Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and member of ISOR. He received his doctorate in Sociology from the University of Michigan in 2011. Before joining ISOR, he was a Post-Doctoral Fellow with GRITIM-UPF and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Tel Aviv University. He has written on a variety of topics related to religion, culture, identity, and intergroup relations. He recently published a book entitled, Rebuilding Islam in Contemporary Spain: The Politics of Mosque Establishment, 1976–2013 (Sussex Academic Press, 2017). His work has also appeared in several prominent journals, including Theory and Society, The International Migration Review, The Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, The Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Qualitative Sociology, and The International Journal for Urban and Regional Research.

Astor A, Mayrl D. 2020. “Culturalized Religion: A Synthetic Review and Agenda for Research.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 59(2):209-276 (lead article). JCR Impact Factor: 1.133, Q3 (Sociology, 2019).

Astor A. 2020. “Religion and Counter-State Nationalism in Catalonia.” Social Compass, 67(2):159–176. JCR Impact Factor: 0.778, Q4 (Sociology, 2019).

Astor A, Riba J, Sánchez García R. 2020. “‘A Latin Can Be Worth Just as Much or More Than a Saxon’: Boxing, Gender, and Transnational Latinity in Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century Spain.” International Journal of the History of Sport, 37(1-2):55-74. JCR Impact Factor: 0.293, Q4 (History, 2019).

Astor A. 2019. “Street Performance, Public Space, and the Boundaries of Urban Desirability: The Case of Living Statues in Barcelona.” International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 43(6):1064-1084. JCR Impact Factor: 2.975, Q1 (Urban Studies, 2019).

Astor A, Burchardt M, Griera M. 2019. “Polarization and the Limits of Politicization: Cordoba’s Mosque-Cathedral and the Politics of Cultural Heritage.” Qualitative Sociology, 42(3):337-360. JCR Impact Factor: 0.667, Q4 (Sociology, 2019).

Astor A, Griera M, Cornejo M. 2019. “Religious Governance in the Spanish City: Hands-On Versus Hands-Off Approaches to Accommodating Religious Diversity in Barcelona and Madrid.” Religion, State, and Society, 47(4-5):390-404. SJR Impact Factor: 0.364, Q2 (Sociology and Political Science, 2018).

Astor A, Albert Blanco V, Martínez Cuadros R. 2018. “The Politics of ‘Tradition’ and the Production of Diasporic Shia Religiosity.” POMEPS Studies, 32:32-38.

Astor A, Riba J. 2018. “Knocked Out: Ritual Disruption and the Decline of Spanish Boxing.” International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 53(6):726–744. JCR Impact Factor: 1.771, Q2 (Sociology, 2018).

Astor A, Burchardt M, Griera M. 2017. “The Politics of Religious Heritage: Framing Claims to Religion as Culture.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 56(1):126-142. JCR Impact Factor: 1.097, Q3 (Sociology, 2017).

Astor A. 2016. “Social Position and Place-Protective Action in a New Immigration Context: Understanding Anti-Mosque Campaigns in Catalonia.” International Migration Review, 50(1):95-132. JCR Impact Factor: 2.195, Q1 (Demography, 2016).

Astor A, Griera M. 2015. “Engaging with the Other: Religion, Identity, and Politics in the Mediterranean.” New Diversities, 17(1):1-7.

Astor A. 2014. “Religious Governance and the Accommodation of Islam in Contemporary Spain.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 40(11):1716-1735. JCR Impact Factor: 1.228, Q2 (Demography / Ethnic Studies, 2014).

Astor A. 2012. “Memory, Community, and Opposition to Mosques: The Case of Badalona.” Theory and Society, 41(4):325-349. JCR Impact Factor: 0.614, Q3 (Sociology, 2012).

* Winner, Richard A. Peterson Prize for the best graduate student paper in the sociology of culture, 2011.

Religion

Culture

Theory

Diversity

Identity

Theory of Society (Undergraduate Program in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, UPF/UAB)

Sociology of Religion (Undergraduate Program, UAB)

Executive editor, Papers. Revista de Sociologia