Steven G. Brint (born 1951) is an American sociologist specializing in the study of organizations and education.
He is Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Public Policy at University of California Riverside.
He is known for his comparative study of schooling systems around the world and for his work on the transformations of higher education, professionalism, and class politics in the United States. His work is noteworthy for recasting the theory of class inversion in the United States, for analysis of the historical transition from “social-trustee” to “expert” professionalism, and for its exploration of managerial (as opposed to consumer, state, and business) interests in the transformation of U.S. higher education institutions
He is the author of over 150 peer-reviewed articles and books, with over 12,000 citations. His work has been published in many of the top journals in the fields of higher education and sociology including: The American Journal of Sociology, Sociological Theory, and Sociology of Education. Brint is married to historian Michele Renee Salzman.
Education
Brint received his B.A. in sociology from the University of California at Berkeley in 1973 and his M.A. and Ph.D., both in sociology, from Harvard University. As an undergraduate, he worked at the Center for Studies in Higher Education, where he remains an associated faculty member today. While at Harvard, Brint worked with Jerome Karabel at the Huron Institute studying higher education.
Awards and honors
Elected Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
Elected Fellow, Sociological Research Association
Willard Waller Award for Best Article in the Sociology of Education (for "Socialization Messages in Primary Schools: An Organizational Analysis") Emory Elliot Book Award Pierre Bourdieu Book Award (honorable mention), American Sociological Association Forbes Top 10 Book in Higher Education 1991 Outstanding Book Award. American Educational Research Association 1991 Senior Scholar Outstanding Book Award. Council of Universities and Colleges
Books
The Diverted Dream: Community Colleges and the Promise of Educational Opportunity in America. with Jerome Karabel New York: Oxford University Press, 1989. American Educational Research Association Outstanding Book Award Senior Scholar Outstanding Book Award, Council on Colleges & Universities In an Age of Experts: The Changing Role of Professionals in Politics and Public Life. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994. Schools and Societies, 3rd ed. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2016. Two Cheers for Higher Education: Why American Universities Are Stronger than Ever – and How to Meet the Challenges They Face. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2018