Letter from the Chair

March 2, 2022

Chair’s Letter 

We live in a time of multiple, intersecting crises. Some, such as structural racism, are of long standing. Others, such as social inequality, are growing worse. Still others, such as transgender rights, are hotly contested. Looming over all of them are the social consequences of climate change, ongoing and still to come.

The discipline of Sociology was born out of the great social crises of the 19th century: the industrial revolution and the labor movement, the democratic revolutions and the ensuing reaction. Yale Sociology is dedicated to focusing on the social problems of the present, especially inequality and oppression in all its forms, and to putting them into a comparative, historical and cultural perspective.

As a discipline and as a department, we are committed to inclusive and democratic solutions to the many crises confronting us today. Sociology is a necessary discipline, perhaps now more than ever.

Phil Gorski

Chair and Frederick and Laura Goff Professor of Sociology and Religious Studies