Jeffrey Prager
Research Professor
My research concerns racism, trauma and memory. I examine the role of recognition and acknowledgment in post-conflict societies and the consequences when it does not occur. My work is comparative, focusing on South Africa and the US.
Special interest in past social traumas, and the relation between mechanisms of forgiveness and reparations to the creation of post-traumatic solidaristic communities.
Degrees
- Ph.D., Sociology, University of California, Berkeley
- Ph.D., Psychoanalysis, Southern California Southern California Psychoanalytic Institute
- B.A., Sociology, Occidental College
Awards
Invited Participant, University of California Humanities Research Institute 2003 Faculty Seminar, "Redress in Social Thought, Law, and Literature"
American Council of Learned Societies Fellowship
Visiting Member, School of Social Science, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton
Distinguished Teaching Award, UCLA
Selected Publications
- Prager, J. (2020). Reading Freud Anew. Soc 57, 265–268 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12115-020-00477-4
- Prager, J. (2020). Do black lives matter? A psychoanalytic exploration of racism and American resistance to reparations. In Post-Conflict Hauntings (pp. 93-118). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
- Prager, J. (2015). Danger and deformation: A social theory of trauma part II: Disrupting the intergenerational transmission of trauma, recovering humanity, and repairing generations. American Imago, 72(2), 133-155.
- Prager, J. (2011). Danger and deformation: A social theory of trauma part I: Contemporary psychoanalysis, contemporary social theory, and healthy selves. American Imago, 425-448.
- Prager, J. (2009). Presenting the past: Psychoanalysis and the sociology of misremembering. Harvard University Press.
- Prager, J. (2008). Healing from history: Psychoanalytic considerations on traumatic pasts and social repair. European journal of social theory, 11(3), 405-420.
- Prager, J. (2009). Melancholic Identities: Post-Traumatic Loss, Memory and Identity Formation. Identity in question, 139.
Current Courses by Term
2022 Spring Quarter
Research Colloquia in Social Thought II
Previous Courses by Term
2019 Spring Quarter
Variable Topics Research Seminars: Sociology
2019 Winter Quarter
Research Colloquia in Social Thought I
Research Colloquia in Social Thought II
Development of Sociological Theory
Advanced Honors Seminars
2018 Fall Quarter
Research Colloquia in Social Thought I
2018 Spring Quarter
Research Colloquia in Social Thought II
Fiat Lux Freshman Seminars
Contemporary Sociological Theory
Advanced Honors Seminars
2018 Winter Quarter
Development of Sociological Theory
Advanced Honors Seminars
Variable Topics Research Seminars: Sociology
2017 Fall Quarter
Research Colloquia in Social Thought I
2017 Spring Quarter
Research Colloquia in Social Thought II
2017 Winter Quarter
Research Colloquia in Social Thought I
Contemporary Sociological Theory
Advanced Honors Seminars
2016 Fall Quarter
Research Colloquia in Social Thought I
Development of Sociological Theory
Advanced Honors Seminars
2016 Winter Quarter
Research Colloquia in Social Thought I
Research Colloquia in Social Thought II
Development of Sociological Theory
Advanced Honors Seminars
Special Topics in Sociology
2015 Fall Quarter
Research Colloquia in Social Thought I
American Racism: Psychosocial Analysis
2015 Spring Quarter
Contemporary Sociological Theory
Advanced Honors Seminars
2015 Winter Quarter
Development of Sociological Theory
Special Topics in Sociology
2014 Fall Quarter
Variable Topics Research Seminars: Sociology
2014 Spring Quarter
Contemporary Sociological Theory
2014 Winter Quarter
Development of Sociological Theory
Special Topics in Sociology
2013 Fall Quarter
Variable Topics Research Seminars: Sociology
2013 Spring Quarter
Contemporary Sociological Theory
Advanced Honors Seminars
2013 Winter Quarter
Development of Sociological Theory
Topics in Sociological Theorizing
2012 Fall Quarter
Research Colloquia in Social Thought I
Special Topics in Sociology
2012 Winter Quarter
Research Colloquia in Social Thought I
Research Colloquia in Social Thought II
2011 Fall Quarter
Research Colloquia in Social Thought I
2011 Spring Quarter
Contemporary Sociological Theory
Advanced Honors Seminars
2011 Winter Quarter
Research Colloquia in Social Thought I
Research Colloquia in Social Thought II
Development of Sociological Theory
Advanced Honors Seminars
2010 Fall Quarter
Research Colloquia in Social Thought I
Social Thought and Origins of Sociology
2010 Spring Quarter
Contemporary Sociological Theory
2010 Winter Quarter
Research Colloquia in Social Thought II
Development of Sociological Theory
Special Topics in Sociology
2009 Spring Quarter
Contemporary Sociological Theory
2008 Fall Quarter
Research Colloquia in Social Thought I
Special Topics in Sociology
2008 Spring Quarter
Contemporary Sociological Theory
2008 Winter Quarter
Development of Sociological Theory
