A scholar of the intersection of American politics and political philosophy, Hochschild has been Professor of Government at Harvard University since 2001. A graduate of Oberlin College, Hochschild received her Ph.D. from Yale University and joined the faculty of Princeton University in 1981. She was the founding editor of “Perspectives on Politics,” published by the American Political Science Association.
Hochschild’s writings explore issues of race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, and immigration and their impact on political participation and political thought. Her award-winning 1985 book, “The New American Dilemma,” used the American experience with school desegregation to argue that small, incremental changes are less successful than rapid, extensive change imposed by nonelected officials without citizen involvement.
As a scholar-in-residence at the Kluge Center, Hochschild researched the politics and ideology of genomic science, specifically the links between genomics and governance.
News Releases
“Jennifer Hochschild Appointed to Chair in American Law and Governance in John W. Kluge Center”
Publications (selected list):
- “Creating a New Racial Order: How Immigration, Multiracialism, Genomics, and the Young Can Remake Race in America” (LC catalog record);
- “The American Dream and the Public Schools” (LC catalog record);
- “The New American Dilemma: Liberal Democracy and School Desegregation” (LC catalog record)
- “What’s Fair: American Beliefs and Distributive Justice” (LC catalog record)
Lectures
“Reflections on Issues of Race and Class in 21st Century America: Revisiting Arguments Advanced in The Declining Significance of Race (1978)”
May 21, 2015
William Julius Wilson revisits arguments in his controversial book “The Declining Significance of Race” (1978) assessing the relative importance of race and class in determining the life outcomes of African Americans, Latinos, and whites in contemporary America.
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