Social Sciences (Faculty & Staff)

UC Berkeley study uncovers the mafia’s role in Italy’s wildfire crisis

December 9, 2024
By Aubrey Spowart

Over the past few years, raging wildfires in Italy have become a common and deadly occurrence. In Southern Italy, intense, record-breaking heat waves and dry scirocco winds create the perfect conditions for wildfires—both natural and coordinated.

In the paper “Land on fire: The spatial production of the mafia,” published in a special issue of "New Geographies of Organised Crime" in Criminology & Criminal Justice, UC Berkeley Geography Ph.D. student Lauren Pearson links...

UC Berkeley economics professor leads research on policymaking for California’s key issues

December 18, 2024
By Jessica Ballardo

Editor’s Note: The work of UC Berkeley Social Sciences faculty helps shape California public policy. In this series, learn more about their research and projects and how they resonate with state policymakers and address solutions to the most pressing issues facing California, from food access to homelessness.

UC Berkeley Economics and Public Policy Professor Jesse Rothstein, an expert in education policy and the labor market, tackles critical California issues like criminal justice reform and homelessness through his leadership at the California Policy...

A new approach to decision-making can reduce stress, increase efficiency, UC Berkeley study reveals

January 7, 2025
By Sara Martin

In a world overflowing with choices — from what to eat for breakfast to which career path to pursue — decision-making has become an ever-present obstacle for most. Research from UC Berkeley’s Department of Psychology has demonstrated a new way that people can overcome this obstacle, by changing the way they approach their decisions.

This innovative approach, detailed in a study recently published in Nature Human Behaviour, focuses on altering the way people think of the relationship between their...

Geography professor explores the impact of treating housing as a financial asset on California public policy

February 10, 2025
By Jessica Ballardo

Editor's Note: The work of UC Berkeley Social Sciences faculty helps shape California public policy. In this series, learn more about their research and projects and how they resonate with state policymakers and address solutions to the most pressing issues facing California, from food access to homelessness.

UC Berkeley Geography Professor Desiree Fields' research on the financialization of the housing market spans from the 2008 mortgage crisis to today's efforts by tech billionaires to create new cities "from scratch," informing California policymakers on topics such as...

History professor discusses the deep roots of anti-immigrant sentiment in the U.S.

March 5, 2025
By Lila Thulin

On the campaign trail, President Trump made his promise to drastically slash immigration a rallying cry. Since taking office, he’s issued a flurry of executive orders aimed at achieving those goals, from ending birthright citizenship to freezing funding for refugee resettlement and migrant legal aid organizations.

Immigrant rights groups have responded with...

https://news.berkeley.edu/2025/03/04/how-trumps-immigration-policies-compare-to-…

History professor explores how California’s past shaped its current-day public policy issues

March 17, 2025
By Jessica Ballardo

Editor's Note: The work of UC Berkeley Social Sciences faculty helps shape California public policy. In this series, learn more about their research and projects and how they resonate with state policymakers and address solutions to the most pressing issues facing California, from food access to homelessness.

UC Berkeley History and American Studies Professor Mark Brilliant's research examines the historical context of California's most pressing public policy concerns, including housing, affirmative action and income inequality, tracing them as far back as World War II and...

Investigating the psychedelic blue lotus of Egypt, where ancient magic meets modern science

March 11, 2025
Jason Pohl

a close-up image of an Egyptian blue lotus being held by hands with black glovesFew plants are more celebrated in Egyptian mythology than the blue lotus, a stunning water lily that stars in some of archaeology’s most significant discoveries. Researchers found its petals covering the body of King Tut when they opened his tomb in 1922, and its flowers often adorn ancient papyri scrolls. Scholars have long hypothesized that the lilies, when...

https://news.berkeley.edu/2025/03/11/investigating-the-psychedelic-blue-lotus-of…

Global Studies chair discusses research, leadership and importance of her field

April 7, 2025
By Jessica Park

As UC Berkeley Global Studies chair, Elora Shehabuddin promotes a strong and supportive academic community for her faculty colleagues and students. From learning about foreign policy decisions to climate change and resource conflicts, Global Studies students gain in-depth knowledge about the world around them.

Born in Pakistan, and raised in Europe and the Middle East, Shehabuddin brings a range of perspectives to the Global Studies program. She also serves as a Cal professor and equity advisor in Gender & Women Studies and director of the...

New Palestinian and Arab Studies program established at UC Berkeley

September 9, 2024
By Social Sciences Staff

UC Berkeley's Division of Social Sciences announced today the establishment of an endowed program and chair in Palestinian and Arab Studies, which will usher in a new era of research and scholarship in this critical field of study.

“At a time when understanding the complexities of the Middle East is more crucial than ever, this gift allows the Social Sciences to take a leading role in fostering critical scholarship and dialogue,” Berkeley Social Sciences Dean Raka Ray said. “It's an opportunity for us to deepen our commitment to outstanding...

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of UC Berkeley’s Ethnic Studies graduate program

March 3, 2025
By Aubrey Spowart

This year marks the 40th anniversary of UC Berkeley’s Ethnic Studies Ph.D. program, the oldest in the country. Since its founding in 1984, the program has graduated over 170 students, who have gone on to become professors, artists, elected officials and other leaders.

Rooted in activism, the program emerged from student-led protests in 1968, when a coalition of Black, Indigenous, Asian American and Chicano students advocated for UC Berkeley to take questions of race and racism more seriously.

Ethnic Studies Chair...