Carl E. James FRSC (born 1952) is an Antiguan-born^[1] Canadian sociologist and professor of education at York University in Toronto, Canada, where he holds the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora.

James' research focuses on the sociology of education, student athletes,^[2] and "the intersections of race, ethnicity, culture, language, and identity in the Canadian context."^[3]

Among his honours, James was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2012^[4] and in 2022 won the Killam Prize for Social Sciences.^[5] In 2024, he was one of eleven Black Torontonians selected by the Toronto Transit Commission to have portraits put up through the system during Black History Month.^[6]

Selected works

• James, Carl E. (1992). Making It: Black Youth, Racism and Career Aspirations in a Big City. Mosaic.
• James, Carl E. (1995). Seeing Ourselves: Exploring Race, Ethnicity and Culture. (and several revised editions)
• James, Carl E. (2005). Race in Play: Understanding the Socio-Cultural Worlds of Student Athletes. Canadian Scholars’ Press. ISBN 978-1-55130-273-7.
• James, Carl E.; Davis, Andrea (2012). Jamaica in the Canadian Experience: A Multiculturalizing Presence. Fernwood. ISBN 978-1-55266-535-0.
• Henry, Frances; Dua, Enaksh; James, Carl E.; Kobayashi, Audrey; Li, Peter; Ramos, Howard; Smith, Malinda S. (2017). The Equity Myth: Racialization and Indigeneity at Canadian Universities. University of British Columbia Press.
• James, Carl E. (August 2020). "Who Gets to "Commit Sociology" and to Serve Whose Interest?". Canadian Review of Sociology/Revue Canadienne de Sociologie. 57 (3): 487–490. doi:10.1111/cars.12301. ISSN 1755-6171. PMID 32779339. S2CID 221101293.
• James, Carl E. (2021). "Colour Matters": Essays on the Experiences, Education and Pursuits of Black Youth. University of Toronto Press.
• James, Carl E.; Taylor, Leanne E. (2022). First-Generation Student Experiences in Higher Education: Counterstories. Routledge.