25 Facts About Theda Skocpol

Theda Skocpol was born on May 4,1947 and is an American sociologist and political scientist, who is currently the Victor S Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology at Harvard University.

Theda Skocpol is a highly influential figure in both sociology and political science.

Theda Skocpol is best known as an advocate of the historical-institutional and comparative approaches, as well as her "state autonomy theory".

Theda Skocpol has written widely for both popular and academic audiences.

Theda Skocpol has been President of the American Political Science Association and the Social Science History Association.

Theda Skocpol was born in Detroit, Michigan on May 4,1947.

Theda Skocpol's mother wanted her to study home economics at a small liberal arts college, while her father was concerned about the cost of college education.

Theda Skocpol earned her BA in sociology at Michigan State University in 1969.

Theda Skocpol called her time in Mississippi observing racism and segregation "life-changing".

Theda Skocpol then went on to earn both her MA and PhD at Harvard University.

Theda Skocpol's first published article, in 1973, was a critique of Moore's Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy.

From 1975 to 1981, Theda Skocpol served as an assistant and associate professor of sociology, at Harvard.

In 1981, Theda Skocpol moved on to work at the University of Chicago.

From 1986 to the present, Skocpol has held various positions at Harvard University including: Professor of Sociology; Director for the Center for American Political Studies; Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences; and presently is the Professor of Government and of Sociology, Victor S Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology.

Theda Skocpol is Founder and Co-Editor, Princeton Studies in American Politics: Historical, Comparative, and International Perspectives ; and Senior Advisor in the Social Sciences, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.

Theda Skocpol's book Protecting Soldiers and Mothers was awarded the 1993 Woodrow Wilson Award for best book in political science by the American Political Science Association.

Theda Skocpol is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.

In October 2019 Theda Skocpol was awarded with an honorary doctorate from Radboud University Nijmegen.

Theda Skocpol includes the structure involved in creating a revolutionary situation that can lead to a social revolution - one that changes civic institutions and government once the administration and military branches collapse.

Theda Skocpol uses Marxism's class struggle to assert that the main causes of social unrest are state social structures, international competitive pressures, international demonstrations, and class relations.

Critics suggest that Theda Skocpol ignores the role of individuals and ideology and uses varied comparative methodological strategies.

Theda Skocpol considers the idea that parties are more important in America than the government, and that class dominance plays heavily into American politics.

Theda Skocpol explains how clubs and associations fill the vacuum left by fewer bureaucracies and an official church throughout the country, offering a case study in how women succeeded in gaining labor rights, mothers' pensions, minimum wage, and subsidized natal health clinics.

Theda Skocpol provokes the reader with the idea that civic involvement will one day become another job rather than a civilian responsibility.

In 2009, Theda Skocpol conceived of and co-founded the Scholars Strategy Network, an association of academics and researchers who coordinate to address public challenges while increasing the accessibility of their findings to those outside of academia.