Prof. Gabriel Abend, Ph. D. / Professor of Sociology

Chair of Sociology with an Emphasis on Sociological Theory

Gabriel Abend studied political science and history at the Universidad de la República in Montevideo, Uruguay. His education continued in “America,” where he got a PhD in sociology from Northwestern University. Seeing as capitalism wasn’t going to go away any time soon, he decided to sell his labor-power to New York University, first as an Assistant Professor of Sociology, later as a tenured Associate Professor of Sociology. After many years in the U.S., he became a Professor of Sociology at Universität Luzern, eventually joining Universität Göttingen.

Abend is the recipient of the 2017 Lewis A. Coser Award for “Theoretical” Agenda Setting. His book, Words and Distinctions for the Common Good, came out with Princeton University Press in 2023. It’s a real page-turner—satisfaction guaranteed or your money back.

For more information: Gabriel Abend

Selected publications

Gabriel Abend, Lukas Posselt, and Patrick Schenk. 2025. “New Frontiers in the New Sociology of Morality.” Sociology Compass 19: e70024.
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Gabriel Abend. 2023. Words and Distinctions for the Common Good: Practical Reason in the Logic of Social Science. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
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Gabriel Abend. 2022. “Making Things Possible.” Sociological Methods & Research 51: 68-107.
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Gabriel Abend. 2019. “Thick Concepts and Sociological Research.” Sociological Theory 37: 209-233.
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Gabriel Abend. 2014. The Moral Background: An Inquiry into the History of Business Ethics. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
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Gabriel Abend, Caitlin Petre, and Michael Sauder. 2013. “Styles of Causal Thought: An Empirical Investigation.” American Journal of Sociology 119: 602-654.
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Teaching

You can find Gabriel Abend’s current classes on eCampus and Stud.IP.

Team

Administration Office:
Nicole Horn
Bürozeiten: Montags bis donnerstags

Research Fellows:
Vanessa Müller, M. A.
Dr. Lukas Posselt
Dr. Oliver Römer

Student Assistant:
Jorrit Konert