Dr. Barrie Thorne

Biography

Barrie Thorne joined the University of California, Berkeley faculty in 1995 with a joint appointment in the Gender & Women's Studies and Sociology departments. Previously, she taught at Michigan State University and the University of Southern California, where she was active in creating and rejuvenating interdisciplinary feminist studies programs. In 2002, she received the American Sociological Association Jessie Bernard Award in recognition of her scholarly work that broadened the horizons of sociology to encompass the role of women in society. Thorne has received awards for her teaching and mentoring. Her research and teaching focus on sociology, gender, feminist theory, age relations, childhood, families, and ethnographic methods. She served as the editor of 'Childhood: Global Journal of Child Research' and was the Vice President of the American Sociological Association, chairing sections on Sociology of Children and Youth, and Sociology of Sex and Gender. From 1998 to 2002, she co-directed the Berkeley Center for Working Families, which helped to build a feminist intellectual community focused on 'cultures of care' and the changing contours of family life in the context of global economic restructuring. Thorne is the author of 'Gender Play: Girls and Boys in School' (Rutgers, 1993) and was the co-editor of several works, including 'Feminist Sociology: Life Histories and the Movement' (Rutgers, 1997) and 'Rethinking Family: Feminist Questions' (Northeastern University Press, 1992). Her current ethnographic writing focuses on the dynamics of boys and girls with their parents in a mixed-income, ethnically diverse area of Oakland.

Research Interests