Rory M. McVeigh

Rory M. McVeigh is an American sociologist, Nancy Reeves Dreux Chair professor of sociology and director of the Center for the Study of Social Movements and former chair (2007–2016) of the department of sociology at the University of Notre Dame. From 2015 through 2020 he served as one of the lead editors of the American Sociological Review, the flagship journal of the American Sociological Association. He is widely cited in the field of social movements, particularly right-wing movements. He also edited the academic journal Mobilization from 2008 through 2015 and is the current the co-editor of the academic blog Mobilizing Ideas. McVeigh will be the 2028 president of the American Sociological Association.

McVeigh's 2008 co-authored article Red Counties, Blue Counties, and Occupational Segregation by Sex and Race received an honorable mention for the 2008 American Sociological Association Political Sociology Best Article Award.

McVeigh's book, entitled The Rise of the Ku Klux Klan: Right-Wing Movements and National Politics was published by the University of Minnesota Press in 2009. The book went on to be reviewed by over a dozen academic journals and news outlets. According to reviewers Heidi Beirich and Kevin Hicks, "The work offers a sophisticated new explanation of the quick rise of an organization that, at its height, numbered more than three million."

In 2009, McVeigh became the editor of the academic journal Mobilization: An International Quarterly a post he held until 2015.

In May 2026, McVeigh was elected as the 2028 president of the American Sociological Association. McVeigh received 51% of votes cast, the next nearest candidate Melissa J. Wilde received 37%. During his campaign for ASA presidency, McVeigh said: "The ASA has a vital role to play in continuing its extraordinary defense of sociology against unprecedented political attacks".