bearman, Keely Cheslack-Postava, Christine Fountain, Alix Winter, "Developmental Trajectories of Autism", Pediatrics, August 24, 2023
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Peter Bearman, Daniel Tadmon, "Differential spatial-social accessibility to mental health care and suicide", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, May 1, 2023
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Peter Bearman, Keely Cheslack-Postava, Christine Fountain, Alix Winter, "The social patterning of autism diagnoses reversed in California between 1992 and 2018", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, October 8, 2020
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Peter Bearman, Adam Reich, "Distinguished Book Award", Columbia University Press, September 26, 2019
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Peter Bearman, Mary Marshall Clark, Sara Sinclair, "Robert Rauschenberg: An Oral History", Columbia Center for Oral History Research, March 13, 2019
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Swethaa S. Ballakrishnen, Peter Bearman, Hannah Brueckner, Sharon H. Green, Charlotte Wang, "Patterned Remittances Enhance Women’s Health-Related Autonomy", SSM-Population Health, January 31, 2019
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Peter Bearman, Adam Reich, Kathryn Neckerman, "Domestic Health Index", Incite Institute at Columbia University, January 1, 2019
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Peter Bearman, Adam Reich, Kathryn Neckerman, "How Wearable Devices Can Promote the Culture of Health", Incite Institute, January 1, 2019
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Whitney Dow, Peter Bearman, Mary Marshall Clark, et al., "Facing Whiteness Survey and Interview Collection, 2017-2018", August 31, 2018
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Peter Bearman, Adam Reich, "Working for Respect: Community and Conflict at Walmart", Columbia University Press, July 24, 2018
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Mark Anthony Hoffman, Jean-Philippe Cointet, Philipp Brandt, Newton Key, Peter Bearman, "Distinguished Article Award", American Sociological Association, Sociology of Religion Section, June 11, 2018
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Peter Bearman, Philipp Brandt, Jean-Philippe Cointet, Mark Anthony Hoffman, Newton Key, "The (Protestant) Bible, the (printed) sermon, and the word(s): The semantic structure of the Conformist and Dissenting Bible, 1660–1780", Poetics, June 1, 2018
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Zerubavel, Noam, Mark Anthony Hoffman, Adam Reich, Kevin Ochsner, Peter Bearman, "Neural Precursors of Future Liking and its Mutual Reciprocation", PNAS, April 9, 2018
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Kinga Makovi, Ryan Hagen, Peter Bearman, "The Course of Law: State Intervention in Southern Lynch Mob Violence 1882–1930", Sociological Science, September 26, 2016
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Peter Bearman, "Guggenheim Fellowship", John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, April 8, 2016
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Peter Bearman, "Golden Goose Award", American Association for the Advancement of Science, March 30, 2016
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Peter Bearman, Charlotte Wang, Michael Falco, et al., "REALM Workshop, New York", Columbia University, February 25, 2016
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Peter Bearman, Charlotte Wang, Michael Falco, et al., "REALM Workshop, London", London School of Economics, January 12, 2016
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Noam Zerubavel, Peter Bearman, Jochen Weber, Kevin N. Ochsner , "Neural mechanisms tracking popularity in real-world social networks", PNAS, November 23, 2015
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Peter Bearman, Charlotte Wang, Michael Falco, et al., "REALM Workshop, Abu Dhabi", New York University Abu Dhabi, November 2, 2015
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Peter Bearman, Ka-Yuet Liu, Keely Cheslack-Postava, Ezra Susser , "Can Sibling Sex Ratios be used as a valid test of the prenatal androgen hypothesis of autism spectrum disorders?", PLOS ONE, October 23, 2015
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Peter Bearman, Ka-Yuet Liu, Kinga Makovi, Alix Winter, "The Population Level Impacts of Differential Fertility Behavior of Parents of Children with Autism", Sociological Science, August 10, 2015
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Peter Bearman, Jean-Phillipe Cointet, Alix Rule , "Lexical shifts, substantive changes, and continuity in State of the Union discourse, 1790–2014", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, August 10, 2015
