A Theory of Fields - Open Lecture and Discussion with Professor Neil Fligstein

Neil Fligstein is one of the leading figures in contemporary sociology. He is the Class of 1939 Chancellor's Professor of Sociology at UC Berkeley and the Director of the Center for Culture, Organization, and Politics at the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment. He has been a leading figure in economic sociology for many years, with books like "The Transformation of Corporate Control" and "The Architecture of Markets" being must-reads of the field. Furthermore, he has done pioneer work in the political sociology of the European Union with works such as "The Institutionalization of Europe" (co-authored with Wayne Sandholtz and Alec Stone) and "Euroclash: The EU, European Identity, and the Future of Europe".

In recent years, Fligstein has conducted research on the financial crisis, once again expanding the territory of sociological studies into issues usually left to economists. Additionally, he has continuously worked on developing more general sociological theories. As such, his most recent book, "A Theory of Fields" (co-authored with Doug McAdam), is an attempt at synthetizing theoretical developments of organisational studies, social movement theory, and economic sociology into a single theory of fields.

In this open lecture, Professor Fligstein will present his theory of fields, its theoretical innovations and the methodological implications that are outlined in the book.