{{short description|American sociologist & author (born 1970)}} {{Infobox academic <!-- for more information see :Template:Infobox writer/doc --> | name = John Asimakopoulos | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1970|9|10|mf=y}} | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | occupation = Sociologist, author |sub_discipline = Social theory, critical pedagogy, industrial relations, international political economy, higher education |discipline = Sociology|alma_mater=Rutgers University (BA, MA, MA)<br>CUNY Graduate Center (PhD) |workplaces = Bronx Community College of the City University of New York|doctoral_advisor=Paul Attewell |thesis_title = Comparative Analysis of European and American Working Class Attainments |thesis_year = 2000 }}
'''John Asimakopoulos''' (born September 10, 1970) is an American sociologist and author. He is a professor of sociology at the Bronx Community College of the City University of New York. Asimakopoulos co-founded the Transformative Studies Institute.
==Early life and education== Asimakopoulos attended high school in Athens, Greece. He returned to the United States and received a bachelor's degree in sociology and economics from Rutgers University in 1992. He remained at Rutgers for his master's degrees, receiving an MA in economics in 1993 and an MA in political science in 1994. He went on for a PhD in the sociology program at the CUNY Graduate Center, which he completed in 2000. His doctoral advisor was Paul Attewell, and his thesis title was ''Comparative Analysis of European and American Working Class Attainments''.<ref name="aboutpage">{{cite web|title=More About Dr. Asimakopoulos|date=16 August 2009 |publisher=Transformative Studies Institute|url=http://www.transformativestudies.org/about-2/board-of-directors/more-about-dr-asimakopoulos/|accessdate=September 18, 2012}}</ref>
==Career== After teaching as an adjunct professor at New Jersey and New York area universities, in 2004 he began as an assistant professor of social sciences at the Bronx Community College.<ref name="facdirectory">{{Cite web |url=http://www.bcc.cuny.edu/employees/asimakopoulos-john/ |title= Asimakopoulos, John (faculty directory listing) |access-date=January 3, 2020|publisher=Bronx Community College}}</ref> He came to public attention in 2006, when the City University of New York refused to renew his contract on the grounds of "lack of collegiality".<ref name="thechief">{{cite news|url=http://thechiefleader.com/news/news_of_the_week/article_751a7106-bb33-5941-aebb-e58fe64781c5.html|website=The Chief|last=Sims|first=David|title=Reinstate Bronx CC Prof Fired for Collegiality Gap; Deemed That Insufficient Grounds|date=September 19, 2008|access-date=January 4, 2020}}</ref> Asimakopoulos alleged this was a political firing because of his outspoken libertarian socialist ideology.<ref name=acadrepress>{{cite book | editor1-last=Nocella | editor1-first=Anthony | editor2-last=Best | editor2-first=Steven|editor3-last=McLaren | editor3-first=Peter | title=Academic Repression: Reflections from the Academic-Industrial Complex | publisher=AK Press | location=Edinburgh Oakland | year=2010 | isbn=978-1-904859-98-7 | oclc=321018666 | pages=505–506}}</ref> Asimakopoulos filed for arbitration, which he won in 2008, and returned to his position.<ref name="thechief"/> Asimakopoulos describes himself as a "Scholar-Activist" and "Organic Intellectual".<ref name="aboutpage"/>
==Transformative Studies Institute== <!-- linked from redirect Transformative Studies Institute --> In 2007, Asimakopoulos co-founded the '''Transformative Studies Institute''' (TSI) together with Ali Shehzad Zaidi. Both Asimakopoulos and Zaidi were at the time facing non-renewal of their contracts from Bronx Community College (Asimakopoulos later was reinstated under arbitration). Asimakopoulos has said that he founded TSI as a reaction to this experience.<ref name=acadrepress /> Asimakopoulos serves as executive director of this section 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.<ref>[http://www.transformativestudies.org/ Transformative Studies Institute]</ref><ref>[http://www2.guidestar.org/organizations/20-8770902/transformative-studies-institute-anj-nonprofit-corporation.aspx GuideStar]</ref>
