Dr. Dylan Riley

Biography

Dylan John Riley is a professor in the Sociology Department at the University of California, Berkeley. He specializes in Political Sociology and Comparative Historical Sociology, with a strong focus on Social Theory. His research often explores the dynamics of capitalism, socialism, democracy, authoritarianism, and knowledge regimes through a broad comparative historical lens. Riley is the author of the influential book 'Civic Foundations of Fascism in Europe: Italy, Spain, Romania 1870-1945', published by Johns Hopkins University Press in 2010, which presents a compelling argument that fascist regimes arose paradoxically on the basis of strong civil societies that existed prior to the fascist period. Reviewers have praised this work as offering original and provocative analyses of the preconditions for the emergence of fascism. Currently, he is preparing a new book titled 'Societies and States Count: A Comparative Genealogy of Censuses' alongside Rebecca Jean Emigh and Patricia Ahmed, which challenges state-centered accounts of official information on censuses, advocating for perspectives that emphasize the interaction between the state and society. Moreover, he has initiated a project investigating the connection between the meaning and substance of democracy in interwar and post-war Europe. His scholarly contributions have appeared in prestigious journals including the American Journal of Sociology and the American Sociological Review, and he serves on the editorial committee of New Left Review.

Research Interests