My name is Dr. Brittany Friedman. I am a sociologist, cultural & political theorist, author, and spiritual herbalist. I am an expert on cover-ups, politics, and the dark side of institutions. What does that mean? Much of my work is organized around investigating and making sense of the grave harms we grapple with in our society and how they are perpetrated by individuals and institutions who use power to engage in disinformation, target vulnerable populations, and reproduce social and economic inequalities.
Like Ida B. Wells and other seers before us, we must look until we cannot sit still.
Once we uncover these harms, the work is to dream a path forward. To this end, I also focus my energy on restoring harmony through reimagining how we can heal and transform systems of oppression and control into structures of life, joy, and creativity.
I am a proponent of what I conceptualize as "investigative sociology," which I outline in my new book's final section titled "truth-telling as method."
I believe in the power of creativity, imagination, and public intellectualism for reshaping society. I communicate the spirit of discovery by translating my research findings for many audiences, including scholars, policymakers, advocacy organizations, the public, and creative teams working on radio, film, broadcast, or art production.
I am passionate about the translation of social research into vibrant storytelling and narration. I love to discover and create from a place of deep inquiry and respect for the mysteries that life holds. This includes my training as a social scientist, filmmaker, creator, and practitioner of the alternative healing arts, having learned the art and practice of spiritual herbalism through apprenticeship with master herbalist Karen Rose. I am the founder of Liberation Apothecary.
I hold a PhD in Sociology from Northwestern University and am appointed as an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Southern California, where I received the 2024 Raubenheimer Outstanding Junior Faculty Award.
I am an Affiliated Scholar of the American Bar Foundation, and previously, an inaugural 25-26 Policy Outreach Fellow of the American Sociological Association, a ‘23-24 American Association of University Women American Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellow, and '21-23 Access to Justice Faculty Scholar of the American Bar Foundation and JPB Foundation.
In 2026, I was awarded the Distinguished Early Career Award by the American Sociological Association's Section on Racial and Ethnic Minorities (SREM) for exceptional achievement and scholarly contribution to the sociology of race and ethnicity.
I am co-founder and Creative Director of the Captive Money Lab, and host and co-creator of our affiliated podcast Exploitation Nation. Get my latest thoughts and musings straight to your inbox by also subscribing to my newsletter Truth-Teller Speaks.
I have written for news outlets such as The Washington Post, TIME Magazine, and The Conversation, among others, and my research has been featured in media like C-SPAN, Los Angeles Times, Yes! Magazine, Ms. Magazine, The Associated Press, Boston Globe, ABC News, The Grio, NPR, The Untold Story, Jacobin Magazine, This is Hell! Radio, The Appeal, and Vox.
Order my new book CARCERAL APARTHEID: How Lies and White Supremacists Run Our Prisons,
Thanks for visiting and take good care.
B 🦋