John Balzarini, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Sociology & Criminal Justice
129a Delaware Hall
302.857.7103
jbalzarini [at] desu.edu
Education
Ph.D. 2013 Temple University, Sociology.
Dissertation Committee: Anne Shlay (Chair), Matt Wray, Kevin Delaney and Bryant Simon.
Dissertation Title: Casino Development and the Right to the City: Conflict and Community Place-Making in Philadelphia.
M.A. 2006 Temple University, Sociology.
B.A. 2001 West Chester University, Sociology.
Research Interests/Area
- Urban Sociology
- Community
- Uneven Development and Inequality
- Urban Culture
- Gentrification
- Landlords and Housing
- Social Movements
- Neoliberal Urbanization
- Social Networks and Social Capital
Professional Memberships
- 2004-Present American Sociological Association
- 2011-Present Community and Urban Sociology Section of the American Sociological Association
- 2011-Present Urban Affairs Association
- 2012-Present Eastern Sociological Society
Publications
- 2020 John Balzarini and Melody Boyd. “Working with Them: Small-Scale Landlord Strategies for Avoiding Evictions.” Housing Policy Debate. DOI:10.1080/10511482.2020.1800779
- 2018 John E. Balzarini and Anne B. Shlay. “The Strength of Strong Ties Reconsidered: Social Ties and Collective Power in a Gentrifying Community.” Social Currents. 5(1): 67-85.
- 2016 John E. Balzarini and Anne B. Shlay. “Gentrification and the Right to the City: Community Conflict and Casinos.” Journal of Urban Affairs. 38(4): 503-517.
- 2016 John E. Balzarini. Review of Matthew Desmond, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. Journal of Children and Poverty. 22(2): 149-150.
- 2016 John E. Balzarini. Review of Andrea S. Boyles, Race, Place, and Suburban Policing: Too Close for Comfort. Contemporary Sociology. 45(6): 727-728.
- 2015 Anne B. Shlay and John Balzarini. “Urban Sociology.” In: James D. Wright (editor-in-chief), International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 2nd edition, Vol 24. Oxford: Elsevier. pp. 926–933.
- 2005 John Balzarini, Rebecca Jenkins, Whitney Miles, Mellissa Pittaoulis, Alma-Kristina Rodriguez and Helen Marie Rosenbaum. “For whom Transformation Tolls? Philadelphia’s Neighborhood Revitalization Project.” In CUSS News: Newsletter of the Community & Urban Sociology Section.
Presentations (Selected)
Invited Presentations
- 2018 Panelist: “Regional Spotlight: Inequality in the Philadelphia Area.” Presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, Philadelphia, PA.
- 2018 Panelist: “Sociology Alumni in Academic Careers.” Temple University, Department of Sociology, Philadelphia, PA.
Conference Presentations
- 2020 “Avoiding Eviction: How Landlords Attempt to Keep Tenants in their Homes.” (Melody Boyd, co-presenter). Paper presented at the Displacement and Disparities in Urban Environments, Community and Urban Sociology Section (CUSS) regular session at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, San Francisco, CA. *Virtual Session
- 2020 “Landlords versus the Growth Machine: Landlord Perspectives on Philadelphia’s 10-year Tax Abatement and Uneven Development.” (Melody Boyd, co-presenter). Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society, Philadelphia, PA.
- 2019 “Mediating Evictions in Landlord/Tenant Relationships.” (Melody Boyd, co-presenter). Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society, Boston, MA.
- 2019 Speaker: “Critical Ethnographies: Case Studies of Identity, Intergenerational Wealth, and Urban Renewal.” At the University of Pennsylvania Ethnography in Education Research Forum, Philadelphia, PA.
- 2019 “Gatekeeping Communities: Understanding How Landlords Make Sense of and Capitalize on Neighborhood Change and Gentrification.” Delaware State University-Colloquium Series: Sustaining Social Science Research Culture at DSU. Dover, DE.
- 2017 “The Attitudes and Agency of Landlords in Gentrifying Neighborhoods.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Urban Affairs Association, Minneapolis, MN.
- 2017 “Community Activism and the Power of Place-Based Social Ties.” Paper Presented at the annual meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society, Philadelphia, PA.
- 2017 “Gatekeeping Community: The Role of Landlords in Shaping Neighborhood Change.” (Melody Boyd, co-presenter) Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society, Philadelphia, PA.
- 2016 “Place-Identity and the Right to the City: Gentrification, Ethnicity and Anti-Casino Activism.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Urban Affairs Association, San Diego, CA.
- 2015 “The Strength of Strong Ties and Collective Power in a Gentrifying Philadelphia Community.” Paper presented at the Delaware State University Roundtable Seminar Series, Dover, DE.
Grants
2018 National Science Foundation (with Melody Boyd, SUNY Brockport): “Gatekeeping Communities: The Role of Landlords in Neighborhood Change and Gentrification” ($56,904).
Teaching
- SCCJ 305 Urban Sociology
- SCCJ 310 Social Stratification
- SCCJ 408 Sociology of Poverty
- SCCJ 448 Senior Seminar
- SCCJ 351 Sociology of the Family
- SCCJ 101H Introduction to Sociology (Honors)
- SCCJ 200 Writing in the Major
- SCCJ 435 Social Change
- SCCJ 202 Social Deviance
- SCCJ 191-192 University Seminar I & II