Theda Skocpol is an American sociologist and political scientist known for founding a state-centered approach to comparative historical sociology. In States and Social Revolutions (1979), a structural comparison of the French, Russian, and Chinese revolutions, she argued that successful social revolutions result from a conjuncture of state breakdown, brought on by international military and fiscal pressure, and autonomous peasant revolt, rather than from the deliberate mobilization of a revolutionary movement as earlier theories had emphasized. She went on to lead the bringing the state back in movement in the social sciences, insisting that the state be treated as an autonomous actor with its own interests and capacities rather than simply an arena for class conflict, and applied this approach to the historical development of American social policy in works such as Protecting Soldiers and Mothers (1992).
Facts
Birth DateSourced to the subject's own account Birth YearSourced to the subject's own account BirthplaceSourced to the subject's own account Nationality / CultureSourced to the subject's own account Defining ContributionSourced to the subject's own accountBest known as an advocate of the historical-institutional and comparative approaches, as well as her state autonomy theory. 1 Notable WorkSourced to the subject's own accountStates and Social Revolutions 1 Connections
Associated With
Skocpol comparative-historical sociology treats the state as an autonomous organizational actor with its own interests, not merely an arena for class conflict.
Informed By
Skocpol comparative-historical approach to states and revolutions built directly on, and was examined by, Moore at Harvard.
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Theda Skocpol (Wikipedia)
Wikipedialead sentence, birth date clause
Theda Skocpol (née Barron; May 4, 1947) is an American sociologist and political scientist, who is currently the Victor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology at Harvard University.
lead sentence, birth year figure
Theda Skocpol (née Barron; May 4, 1947) is an American sociologist and political scientist, who is currently the Victor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology at Harvard University.
Biography section, birthplace sentence
Theda Skocpol was born in Detroit, Michigan on May 4, 1947.
lead sentence, nationality descriptor
Theda Skocpol (née Barron; May 4, 1947) is an American sociologist and political scientist, who is currently the Victor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology at Harvard University.
lead paragraph, notable work sentence
Her 1979 book States and Social Revolutions was influential in research on revolutions.
lead paragraph, second sentence
She is best known as an advocate of the historical-institutional and comparative approaches, as well as her “state autonomy theory”.
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