Douglas L. Murray is Professor Emeritus, Department of Sociology, Colorado State University

Professor Murray’s primary areas of research and teaching have been Social Change, the Sociology of Development, and the Sociology of Food and Agriculture. He was the Co-Founder and former Co-Director of the Center for Fair and Alternative Trade Studies.

Dr. Murray is a two-time Fellow in the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Research and Writing Grant Program on Peace and International Cooperation and a J. William Fulbright Senior Research Scholar. He has published extensively on the social, economic, and environmental impacts of industrial and chemical-intensive agriculture in the developing world, and on the potential of and limits to fair and alternative trade.

Prior to joining CSU, Professor Murray was a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University, Center for Latin American Studies (1990-1992) and the University of Texas, Institute of Latin American Studies (1988-1990). Over nearly four decades, he served as an adviser, consultant, or project manager for a range of international development institutions, including the OECD/World Bank, the Danish Agency for International Development, CARE International, and the United States Agency for International Development, among others, on issues of sustainability and socially equitable development.

His new book, We Can Change the World: Tales from a Generation’s Quest for Peace and Justice (Westview) has won the 2025 Nautilus Better Books for a Better World, Social Change and Social Justice, Silver Medal. The annual Nautilus Prize was created 25 years ago as a means of "honoring books that uplift lives, awaken minds, and ignite social good." In announcing the awards, the selection committee noted, "Each of these works now stands among a celebrated group of authors whose voices are shaping a more conscious, compassionate, and connected world." Professor Murray joins previous awardees including Malala Yousafzai, Thich Nhat Hahn, Amanda Gorman, Temple Grandin, Barbara Kingsolver and Neil deGrasse Tyson, among others.

Professor Murray recently gave a keynote presentation on the book for the Simon Fraser University Changemakers Awards Ceremony. The talk was held at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, B.C. on March 13, 2025. The video is available here. Read recent reviews of Professor Murray's book here.