Wendy Wiedenhoft Murphy
Professor
Background
Wendy Wiedenhoft Murphy joined the department of Sociology and Criminology in 2003 after receiving her doctorate at the University of Maryland. She specializes in environmental sociology, consumer culture, and sociological theory. She has published multiple books, including Environment & Society: Sustainability in the Age of Climate Change (2026), Introduction to Sociology (with George Ritzer), 5th Edition (2020), and Consumer Culture and Society (2016).
Areas of Expertise
- Sociological Theory
- Environmental Sociology
- Consumer Culture
Research Interests
Currently, I am researching consumption inequality, which including issues of affordability, purchasing power, and relative poverty. In particular, I am exploring the differences between income inequality and consumption inequality: or how much goods and services cost relative to income.
Education
Ph.D, University of MarylandCourses Taught
SC 1010 Foundations in SociologySC 2020 Social Change
SC 2100 Food, Culture & Society
SC 2430 Global Debt & Justice
SC 2600 Consumer Culture & Society
SC 2800 Sustainability and Climate Change
SC 3800 Environmental Law & Human Rights
SC 4000 Sociological Theory
Publications
2026. Environment & Society: Sustainability in the Age of Climate Change. SAGE.
2025. “Pedagogical Reflections and Practices: George Ritzer’s Contributions to Keeping Sociology Relevant.” Thesis Eleven.
2022. “Accounting for Justice: Citizen Public Debt Audits and the Case of Puerto Rico.” Studies in Social Justice, 16:1, 182-199.
2021. “Exploited and Empowered Inclusion: Contesting the Flawed Consumer in the United States.” Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare 48.1, 5-32.
2020. Introduction to Sociology 5th Edition. Co-authored with George Ritzer. Boston: SAGE.
2019. Wiley Blackwell Companion to Sociology. 2nd Ed. Co-edited with George Ritzer. London: Wiley Blackwell.
2019. “Toward a Sociology of Debt.” In Wiley Blackwell Companion to Sociology. 2nd Ed. Co-edited with George Ritzer. London: Wiley Blackwell, 2020, 444-459.
2018. Essentials of Sociology 3rd Edition. Co-authored with George Ritzer. Boston: SAGE.
2017. “Boycotts, Buycotts, and Legislation: Tactical Lessons from Workers and Consumers during the Progressive Era.” Shopping for Social Change: Consumer Activism in North American History. Edited by Louis Hyman and Joseph Tohill. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 29-40.
2016. Consumer Culture and Society. Boston: SAGE.
2013. “Ulster-Scots Diaspora: Articulating a Politics of Identity after “the Peace” in Northern Ireland.” Co-authored with Mindy Peden. In Lessons from the Northern Ireland Peace Process. Edited by Timothy White. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2013.
2010. “Touring the Troubles in West Belfast: Building Peace or Reproducing Conflict?” Peace & Change, 537-560.
2008. “The Politics of Consumption: The Tactics of the National Consumers’ League during the Progressive Era.” Social Movement Studies, 281-303.
2006. “Consumer Tactics as “Weapons”: Black Lists, Union Labels, and the American Federation of Labor.” Journal of Consumer Culture, 261-285.
2001. “Thorstein Veblen in the Age of Hyperconsumption” (with G. Ritzer and J. Murphy.) Explorations in the Sociology of Consumption. Ed. G. Ritzer. SAGE.
2000. “Theories of Consumption” (with G. Ritzer and D. Goodman.) Handbook of Social Theory. Eds. G. Ritzer and B. Smart. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
