Elijah Anderson (born 1943) is an American sociologist and ethnographer, currently serving as the Sterling Professor of Sociology at Yale University. Known for his detailed urban ethnographies, Anderson has extensively studied the cultural norms, social interactions, and survival strategies of residents in inner-city neighborhoods, focusing on race, class, and inequality in urban America.
Anderson’s work bridges urban sociology, cultural criminology, and ethnographic research, offering a nuanced understanding of how structural disadvantage, racism, and economic inequality shape everyday life in marginalized communities. His influential concepts, such as the “code of the street,” have become central to discussions on urban violence, social control, and identity.
