Martin Murray

Martin Murray is a professor in the Taubman College of Urban Planning and DAAS. He is a sociologist whose current research engages the fields of urban studies and planning, development, historical sociology, and African studies.

His research covers diverse geographical areas of the world at different historical periods. After his first book on French colonialism in Southeast Asia, Professor Murray pursued a deep and abiding interest in the political economy of South Africa. His recent research focuses on questions related to the spatial form and urban management of cities in Africa. In his latest book, "Taming the Disorderly City," he examines urban planning in Johannesburg after the end of apartheid.

In addition to four books and three co-edited volumes, he has produced nearly sixty journal articles and book chapters covering a diversity of topics such as urban South Africa; social, political, and economic issues associated with the post-apartheid transition; class formation in the rural countryside of South Africa; and the historical studies of rural transformation in colonial Indochina. His papers have appeared in a number of influential journals including the Canadian Journal of African Studies, International Sociology, Journal of Southern African Studies, and the Journal of African History.

In Taubman College, Professor Murray contributes significantly to the "Planning in Developing Countries" concentration offered by the Urban and Regional Planning Program. This concentration is currently led by Professor Gavin Shatkin who focuses on south and southeast Asia. Professor Murray allows the Urban and Regional Planning Program to expand its developing-country course offerings, and affords the program expertise in African urban development policy. He also teaches in the Department of African and African-American Studies (DAAS) in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.

Field(s) of Study

• Sociology, African Studies