Professor Anderson's latest research, 'The Cosmopolitan Canopy', is a study of public space that describes how different people meet in urban environments and get along or not. His research touches on ethnicity, class and the condition of the individual in urban environments, some of the most pressing issues of our time. Through his studies, he contributes to an increased understanding of how violence occurs in segregated urban environments, knowledge that is important in the design of measures to address criminal violence in both American and Swedish cities. Anderson has published several other studies: "A Place on the Corner" is a study of social relations among young black men in a metropolitan ghetto. "Streetwise" deals with ethnic and class relations in a gentrified neighborhood in Philadelphia and "Code of the Street" examines the nature of violence in the inner city.

About the laureate

Elijah Anderson is Professor of Sociology and African American Studies at Yale University, where he teaches and directs the Urban Ethnography Project. Born in Missouri in 1943, Anderson received his B.A. from Indiana University Bloomington, his M.A. from the University of Chicago, and his Ph.D. from Northwestern University. His research has contributed to a greater understanding of how different types of social interactions among young people lead to violence.

About the award

The Stockholm Prize in Criminology is an international prize awarded annually. It is sponsored by the Stockholm Prize in Criminology Foundation, established by the Swedish government and the Torsten Söderberg Foundation. The prize was awarded for the first time in 2006. Some international organizations also make important contributions to the prize.

The prize is awarded for outstanding achievements in criminological research or for the practical application of research findings in the field of law enforcement and the promotion of human rights. The independent international jury is chaired by Professors Lawrence W. Sherman and Jerzy Sarnecki. The award ceremony, which would have taken place in 2021, will instead be held in 2022 at Stockholm City Hall in conjunction with the Stockholm Criminology Symposium. The symposium is organized by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå).

The Torsten Söderberg Foundation and the prize

Stockholm Prize in Criminology, Stockholm University

Stockholm Criminology Symposium, Brå