Theda Skocpol

Political Sociologist and Political Scientist

Contact Information
Phone:(617) 496-0966
E-Mail: ts@isr.harvard.edu


Biographical Statement

Skocpol is Victor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology and dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard. Skocpol’s first book, States and Social Revolutions: A Comparative Analysis of France, Russia, and China (1979), won two major scholarly awards. A leader in historical-institutional and comparative research, Skocpol co-edited the influential collection Bringing the State Back In (1985). For the past fifteen years, Skocpol’s research has focused upon US politics in historical and comparative perspective. Skocpol’s Protecting Soldiers and Mothers: The Political Origins of Social Policy in the United States (1992) won five scholarly awards. Her recent books focus on civic engagement in America, and Skocpol continues to work on issues of the state and civil society in cross-national perspective.