Social Sciences

Berkeley Political Science grad student Dinah Lawan recalls her escape from Boko Haram

October 28, 2024
By Aubrey Spowart

For UC Berkeley Political Science graduate student Dinah Lawan, April 14, 2014, was a night she will never forget. Lawan went through the terrifying ordeal of being a kidnapping victim of Boko Haram, and later escaped to pursue higher education in the U.S.

Today, as she works towards her doctorate to help those suffering in conflict zones, Lawan recalls how the kidnapping changed her life forever.

Soldiers Arrived
Lawan, who was 15 years old and in her final year of high school at the time, spent that...

Economist James A. Robinson, a new Nobel laureate, left a lasting impact in his years at UC Berkeley

October 15, 2024
By Edward Lempinen

The years 1999 to 2004 were a period of incredible academic creativity and productivity for James Robinson, an economist and political scientist at UC Berkeley. His research and writing were transforming how the world thinks about the development of low-income countries. His teaching was shaping a generation of young Berkeley scholars who would help advance his ideas about why some nations were rich and others poor.

Today, Robinson was named one of the winners of the 2024 Nobel...

https://news.berkeley.edu/2024/10/14/economist-james-a-robinson-a-new-nobel-laur…

History Professor David Hollinger reflects on the Free Speech Movement impact on modern academia

October 9, 2024
By Sara Martin

UC Berkeley History Professor Emeritus David Hollinger is one of a small handful of people on the UC Berkeley campus today who participated in the Free Speech Movement (FSM) of 1964. In a recent conversation, Hollinger reflected on his experience in the FSM and its connection to his career as a scholar and teacher.

These reflections draw on his autobiographical essay, “A View from the Margins,” in Robert Cohen and Reginald Zelnik, THE FREE SPEECH MOVEMENT (University of California Press, 2002).

After earning his...

Political scientists launch the Berkeley Center for American Democracy

October 8, 2024
by Alexander Rony

Americans are feeling pessimistic about their political landscape. Polls show that US voters’ top concern involves political extremism and threats to democracy, eclipsing perennial issues like immigration and the economy. Last year, the Pew Research Center...

Two UC Berkeley alums awarded 2024 MacArthur 'genius' fellowships

October 4, 2024

The MacArthur Foundation announced the Class of 2024 MacArthur Fellows on Tuesday, October 1. MacArthur Fellowships, often called ‘genius grants,’ provide each recipient with an $800,000 stipend, a "no-strings-attached award to extraordinarily talented and creative individuals as an investment in their potential," according to the MacArthur Foundation website.

Of the five University of California alums selected this year, two are...

UC Berkeley Sociology Alumna Ruha Benjamin Wins MacArthur ‘Genius’ Grant

October 3, 2024
By Aubrey Spowart

UC Berkeley alumna Ruha Benjamin, “a transdisciplinary scholar and writer,” has been awarded a 2024 MacArthur Fellowship for “illuminating how technology reflects and reproduces inequality and championing the role of imagination in social transformation,” the MacArthur Foundation announced this week.

The MacArthur Fellowship, often referred to colloquially as the “genius grant,” is awarded annually to 20 to 30 talented individuals across a...

Social Sciences Career Readiness Internship Program welcomes second student cohort

September 30, 2024
By Jessica Ballardo

The 2024–25 cohort of Berkeley’s Social Sciences Career Readiness Internship Program (SSCRIP) has officially begun their fall course, the start of a year-long journey that will equip students with the practical skills and essential knowledge to succeed in a variety of professions. The program offers them workshops, guidance from Berkeley alumni and staff, internship placement and financial...

Fascism shattered Europe a century ago — and historians hear echoes today in the U.S.

October 3, 2024
By Edward Lempinen

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...

https://news.berkeley.edu/2024/09/09/fascism-shattered-europe-a-century-ago-and-…

UC Berkeley centers to host elections events to inform the public about issues

September 24, 2024
By Sara Martin

This fall, two UC Berkeley centers are gearing up for the election by hosting a variety of events to help others make informed voting decisions. The Institute of Governmental Studies (led by Sociology Professor Cristina Mora and Political Science Professor Eric Schickler) and Social Science Matrix (led by Sociology Professor Marion Fourcade) have partnered in various events and panels spanning over the next two months that will cover the national and state implications of this election year.

From analyzing local ballot measures to dissecting national voter trends, these events aim...

Berkeley Social Sciences launches Global Democracy Commons program to improve democratic practices

September 23, 2024
By Lilah Klein and Emily Yang

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...