Mustafa Emirbayer is an American sociologist and professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is recognized as one of the most vocal advocates of the relational approach in the social sciences, a perspective that emphasizes relationships and connections over isolated entities in understanding social phenomena. Emirbayer's work has made significant theoretical contributions to social network analysis, a field that examines the structure and dynamics of networks formed by social relationships. His advocacy for relational approaches has influenced contemporary sociological thinking and methodology. In 2009, Emirbayer received the Lewis A. Coser Award for Theoretical Agenda-Setting from the American Sociological Association, recognizing his contributions to advancing theoretical work in sociology.