Jerome Karabel
Encyclopedia
Jerome Karabel is an American sociologist, political and social commentator, and Professor of Sociology at the University of California at Berkeley. He has written extensively on American institutions of higher education
and on various aspects of social policy and history in the United States, often from a comparative perspective.
Karabel is the author of The Chosen: The Hidden History of Admission and Exclusion at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton (2005), which received the Distinguished Scholarly Book Award from the American Sociological Association
. He is also co-author (with Steven Brint) of The Diverted Dream: Community Colleges and the Promise of Educational Opportunity in America, 1900-1985 (1989), which received the Outstanding Book Award from the American Educational Research Association
. His research in the sociology of education explores notions of meritocracy
, opportunity, access, and cultural capital in American higher education, and the role of the educational system in legitimating the existing social order.
In The Chosen, Karabel chronicles the admissions policies of Harvard, Yale, and Princeton over the course of the twentieth century, describing how new admissions criteria—including letters of recommendation, athletic and extracurricular achievements, and interviews, in addition to a student’s academic credentials—were first introduced in the 1920s in an effort to limit the number of Jewish students. Such starkly redefined measures of “merit” were institutionalized at these and other elite institutions over time, even as these schools later adapted such admission policies in response to growing demands for greater democratization and diversity during the mid and latter half of the twentieth century.
Karabel’s articles have been published in the American Sociological Review
, Harvard Education Review, Theory and Society, Social Forces
, and Politics and Society among others. He is also a contributor to publications such as The New York Times, The Huffington Post, The New York Review of Books
, The Nation, The Los Angeles Times, and Le Monde Diplomatique
.
Karabel holds a BA (1972) and Ph.D. (1977) from Harvard University
, and also conducted postgraduate studies at Nuffield College at Oxford University in England and at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes in Paris, France. He has been a recipient of grants from the National Science Foundation
, the National Institute of Education, and the Ford Foundation
. In 2009-2010, Karabel was a Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
in Washington DC, where he was working on a project entitled “American Exceptionalism, Social Well-Being, and the Quality of Life in the United States.”
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
and on various aspects of social policy and history in the United States, often from a comparative perspective.
Karabel is the author of The Chosen: The Hidden History of Admission and Exclusion at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton (2005), which received the Distinguished Scholarly Book Award from 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...
. He is also co-author (with Steven Brint) of The Diverted Dream: Community Colleges and the Promise of Educational Opportunity in America, 1900-1985 (1989), which received the Outstanding Book Award from the American Educational Research Association
American Educational Research Association
The American Educational Research Association, or AERA, was founded in 1916 as a professional organization representing educational researchers in the United States and around the world....
. His research in the sociology of education explores notions of meritocracy
Meritocracy
Meritocracy, in the first, most administrative sense, is a system of government or other administration wherein appointments and responsibilities are objectively assigned to individuals based upon their "merits", namely intelligence, credentials, and education, determined through evaluations or...
, opportunity, access, and cultural capital in American higher education, and the role of the educational system in legitimating the existing social order.
In The Chosen, Karabel chronicles the admissions policies of Harvard, Yale, and Princeton over the course of the twentieth century, describing how new admissions criteria—including letters of recommendation, athletic and extracurricular achievements, and interviews, in addition to a student’s academic credentials—were first introduced in the 1920s in an effort to limit the number of Jewish students. Such starkly redefined measures of “merit” were institutionalized at these and other elite institutions over time, even as these schools later adapted such admission policies in response to growing demands for greater democratization and diversity during the mid and latter half of the twentieth century.
Karabel’s articles have been published in the American Sociological Review
American Sociological Review
The American Sociological Review is a bimonthly, peer-reviewed academic journal covering all aspects of sociology, including new theoretical developments, results of research that advance the understanding of fundamental social processes, and methodological innovations. It is published by SAGE...
, Harvard Education Review, Theory and Society, Social Forces
Social Forces
Social Forces is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal of social science published by the University of North Carolina Press...
, and Politics and Society among others. He is also a contributor to publications such as The New York Times, The Huffington Post, The New York Review of Books
The New York Review of Books
The New York Review of Books is a fortnightly magazine with articles on literature, culture and current affairs. Published in New York City, it takes as its point of departure that the discussion of important books is itself an indispensable literary activity...
, The Nation, The Los Angeles Times, and Le Monde Diplomatique
Le Monde diplomatique
Le Monde diplomatique is a monthly newspaper offering analysis and opinion on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first created mainly for a diplomatic audience as its name implies...
.
Karabel holds a BA (1972) and Ph.D. (1977) from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, and also conducted postgraduate studies at Nuffield College at Oxford University in England and at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes in Paris, France. He has been a recipient of grants from the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
, the National Institute of Education, and the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
. In 2009-2010, Karabel was a Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars , located in Washington, D.C., is a United States Presidential Memorial that was established as part of the Smithsonian Institution by an act of Congress in 1968...
in Washington DC, where he was working on a project entitled “American Exceptionalism, Social Well-Being, and the Quality of Life in the United States.”
Selected Publications
- The Chosen: The Hidden History of Admission and Exclusion at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton (Houghton Mifflin, 2005).
- "Towards a Theory of Intellectuals and Politics," Theory and Society 25, no. 2 (April 1996): 205-233.
- The Diverted Dream: Community Colleges and the Promise of Educational Opportunity in America, 1990-1985, with Steven Brint (Oxford University Press, 1989).
- Power and Ideology in Education, co-edited with an introduction by A.H. Halsey (Oxford University Press, 1977).
- Ways in Which to be British, co-edited by Ben Knobel (British Preparatory Academy Press, 2009).