Social Sciences (Faculty & Staff)

It was a time of historic change, and society was buckling under the stress. There had been a war, then a deadly pandemic. Economic crisis was constant: Racing inflation, unemployment and changes in technology provoked extreme economic insecurity.

But a leader emerged who understood the fear and humiliation felt by his public. He validated their rage and focused blame on a scapegoat. He pledged to make the nation whole again, to return it to its rightful glory. Much of the population, suffering so profoundly from the shock of loss and change and insecurity, embraced the...

The world is witnessing unprecedented threats to democracy. The financial crisis of 2007 exposed deep vulnerabilities in democratic institutions, leading to a wave of populist movements and the rise of authoritarian regimes.

Yet amid this uncertainty, a powerful wave of grassroots activism has surged, with people mobilizing across the world to confront pressing issues such as economic inequality, climate change, systemic racism, gender injustice and the ongoing struggle for human rights.

UC Berkeley Social Sciences recently launched the Global Democracy Commons program at...

UC Berkeley Psychology Professor Dacher Keltner was awarded the Association for Psychological Science's 2025 APS Mentor Award in recognition of his exceptional mentoring, and innovative research on compassion and awe, cultural influences on emotion and the dynamics of human hierarchies and power abuses.

This prestigious award honors individuals for a lifetime of exceptional psychological research, specifically recognizing Professor Keltner...

In Berkeley Talks episode 208, three UC Berkeley professors from a wide range of disciplines — psychology, biology and ethnic studies — broach a deep question: What is understanding?

“When I think about it through the lens of being a psychologist, I really think about understanding as a demonstration of, say, knowledge that we have...