TSI publishes the interdisciplinary journal ''Theory in Action'', founded by Asimakopoulos in 2008.<ref>[https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/123904263 WorldCat-''Theory in Action'']</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.transformativestudies.org/publications/theory-in-action-the-journal-of-tsi/|title=''Theory in Action'' – the Journal of TSI|date=9 April 2009 |publisher=Transformative Studies Institute|access-date=January 4, 2020}}</ref> It also publishes the ''Journal of Social Justice'', founded in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://transformativestudies.org/publications/journal-of-social-justice/|title=Journal of Social Justice|date=27 September 2007 |publisher=Transformative Studies Institute|access-date=January 19, 2020}}</ref> Asimakopoulos is editor-in-chief of both journals. There is a TSI YouTube channel which hosts the video series "Crushing Capitalism with Dr. Asimakopoulos".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/user/TSIMedia1|title=Crushing Capitalism with Dr. Asimakopoulos|website=YouTube|publisher=Transformative Studies Institute|access-date=January 4, 2020}}</ref><ref>[http://www.ulrichsweb.com/ulrichsweb/ulrichsweb_news/uu/newTitles.asp?uuMonthlyFile=uu201006/new_titles.txt&Letter=B&navPage=9& Ulrichsweb]</ref> TSI states that its mission is to found an interdisciplinary graduate school focused on social problems and social justice.<ref name=abouttsi>{{cite web|url=http://transformativestudies.org/about-2/|title=About TSI|date=2 October 2007 |publisher=Transformative Studies Institute|access-date=January 19, 2020}}</ref>
== Books ==
* Asimakopoulos, John. (2011). ''Revolt! The Next Great Transformation from Kleptocracy Capitalism to Libertarian Socialism through Counter Ideology, Societal Education, & Direct Action''<ref>Reviews of ''Revolt!'': * {{citation|last=Panayotakis|first=Costas|title=Rev. of Revolt!|date=April 2014|journal=Science & Society|volume=78|issue=2|pages=262–264|doi=10.1521/siso.2014.78.2.249|jstor=24585260}} * {{citation|last=Cavanaugh|first=Charles|title=Rev. of Revolt!|date=January 2012|journal=Theory in Action|volume=5|issue=1|pages=119–122|doi=10.3798/tia.1937-0237.12007|doi-access=free}}</ref> *Shannon, Deric, Nocella, Anthony J. and Asimakopoulos, John. (Eds.). (2012). ''The Accumulation of Freedom: Writings on Anarchist Economics''<ref>Reviews of ''The Accumulation of Freedom'': * {{citation|last=Altena|first=Bert|title=Rev. of The Accumulation of Freedom|date=March 2013|id={{Gale|A342773680}}|journal=Anarchist Studies|volume=21|issue=1}} * {{citation|last=Bray|first=Mark|title=Rev. of The Accumulation of Freedom|date=October 2012|journal=Theory in Action|volume=5|issue=4|pages=103–106|author-link=Mark Bray|id={{ProQuest|1291077228}}|doi=10.3798/tia.1937-0237.12037|doi-access=free}} </ref> *Asimakopoulos, John. (Reprint edition, 2016). ''Social Structures of Direct Democracy: On the Political Economy of Equality''<ref>Reviews of ''Social Structures of Direct Democracy'': * {{citation|last=Dean|first=Kathryn|title=Rev. of Social Structures of Direct Democracy|date=February 2017|journal=Journal of Critical Realism|volume=16|issue=2|pages=230–234|doi=10.1080/14767430.2017.1289452|s2cid=151500156}} * {{citation|last=Cruise|first=Susan|title=Rev. of Social Structures of Direct Democracy|url=https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/ji/vol40/iss1/4|journal=Journal of Ideology|volume=40|issue=1|year=2019|at=Article 4}} * {{citation|last=Worley|first=Robert|title=Rev. of Social Structures of Direct Democracy|date=January 2018|journal=Theory in Action|volume=11|issue=1|pages=79–84|doi=10.3798/tia.1937-0237.1805|doi-access=free}}</ref> *Asimakopoulos, John and Richard Gilman-Opalsky (Eds.). 2018. ''Against Capital in the Twenty-First Century: A Reader of Radical Undercurrents''<ref>Review of ''Against Capital in the Twenty-First Century'': * {{citation|last=Harden|first=Garrick|title=Rev. of Against Capital in the Twenty-First Century|date=April 2019|journal=Theory in Action|volume=12|issue=2|pages=137–145|doi=10.3798/tia.1937-0237.1917|doi-access=free}}</ref> *Asimakopoulos, John. 2019. ''The Political Economy of the Spectacle and Postmodern Caste'' (Studies in Critical Social Sciences)
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [http://www.transformativestudies.org/about-2/board-of-directors/more-about-dr-asimakopoulos/ About Dr. Asimakopoulos] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20110929040025/http://www.sociologistswithoutborders.org/JohnAsimakopoulosInterview.doc Interview with Sociologists Without Borders] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20110726150343/http://www.transformativestudies.org/audio/ Jeff Farias Interviews Dr. John Asimakopoulos (April 28, 2009)] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20110726150343/http://www.transformativestudies.org/audio/ Jeff Farias Interviews Dr. John Asimakopoulos (March 3, 2009)]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Asimakopoulos, John}} Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:Activists from the Bronx Category:American educational theorists Category:American people of Greek descent Category:Critical pedagogy scholars Category:Bronx Community College faculty Category:Marxist humanists Category:Marxist theorists Category:Rutgers University alumni Category:CUNY Graduate Center alumni