About

The Boston Sociology Graduate Society was co-founded c. 2012 by two doctoral students from Boston-area Sociology Departments: Catherine Tan (Brandeis University) and Elyas Bakhtiari (Boston University). (Elyas Bakhtiari is now an Associate Professor at the College of William & Mary and Catherine Tan, an Assistant Professor at Vassar College).

Since its inception, the Boston Sociology Graduate Society has hosted social events to encourage community connection across Boston-area Sociology departments (including the Sloan School at MIT). The Society has successfully organized happy hour events at Carrie Nation, Cornwall’s, The Friendly Toast, Fajita & ‘Ritas, and The Liberty Hotel, among other Boston-area venues.

Co-Chairs/
Co-Coordinators

Aaron Benavidez

Aaron is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Sociology at Harvard University. His research examines institutional and city-level factors shaping community college selection, experience, and persistence. Aaron is also a Co-Founder of the Society for Emerging Ethnographer, and was a Co-Founder of the Contemporary Ethnography and Inequality Workshop at Harvard University.

Deniz Berfin Ayaydin

Deniz is a doctoral student in the Department of Sociology at Boston University. Her research interests include: Global and political sociology, global capitalism, authoritarianism, transnational feminisms, and counter-hegemonic struggles.

Grazielle (Grazi) Valentim

Grazielle is a doctoral student in the Department of Sociology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her research interests focus on immigration and labor rights, gender, family, and care work, examining the regulation and work of au pairs in the United States through the J-1 visa programs.