Bio          

Mathieu Deflem studied sociology and anthropology at universities in Belgium, England, and the United States. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Colorado in 1996. His research and teaching areas include sociology of law, social control, popular culture, and sociological theory. 

Research

Substantive research interests: Sociology of law; Crime and social control; Popular culture; Sociological theory       

Department cluster: Inequalities and Institutions 

Current projects: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and higher education; Law and culture; Terrorism; International police cooperation

Teaching

SOCY 393 Sociological Theory
SOCY 507 Sociology of Social Control
SOCY 540 Sociology of Law
SOCY 560 Advanced Sociological Theory 

Recent Publications

“Sociology of Law.” In Elgar Concise Encyclopedia of Legal Theory and Philosophy, edited by John Linarelli. Edward Elgar Publishing, forthcoming 2027.

“Merton’s Strain Theory.” In The Sage Encyclopedia of Crime and Gender, edited by Janet P. Stamatel. Sage Publications, 2026.

“Law and Popular Culture in the United States and Japan: Foundations for a Comparative-Transnational Perspective” (in Japanese, translated by Shigehito Sawade and Nanako Hatta). Japanese Law & Society Review 10:51-75, 2025.

“October 7 and International Police Cooperation: The Silence of Interpol.” Belügyi Szemle: Academic Journal of Internal Affairs 73(8):1771-1787, 2025.

Law and Culture in Japan: Institutions, Justice, and Media (first editor, with Hiroshi Takahashi, Dimitri Vanoverbeke, and Jason G. Karlin). Sociology of Crime, Law, and Deviance, Volume 30, 2025.

Additional publications are available via ResearchGate.