Theda Skocpol

Theda skocpol (1947) American political scientist and sociologist whose work significantly shaped the understanding of states and social policy.

Theda Skocpol
Occupation	Professor and Author

Educations

• B.A. Michigan State University, 1969
• M.A. Harvard University, 1972
• Ph.D. Harvard University, 1975

Activities

• Assistant and Associate Professor of Sociology, Harvard University (1975-1981)
• Associate Professor of Sociology and Political Science, and of Social Science in the College, The University of Chicago (1981-1984)
• Director, Center for the Study of Industrial Societies, The University of Chicago (1982-1985)
• Professor of Sociology and Political Science, and of Social Science in the College, The University of Chicago (1984-1986)
• Professor of Sociology, Harvard University (1986-1994)
• Professor of Government and of Sociology, Harvard University (1995-1997)
• Victor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology, Harvard University (1998 - )
• Director, Center for American Political Studies, Harvard University (2000-2006)
• Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University (2005-2007)
• Senior Advisor in the Social Sciences, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study (2006-2008)
• Co-founder and Director, Scholars Strategy Network (scholars.org) (2009- )
• A.D. White Professor-at-Large, Cornell University. Appointed in 2015 to six-year term as a non-resident visiting professor (2015-2021)
• Member, Scholars Council, Library of CongressHonor   (2019-2023)

Academic Honors

• the Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science for her "visionary analysis of the significance of the state for revolutions, welfare, and political trust, pursued with theoretical depth and empirical evidence." In 2007
• The Skytte Prize is one of the largest and most prestigious in political science and is awarded annually by the Skytte Foundation at Uppsala University (Sweden) to the scholar who in the view of the foundation has made the most valuable contribution to the discipline.

Publications

• Bringing the State Back In: Retrospect and Prospect. Scandinavian Political Studies. 2008;31 (2) :109-24.

• The Transformation of American Politics: Activist Government and the Rise of Conservatism. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press; 2007.

• What a Mighty Power We Can Be: African American Fraternal Groups and the Struggle for Racial Equality. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press; 2006

Selected Publications

• Rentier state and shi'a islam in the iranian revolution

In this article, she believed that The Hussain myth provided a framework for labelling and reacting against the Shah (a title given to the emperors, kings and lords of Iran) as the evil, tyrannical "Yazid of the present age". The founding myth is the story of Hussain's willing martyrdom in the just cause of resisting the usurper caliph, Yazid. And legitimate authority in the Shi'a community has long been shared between political and religious leaders,

Source

• Personal Theda Skocpol's Website