Topics in Sociological Theorizing
2007 Fall Quarter
Research Colloquia in Social Thought I
Special Topics in Sociology
2007 Winter Quarter
Development of Sociological Theory
Advanced Honors Seminars
Topics in Sociological Theorizing
2006 Fall Quarter
Social Thought and Origins of Sociology
2005 Spring Quarter
Selected Problems in Psychoanalytic Sociology
2005 Winter Quarter
Development of Sociological Theory
Advanced Honors Seminars
Topics in Sociological Theorizing
2004 Fall Quarter
Social Thought and Origins of Sociology
2004 Spring Quarter
Special Topics in Sociology
2004 Winter Quarter
Development of Sociological Theory
Special Courses: Simulating Society
Advanced Honors Seminars
Topics in Sociological Theorizing
2003 Fall Quarter
Social Thought and Origins of Sociology
2003 Spring Quarter
History of Modern Thought: Special Topics
2003 Winter Quarter
History of Modern Thought
2002 Fall Quarter
History of Modern Thought
Development of Sociological Theory
2002 Spring Quarter
History of Modern Thought: Special Topics
2002 Winter Quarter
History of Modern Thought
2001 Fall Quarter
History of Modern Thought
2001 Spring Quarter
Development of Sociological Theory
2000 Fall Quarter
Development of Sociological Theory
1999 Fall Quarter
Development of Sociological Theory
1999 Spring Quarter
Culture, Politics, and Society: History of Social Thought -- Special Topics
Previous Courses by Course
SOCIOL 191V
Variable Topics Research Seminars: Sociology
Variable Topics Research Seminars: Sociology
2019 Spring Quarter
2018 Winter Quarter
2014 Fall Quarter
2013 Fall Quarter
SOC THT 190A
Research Colloquia in Social Thought I
Research Colloquia in Social Thought I
2019 Winter Quarter
2018 Fall Quarter
2017 Fall Quarter
2017 Winter Quarter
2016 Fall Quarter
2016 Winter Quarter
2015 Fall Quarter
2012 Fall Quarter
2012 Winter Quarter
2011 Fall Quarter
2011 Winter Quarter
2010 Fall Quarter
2008 Fall Quarter
2007 Fall Quarter
SOCIOL 101
Development of Sociological Theory
Development of Sociological Theory
2019 Winter Quarter
2018 Winter Quarter
2016 Fall Quarter
2016 Winter Quarter
2015 Winter Quarter
2014 Winter Quarter
2013 Winter Quarter
2011 Winter Quarter
2010 Winter Quarter
2008 Winter Quarter
2007 Winter Quarter
2005 Winter Quarter
2004 Winter Quarter
2002 Fall Quarter
2001 Spring Quarter
2000 Fall Quarter
1999 Fall Quarter
SOC THT 190B
Research Colloquia in Social Thought II
Research Colloquia in Social Thought II
2019 Winter Quarter
2018 Spring Quarter
2017 Spring Quarter
2016 Winter Quarter
2012 Winter Quarter
2011 Winter Quarter
2010 Winter Quarter
SOCIOL 189
Advanced Honors Seminars
Advanced Honors Seminars
2019 Winter Quarter
2018 Spring Quarter
2018 Winter Quarter
2017 Winter Quarter
2016 Fall Quarter
2016 Winter Quarter
2015 Spring Quarter
2013 Spring Quarter
2011 Spring Quarter
2011 Winter Quarter
2007 Winter Quarter
2005 Winter Quarter
2004 Winter Quarter
SOCIOL 102
Contemporary Sociological Theory
Contemporary Sociological Theory
2018 Spring Quarter
2017 Winter Quarter
2015 Spring Quarter
2014 Spring Quarter
2013 Spring Quarter
2011 Spring Quarter
2010 Spring Quarter
2009 Spring Quarter
2008 Spring Quarter
SOCIOL 19
Fiat Lux Freshman Seminars
Fiat Lux Freshman Seminars
2018 Spring Quarter
SOCIOL 285A
Special Topics in Sociology
Special Topics in Sociology
2016 Winter Quarter
2012 Fall Quarter
2008 Fall Quarter
2007 Fall Quarter
SOCIOL 40
American Racism: Psychosocial Analysis
American Racism: Psychosocial Analysis
2015 Fall Quarter
SOCIOL 285J
Special Topics in Sociology
Special Topics in Sociology
2015 Winter Quarter
SOCIOL 285B
Special Topics in Sociology
Special Topics in Sociology
2014 Winter Quarter
SOCIOL 204
Topics in Sociological Theorizing
Topics in Sociological Theorizing
2013 Winter Quarter
2008 Winter Quarter
2007 Winter Quarter
2005 Winter Quarter
2004 Winter Quarter
SOCIOL 10
Social Thought and Origins of Sociology
Social Thought and Origins of Sociology
2010 Fall Quarter
2006 Fall Quarter
2004 Fall Quarter
2003 Fall Quarter
SOCIOL 285C
Special Topics in Sociology
Special Topics in Sociology
2010 Winter Quarter
SOCIOL 268
Selected Problems in Psychoanalytic Sociology
Selected Problems in Psychoanalytic Sociology
2005 Spring Quarter
SOCIOL 285D
Special Topics in Sociology
Special Topics in Sociology
2004 Spring Quarter
SOCIOL 188
Special Courses: Simulating Society
Special Courses: Simulating Society
2004 Winter Quarter
GE CLST 21CW
History of Modern Thought: Special Topics
History of Modern Thought: Special Topics
2003 Spring Quarter
GE CLST 21B
History of Modern Thought
History of Modern Thought
2003 Winter Quarter
2002 Winter Quarter
GE CLST 21A
History of Modern Thought
History of Modern Thought
2002 Fall Quarter
2001 Fall Quarter
GE CLST 21C
History of Modern Thought: Special Topics
History of Modern Thought: Special Topics
2002 Spring Quarter
GE CLST 21C
Culture, Politics, and Society: History of Social Thought -- Special Topics
Culture, Politics, and Society: History of Social Thought -- Special Topics