Jim Sidanius

Jim Sidanius (1945 to 2021) was an American psychologist who served as John Lindsley Professor of Psychology in memory of William James and of African and African American Studies at Harvard University. Born James Brown, he grew up in New York City, earned a bachelor degree at City College of New York in 1968 and a doctorate at the University of Stockholm in 1977, and changed his surname to Sidanius after moving to Sweden, where he also obtained citizenship. With Felicia Pratto he wrote Social Dominance: An Intergroup Theory of Social Hierarchy and Oppression (1999), the book behind social dominance theory, and he also wrote on racialized politics and campus diversity. His honours include the 2006 Harold Lasswell Award in political psychology, election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2007 and the 2013 Career Contribution Award of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology.