Barrie Thorne
Encyclopedia
Barrie Thorne is a Professor
of Sociology
and of Gender and Women's Studies at the University of California, Berkeley
.
Her work focuses on the sociology
of gender
, feminist theory, the sociology of age relations, childhood, and families, and ethnographic methods. She is perhaps best known as author of the widely-read book Gender Play: Girls and Boys in School which has been cited in over 170 books and over 500 publications.
In 2002, she received the American Sociological Association
’s Jessie Bernard Award for life-long achievement in opening sociology to the role of women in society.
Thorne is part of the generation of academic feminists who brought attention to women and gender into traditional fields of study and who created interdisciplinary programs and departments in gender and women's studies. She also helped bring the study of children and childhoods into the field of sociology, in her own research and teaching, as an editor of Childhood: A Global Journal of Child Research, and, from 1995 to 2003, as a member of the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Pathways through Middle Childhood.
, Thorne attended Stanford University
, receiving her bachelor's degree
with Great Distinction and with Honors in Anthropology and Honors in Social Thought and Institutions in 1964. Thorne received her M.A.
in Sociology
in 1967 and her Ph.D.
in Sociology in 1971, both from Brandeis University
. She also conducted graduate work in Social Anthropology
at the London School of Economics
from 1964-1965.
From 1971 to 1985, Thorne was a member of the Sociology faculty at Michigan State University
, moving from assistant to associate to full Professor; she also helped create the MSU Women's Studies Program. During those years, she was also a Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Santa Cruz
(1976-1977 and 1980-1981) and at Stanford University (1981-1982).
In 1987, she moved to the to University of Southern California
with an appointment as the Streisand Professor in the Program for the Study of Women and Men in Society and as a Professor of Sociology. In 1995, she moved to University of California, Berkeley, to become Professor of Sociology and of Gender and Women's Studies, a position which she still holds today. She was appointed Chair of the Gender and Women's Studies Department in 2003 and, from 1998-2002, served as Director of the UC Berkeley Center for Working Families. She was elected to membership in the honorary society, Sociological Research Association
, in 1993. She was also Vice President of the American Sociological Association from 1993-1994.
Thorne's late husband, Peter Lyman
, was a Professor
at the UC Berkeley School of Information
until he retired in 2006. They have two children, Andrew Thorne-Lyman, an expert on nutrition who works for the World Food Programme
in Rome and Abigail Thorne-Lyman, a city planner who works for Strategic Economics in Berkeley
. They also have three grandchildren.
. She also teaches courses on the sociology of childhood, family, and the practices of ethnography. She has won awards for her teaching and mentoring, including Distinguished Faculty Mentor Award from the Graduate Assembly at the University of California, Berkeley in 2011, the Mentor of the Year Award from the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction in 1998, the Sociologists for Women in Society
Outstanding Mentorship Award in 1993, and the University of Southern California Raubenheimer Award for Outstanding Teaching, Research, and Service to the University in 1992.
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and of Gender and Women's Studies at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
.
Her work focuses on the sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
of gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
, feminist theory, the sociology of age relations, childhood, and families, and ethnographic methods. She is perhaps best known as author of the widely-read book Gender Play: Girls and Boys in School which has been cited in over 170 books and over 500 publications.
In 2002, she received the American Sociological Association
American Sociological Association
The American Sociological Association , founded in 1905 as the American Sociological Society , is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the discipline and profession of sociology by serving sociologists in their work and promoting their contributions to serve society.The ASA holds its...
’s Jessie Bernard Award for life-long achievement in opening sociology to the role of women in society.
Thorne is part of the generation of academic feminists who brought attention to women and gender into traditional fields of study and who created interdisciplinary programs and departments in gender and women's studies. She also helped bring the study of children and childhoods into the field of sociology, in her own research and teaching, as an editor of Childhood: A Global Journal of Child Research, and, from 1995 to 2003, as a member of the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Pathways through Middle Childhood.
Biography
Born in UtahUtah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, Thorne attended Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, receiving her bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
with Great Distinction and with Honors in Anthropology and Honors in Social Thought and Institutions in 1964. Thorne received her M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
in 1967 and her Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Sociology in 1971, both from Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
. She also conducted graduate work in Social Anthropology
Social anthropology
Social Anthropology is one of the four or five branches of anthropology that studies how contemporary human beings behave in social groups. Practitioners of social anthropology investigate, often through long-term, intensive field studies , the social organization of a particular person: customs,...
at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
from 1964-1965.
From 1971 to 1985, Thorne was a member of the Sociology faculty at Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
, moving from assistant to associate to full Professor; she also helped create the MSU Women's Studies Program. During those years, she was also a Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Santa Cruz
University of California, Santa Cruz
The University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...
(1976-1977 and 1980-1981) and at Stanford University (1981-1982).
In 1987, she moved to the to University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
with an appointment as the Streisand Professor in the Program for the Study of Women and Men in Society and as a Professor of Sociology. In 1995, she moved to University of California, Berkeley, to become Professor of Sociology and of Gender and Women's Studies, a position which she still holds today. She was appointed Chair of the Gender and Women's Studies Department in 2003 and, from 1998-2002, served as Director of the UC Berkeley Center for Working Families. She was elected to membership in the honorary society, Sociological Research Association
Sociological Research Association
The Sociological Research Association is an honor society of sociological scholars founded in 1936.With more than 400 members, the association's importance comes from the members being leading sociologists who use the SRA's meetings to network and exchange views on the direction of the field...
, in 1993. She was also Vice President of the American Sociological Association from 1993-1994.
Thorne's late husband, Peter Lyman
Peter Lyman
George Peter Lyman was an American professor of information science who taught at the University of California, Berkeley School of Information, and was well known in U.S...
, was a Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at the UC Berkeley School of Information
UC Berkeley School of Information
The UC Berkeley School of Information or the iSchool is a graduate school offering both a professional master's degree and a research-oriented Ph.D. degree at the University of California, Berkeley. The school was created in 1994 and was known as the School of Information Management and Systems ...
until he retired in 2006. They have two children, Andrew Thorne-Lyman, an expert on nutrition who works for the World Food Programme
World Food Programme
The World Food Programme is the food aid branch of the United Nations, and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger worldwide. WFP provides food, on average, to 90 million people per year, 58 million of whom are children...
in Rome and Abigail Thorne-Lyman, a city planner who works for Strategic Economics in Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
. They also have three grandchildren.
Teaching
Thorne is well-known for her upper division undergraduate courses in the gender and women’s studies and sociology departments that focus on the division of gender and on feminist theoryFeminist theory
Feminist theory is the extension of feminism into theoretical, or philosophical discourse, it aims to understand the nature of gender inequality...
. She also teaches courses on the sociology of childhood, family, and the practices of ethnography. She has won awards for her teaching and mentoring, including Distinguished Faculty Mentor Award from the Graduate Assembly at the University of California, Berkeley in 2011, the Mentor of the Year Award from the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction in 1998, the Sociologists for Women in Society
Sociologists for Women in Society
Sociologists for Women in Society is an international organization of social scientists--students, faculty, practitioners, and researchers--working together to improve the position of women within sociology and society in general.- History :...
Outstanding Mentorship Award in 1993, and the University of Southern California Raubenheimer Award for Outstanding Teaching, Research, and Service to the University in 1992.
Associations
- American Sociological Association, 1975-present
- Society for the Study of Social Problems, 1975-present
- Sociologists for Women in Society, 1983-present
- International Sociological Association
- Pacific Sociological Association
- Council on Contemporary Families, Founding member
- The National Women's Studies Association
Awards
- Distinguished Faculty Mentor Award from the Graduate Assembly at the University of California, Berkeley, 2011
- Townsend Center for the Humanities Senior Fellow, 2003.
- American Sociological Association Jessie Bernard Award, 2002 “given annually in recognition of scholarly work that has enlarged the horizons of sociology to encompass fully the role of women in society.”
- Norwegian Research Council, Social Scientist Visiting Fellowship, 2002.
- Michigan State UniversityMichigan State UniversityMichigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
Faculty Women's Association Distinguished University Woman, 1982. - Phi Beta Kappa, Stanford UniversityStanford UniversityThe Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, 1963. - Marshall ScholarshipMarshall ScholarshipThe Marshall Scholarship, a postgraduate scholarships available to Americans, was created by the Parliament of the United Kingdom when the Marshall Aid Commemoration Act was passed in 1953. The scholarships serve as a living gift to the United States of America in recognition of the post-World War...
, 1964. - Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, 1964.
Selected publications
Thorn has written and edited a number of books, chapters, and journal articles.- Barrie Thorne, “The Chinese Girls and the ‘Pokémon Kids’: Children Constructing Difference in Urban California.” Forthcoming in Jennifer Cole and Deborah Durham, eds., Figuring the Future: Children, Youth, and Globalization. Santa Fe, NM.
- Barrie Thorne, “How Can Feminist Sociology Sustain its Critical Edge?” Social Problems (2006), 53: 473-478.
- Barrie Thorne, “Lunchtime at Sunnydale Elementary School: What Do First-grader’s Need?” In Heather B. Weiss, Holly Kreider, M. Elena Lopez, and Celina M. Chapman, eds., Preparing Educators to Involve Families: From Theory to Practice. Thousand Oaks CA: Sage Publishing, 2005, pp. 57–65.
- Catherine R. Cooper, Cynthia T. Garcia Coll, Barrie Thorne, , and Marjorie Faulstich Orellana, “Beyond Demographic Categories: How Immigration, Ethnicity, and ‘Race’ Matter for Children at School." In Catherine R. Cooper, Cynthia Garcia Coll, Todd Bartko, Helen Davis, and Célina Chapman, editors, Developmental Pathways Through Middle Childhood: Rethinking Contexts and Diversity as Resources. Hillsdale, N.J. : Lawrence Erlbaum, 2005, pp. 181–206.
- Feminist Sociology: Life Histories of a Movement, edited by Barbara Laslett and Barrie Thorne. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1997.
- Gender Play: Girls and Boys in School by Barrie Thorne. New Brunswick, NJ.: Rutgers University Press, and Buckingham, England: Open University Press, 1993.
- Language, Gender and Society, edited by Barrie Thorne, Cheris Kramarae, and Nancy Henley. Rowley, Mass.: Newbury House, 1983.
- Rethinking the Family: Some Feminist Questions, edited by Barrie Thorne, with Marilyn Yalom. New York: Longman, 1982.
- Language and Sex: Difference and Dominance, edited by Barrie Thorne and Nancy Henley. Rowley, Mass.: Newbury House, 1975.