Bio

The notion of being “exceptional” permeates our daily lives. But who gets deemed exceptional, and how do these belief systems become gendered and racialized? These questions form the crux of Musto’s research agenda, which uses qualitative and quantitative methods to identify how the social construction of exceptionalism legitimizes intersecting forms of inequality in an array of settings, ranging from K-12 classrooms to professional sports.

Personal Website

Musto’s work on the social construction of exceptionalism has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, including The American Sociological Review, Social Forces, Gender & Society, among others. In addition to having received awards from the American Sociological Association’s Sex & Gender and Children & Youth Sections, Musto’s work has received funding from the National Science Foundation, the NAEd/Spencer Foundation, the American Association of University Women, and the Haynes Foundation.

Areas of Specialization:

Gender & Sexuality, Race & Ethnicity, Education, Children & Families, Social Inequality, Qualitative & Mixed Methodologies