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.
Prof. Einstein served graduate students as a model of prudence in remaining unfashionably true to the grand…
Civic Hopes and Political Realities
For many Americans, participation in community organizations lays the groundwork for future political engagement. But how does this traditional model of civic life relate to the experiences of today’s immigrants? Do community organizations help immigrants gain political influence in their neighborhoods and cities? Civic Hopes and Political Realities shows that while immigrant organizations play an important role in the lives of members, their impact is often compromised by political marginalization and a severe lack of resources. The volume brings tog...
Departmental Colloquium Series
VIvek Chibber. Erik Olin Wright and Anti-Capitalism Today
Monday, April 25, 2022, 2-3:30pm, Hybrid: in-person 402 Social Sciences Building and via Zoom
Erik Olin Wright's last book was published at a time when socialist ideas had once again entered the mainstream of American politics. In many ways, his recommendations for anti-capitalist strategy built upon his work of the past four decades, but in others, they were a departure from it. In this talk I offer an appreciation and assessment of his argument. I suggest that while Wright's argument was characteristically bracing, it represented a turn away from class analysis and, in so doing, turned to a perspective that weakens the very anti-capitalism that he endorsed.