UC Berkeley’s flagship institute for social science research

Our purpose is captured in our name: we provide an organizational framework—a “matrix”—that supports cross-disciplinary research pursued by social scientists across the University of California, Berkeley campus and beyond.

Authors Meet Critics

REGISTER

Event Date: December 3rd, 2024
12:00pm-1:30pm PT

Authors Meet Critics: “Sin Padres, Ni Papeles,” by Stephanie Canizales

Register to join us on December 3 for an Authors Meet Critics panel on "Sin Padres, Ni Papeles: Unaccompanied Migrant Youth Coming of Age in the United States," by Stephanie Canizales, Assistant Professor of Sociology at UC Berkeley and Faculty Director of the Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative. Professor Canizales will be joined in conversation by Kristina Lovato, Assistant Professor of Social Welfare, and Caitlin Patler, Associate Professor of Public Policy. Sarah Song, Professor at Berkeley Law, will moderate.

Learn More >

Global Democracy Commons

REGISTER

Event Date: November 21st, 2024
4:00 PM to 5:30 PM PT

Making Sense of the Elections of 2024

Almost two decades on from the financial crisis of 2007 that helped unleash a wave of authoritarian, populist, and nativist movements in democracies around the world, a panel of faculty will consider what new social and political forces have shaped the elections in 2024. What do those election results tell us about the health or fragility of global democracy, and how might we better understand the outcome of the American election as part of a broader global process?

Learn More >

New Directions

REGISTER

Event Date: December 2nd, 2024
12:00 PM to 1:30 PM PST

New Directions in the Study of Labor

In this panel, an interdisciplinary group of graduate students will explore the evolving dynamics of work, management, and labor organization. Their studies focus on the impact of pension systems on workforce participation, labor union organizing in automotive supply chains across North America, and how different political and economic systems influence workplace management practices.

Learn More >

Book Talk

REGISTER

Event Date: December 5th, 2024
4:00pm-5:30pm

Marion Fourcade: The Ordinal Society

Register to join us on December 5 for a talk by Marion Fourcade, Professor of Sociology and Director of Social Science Matrix, celebrating the publication of her book, "The Ordinal Society," co-authored with Kieran Healy. This event is co-sponsored by the Berkeley Economy and Society Initiative (BESI).

Learn More >

Podcast

Interview

Published November 19, 2024

The Imperiled Place of Universities and Democracy in the USA: An Interview with Todd Wolfson

This Matrix Podcast episode features a conversation between James Vernon, Director of the Global Democracy Commons initiative, and Todd Wolfson, the new President of AAUP, about how public disinvestment from higher education and the culture wars have transformed colleges in ways that make them less democratic places — and imperil democracy across the country.

Learn More >

Matrix On Point

Recap

Published November 11, 2024

Matrix on Point: Voices from the Heartland

Recorded on October 21, 2024, this Matrix on Point panel featured three scholars — Arlie Hochschild, Jenny Reardon, and Lisa Pruitt — discussing the frequently overlooked yet politically potent voices emanating from America’s rural heartlands and small towns. Moderated by Cihan Tuğal.

Learn More >

Authors Meet Critics

Recap

Published November 11, 2024

Authors Meet Critics: “Partisan Nation: The Dangerous New Logic of American Politics in a Nationalized Era”

Watch the video (or listen to the podcast) of our Authors Meet Critics panel "Partisan Nation: The Dangerous New Logic of American Politics in a Nationalized Era," by Paul Pierson and Eric Schickler, who were joined in conversation by Francis Fukuyama and Didi Kuo. Moderated by Mark Danner.

Learn More >

Matrix On Point

Recap

Published November 8, 2024

Matrix on Point: War is Back

Recorded on September 30, 2024, this "Matrix on Point" panel discussion focused on the recent escalation of conflicts around the world — and what lies ahead. The panel featured Michaela Mattes, Andrew Reddie, and Daniel Sargent, and was moderated by Vinod Aggarwal.

Learn More >

Podcast

Interview

Published November 1, 2024

Free Speech, Academic Freedom, and the Fragile History of American Democracy

This Matrix Podcast episode features a conversation between James Vernon, Director of the Global Democracy Commons initiative, and Hank Reichman, Professor Emeritus at Cal State East Bay, and author of Understanding Academic Freedom.

Learn More >

Authors Meet Critics

Recap

Published October 24, 2024

Authors Meet Critics: Puta Life: Seeing Latinas, Working Sex

Watch the video (or listen to the podcast) of our Authors Meet Critics panel on "Puta Life: Seeing Latinas, Working Sex," by Juana María Rodríguez, Professor in the Department of Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley. Professor Rodriguez was joined in conversation by Clarissa Rojas and Courtney Desiree Morris, with Alberto Ledesma moderating.

Learn More >