Dr. Manuel Pastor is a Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the University of Southern California (USC) where he also currently directs USC’s Equity Research Institute. Pastor holds an economics Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and is the inaugural holder of the Turpanjian Chair in Civil Society and Social Change at USC.

Pastor’s research has generally focused on issues of the economic, environmental and social conditions facing low-income urban communities – and the social movements seeking to change those realities. His most recent books include Charging Forward: Lithium Valley, Electric Vehicles, and a Just Future (co-authored with Chris Benner, 2024), Solidarity Economics: Why Mutuality and Movements Matter (co-authored with Chris Benner, 2021), and State of Resistance: What California’s Dizzying Descent and Remarkable Resurgence Means for America’s Future (2018). The year 2027 will see the release of a new volume, How We Rise: Building a Durable Supermajority for the Future We Deserve (New Press, 2027).

Pastor maintains an active profile as a public speaker and author of popular articles. In recognition of his frequent partnerships with community organizations, he was awarded the Liberty Hill Foundation’s Wally Marks Changemaker of the Year award in 2012 and the Advancement Project’s Champion for Equity Award in 2017. In 2022, Pastor was elected to the American Academy for the Arts and Sciences for his work in Public Affairs and Public Policy. In 2024, Pastor was named by the Los Angeles Times as one of the region’s most significant civic leaders in their inaugural series, L.A. Influential.