Vanina Leschziner

Vanina Leschziner is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Toronto. Her primary areas of interest are social theory, social cognition, culture, organizations, work and occupations, and evaluation. Her research is currently focused on cognition, cultural fields, and creativity. Professor Leschziner was guest co-editor (with Karen Cerulo) of a special issue on "Culture and Cognition: New Approaches and New Applications." Her most recent work includes “Rethinking Culture and Cognition" (with Karen Cerulo and Hana Shepherd, Annual Review of Sociology, 2021), and "Have Schemas Been Good to Think With?" (with Gordon Brett, Sociological Forum, 2021).

Among Professor Leschziner's other publications is her book At the Chef's Table: Culinary Creativity in Elite Restaurants (Stanford University Press, 2015), which analyzes the creative work and careers of elite chefs. Her article "Beyond Two Minds: Cognitive, Embodied, and Evaluative Processes in Creativity" examines cognitive processes in creative work (with Gordon Brett, Psychology Quarterly, 2019). Her article "Thinking about Food and Sex: Deliberate Cognition in the Routine Practices of a Field" (with Adam Green, Sociological Theory, 2013) addresses debates about social action and field theory. She is currently working on a book manuscript entitled "Culture and Creativity" (with Claudio Benzecry), under contract with Polity Press.