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Peter Bearman, Sheree L. Boulet, Christine Fountain, Denise J. Jamieson, Dmitry M. Kissin, Catherine Rice, Laura A. Schieve, Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp, "Does Autism Diagnosis Age or Symptom Severity Differ Among Children According to Whether Assisted Reproductive Technology was used to Achieve Pregnancy?", Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, May 22, 2015
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Christine Fountain, Yujia Zhang, Dmitry M Kissin, Laura A Schieve, Denise J Jamieson, Catherine Rice, Peter Bearman , "Association Between Assisted Reproductive Technology Conception and Autism in California, 1997–2007", May 1, 2015
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Peter Bearman, "Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching", Columbia University, May 1, 2015
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Peter Bearman, Christine Fountain, Denise J. Jamieson, Dmitry M. Kissin, Catherine Rice, Laura A. Schieve, Yujia Zhang, "Association Between Assisted Reproductive Technology Conception and Autism in California", American Journal of Public Health, April 8, 2015
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Soumya Mazumdar, Ka-Yuet Liu, Ezra Susser, Peter Bearman, "Spatial Clusters of Autism Births and Diagnoses Point to Contextual Drivers of Increased Prevalence", Social Science and Medicine, October 1, 2013
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Peter Bearman, Ryan Hagen, Kinga Makovi, "The Influence of Political Dynamics on Southern Lynch Mob Formation and Lethality", Social Forces, August 30, 2013
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Ka-Yuet Liu, Peter Bearman, "Focal Points, Endogenous Processes and Exogenous Shocks in the Autism Epidemic", Sociological Methods and Research, September 19, 2012
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Soumya Mazumdar, Ka-Yuet Liu, Ezra Susser, Peter Bearman, "The Disappearing Seasonality of Autism Conceptions in California", PLOS ONE, July 30, 2012
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Christine Fountain, Alix Winter, Peter Bearman, "Six Developmental Trajectories Characterize Children with Autism", Pediatrics, April 2, 2012
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Peter Bearman, Stephen Drury Smith, Catherine Ellis, Mary Marshall Clark, "After the Fall: New Yorkers Remember September 11 and the Years that Followed", The New Press, September 6, 2011
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Christine Fountain, Peter Bearman, "Risk as Social Context: Immigration Policy and Autism in California", Sociological Forum, June 1, 2011
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Marissa King, Peter Bearman, "Socioeconomic Status and the Increased Prevalence of Autism in California", American Sociological Review, May 17, 2011
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Keely Cheslack-Postava, Ka-Yuet Liu, Peter Bearman, "Closely spaced pregnancies are associated with increased odds of autism in California sibling births", Pediatrics, January 10, 2011
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Christine Fountain, Marissa King, Peter Bearman, "Age of diagnosis for autism: individual and community factors across 10 birth cohorts", Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, October 25, 2010
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Peter Bearman, "Just-so Stories: Vaccines, Autism, and the Single-bullet Disorder", National Institutes of Health, August 17, 2010
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Ka-Yuet Liu, Noam Zerubauvel, Peter Bearman, "Social Demographic Change and Autism", Demography, May 1, 2010
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Soumya Mazumdar, Marissa King, Ka-Yuet Liu, Noam Zerubavel, Peter Bearman, "The Spatial Structure of Autism in California, 1993-2001", Health and Place, May 1, 2010
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Ka-Yuet Liu, Marissa King, Peter Bearman, "Social Influence and the Autism Epidemic", American Journal of Sociology, March 1, 2010
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Marissa King, Peter Bearman, "Diagnostic change and the increased prevalence of autism", International Journal of Epidemiology, September 7, 2009
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Marissa King, Christine Fountain, Diana Dakhlallah, Peter Bearman, "Estimated Autism Risk and Older Reproductive Age", American Journal of Public Health, September 1, 2009
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Peter Bearman, "National Institutes of Health Director's Pioneer Award", National Institutes of Health, August 6, 2009

Meet Our Team

Name

Title

E-mail

Mario L. Small

(Affiliated Faculty)
mario.small@columbia.edu go to the Mario Small page
Dian Sheng

(Graduate Fellow)
ds3918@columbia.edu go to the Dian Sheng page
Shana Redmond

(Director, Center for the Study of Social Difference)
slr2215@columbia.edu go to the Shana Redmond page
Patrick Youngblood

(Research Manager)
py2270@columbia.edu go to the Patrick Youngblood page