# Research Clusters ## expand\_more ### Comparative Sociology and Social Change Research in this cluster examines the causes and consequences of cross-national, cross-cultural variations in social processes. [Read more chevron\_right](/pages/comparative-sociology-and-social-change) ![](/sites/g/files/omnuum1481/files/styles/hwp_1_1__480x480/public/2024-07/comparative_sociology-cropped%20%281%29.jpg?itok=zZcWAIv_) ### Crime and Punishment The study of crime and punishment has become increasingly central to our understanding of how society works. Crime varies widely across time and place, for example, and is deeply intertwined with multiple forms of social stratification. [Read more chevron\_right](/pages/crime-and-punishment) ![](/sites/g/files/omnuum1481/files/styles/hwp_1_1__480x480/public/2024-07/crimeandpunishment%20%282%29.jpg?itok=thwKS0GQ) ### Culture The interest in studying culture empirically has been growing dramatically within the discipline, and Harvard has emerged as a leading center for cultural sociology... [Read more chevron\_right](/pages/culture) ![Culture research cluster photo](/sites/g/files/omnuum1481/files/styles/hwp_1_1__480x480/public/2024-07/rsz_1culture_cluster_photo.jpg?itok=C-Z3Z1YN) ### Economic Sociology and Organizations The department continues a long history of studying economic and organizational phenomena from a sociological perspective. Research questions range from family decisions to immigrate to organizational strategies for profitability to national choices of welfare policies. [Read more chevron\_right](/pages/economic-sociology-and-organizations) ![](/sites/g/files/omnuum1481/files/styles/hwp_1_1__480x480/public/2024-07/economic_sociology.jpg?itok=HombnIXX) ### Education and Society Schools and colleges are transforming the lives of individual learners and their families. They play a core role in society. At the same time, they are continuously transformed by politics, markets, and scientific, technological, and cultural change. [Read more chevron\_right](/education-and-society) ![Education and Society](/sites/g/files/omnuum1481/files/styles/hwp_1_1__480x480/public/2024-07/education_and_society_cluster_resized_photo.jpg?itok=X2uvxIJq) ### Gender and Family Research in this cluster explores the ways in which gender, sexuality, and kinship relations shape individuals’ experiences. We view gender and the family as distinct but often overlapping dimensions of social stratification... [Read more chevron\_right](/pages/gender-and-family) ![](/sites/g/files/omnuum1481/files/styles/hwp_1_1__480x480/public/2024-07/gender_family_0.jpg?itok=mfTevG-D) ### Health and Population Scholars of the Health and Population cluster study the sociological causes and consequences of dynamics and differences in aging, migration, fertility, mortality, health, and well-being... [Read more chevron\_right](/pages/health-and-population) ![health_population](/sites/g/files/omnuum1481/files/styles/hwp_1_1__480x480/public/2024-07/health_population.jpg?itok=LiVBbHL8) ### Inequality The cluster on inequality brings together work in a variety of fields -- on health, education, incomes, housing, families. organizations and meaning making in the United States and beyond... [Read more chevron\_right](/pages/inequality) ![](/sites/g/files/omnuum1481/files/styles/hwp_1_1__480x480/public/2024-07/inequality.jpg?itok=Nfj6jC6x) ### Political and Historical Sociology This cluster explores interdisciplinary scholarship in socio-economic, cultural and political history. The focus is on the nature, dynamics and interacting influences of culture, politics and institutions, explored at all levels of analysis. [Read more chevron\_right](/pages/political-and-historical-sociology) ![](/sites/g/files/omnuum1481/files/styles/hwp_1_1__480x480/public/2024-07/political_historical.jpg?itok=d3lvZLyI) ### Race, Ethnicity and Immigration This cluster focuses on racial and ethnic stratification in the United States, the changing meaning of race and ethnicity over time, racial and ethnic identity and its measurement and content, and the patterns of immigration and immigrant integration in the U.S. and Western Europe... [Read more chevron\_right](/pages/race-ethnicity-and-immigration) ![Activists signs express support for immigrant community at a rally to protest president Donald Trump's decision to end DACA Downtown Portland, OR, on September 5th, 2017.](/sites/g/files/omnuum1481/files/styles/hwp_1_1__480x480/public/2024-07/race_ethnicity_immigration_cluster.jpg?itok=_GBVRDOP) ### Urban Poverty and the City For the first time in human history, more people today live in cities than in rural areas. In a generation, over 70% of the world is expected to be urbanized... [Read more chevron\_right](/pages/urban-poverty-and-city) ![urban_poverty](/sites/g/files/omnuum1481/files/styles/hwp_1_1__480x480/public/2024-07/urban_poverty.jpg?itok=Y1Ib77iO)