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Welcome to Berkeley Sociology

Berkeley’s Sociology Department is known around the world for its excellence in research and teaching. Our faculty advance cutting edge research and teach in most sociological specialities. Our PhDs are leaders in universities and research centers across the US and in many other countries. And our BAs populate the ranks of innumerable professions, bringing with them the skills and special perspective of Berkeley sociology. 

We are proud to make these contributions from the world’s leading public university. At Berkeley, we combine intellectual rigor with a commitment to public service through our research, teaching, and service on campus and beyond. 

For the past six decades, Berkeley’s Sociology Department has consistently been ranked among the world’s top sociology departments. Our graduate program is ranked #1 in the latest U.S. News and World Report, and our undergrad degree is currently the best in the US according to College Factual and features on Grad Reports’ Best College List 2020.

Faculty Spotlight
Neil Fligstein
Class of 1939 Professor
Economic sociology, political economy, organizational theory
Ekédi Mpondo-Dika
Assistant Professor
Emotions, Poverty, Family and Personal Relationships, Mental Health
Michael Rodríguez-Muñiz
Associate Professor
Race and Ethnicity, Sociology of Knowledge and Culture, Latinx Politics and Identity, Political Sociology, Ethnographic and Qualitative Methods
In Memoriam
Albert Einstein (1941)
Albert Einstein (1941)
EMERITUS PROFESSOR

Prof. Einstein served graduate students as a model of prudence in remaining unfashionably true to the grand…

Faculty Publishing
Guanxi, translated as 'social connections,' or 'social networks,' is among the most important studied phenomena in China today. Guanxi lies at the heart of China's social order, its eco...

Social Connections in China

Guanxi, translated as 'social connections,' or 'social networks,' is among the most important studied phenomena in China today. Guanxi lies at the heart of China's social order, its economic structure, and its changing institutional landscape. It is considered important in every realm of life, from politics to business, and officialdom to street life. This 2002 volume offers scholarly thinking on the subject by top China sociologists whose work on guanxi has been influential and by scholars offering insights on the topic. The authors examine the rol...
[homepage] colloquium

Departmental Colloquium Series

Antonio Casilli, "How Artificial Intelligence Fosters Global Inequalities: A Four-Country Study on Data Work "

Wednesday December 11th, 2024 at 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Blumer Room - 402 Social Sciences Building & Via Zoom

Abstract:

While public debate focuses on how AI might affect human labor, this talk reverses the perspective by examining how human labor shapes AI. Recent evidence shows that data-intensive machine learning systems rely heavily on a concealed workforce. Behind voice assistants, self-driving cars, and facial recognition tools are millions of underpaid and unrecognized data workers performing crucial tasks like image labeling, information sorting, and audio transcription. While awareness of precarious working conditions in this sector is growing in the North America, much of this work is outsourced to countries of the Majority World, where informal economy is thriving and highly educated workers face less-regulated labor markets. Drawing on research conducted by the DiPLab team across Venezuela, Madagascar, Brazil, and France, this presentation reveals how historical global inequalities and dependencies are being reproduced through international digital labor and data supply chains. Through mixed-methods analysis and primary data, we examine the working conditions and socio-demographic profiles of data workers across these four countries, spanning low- to high-income economies.