Michèle Lamont

Michèle Lamont is a professor of sociology and of African and African American studies, and the Robert I. Goldman Professor of European Studies at Harvard University. After studying with Pierre Bourdieu and others in Paris, Lamont became a pioneer in cultural and comparative sociology, contributing significantly to the development of these fields. Following post-doctoral research at Stanford University, she held faculty positions at the University of Texas at Austin, Princeton University, and Harvard University.

Lamont’s research focuses on inclusion, inequality, social worth, cultural processes, symbolic and social boundaries, and the evaluation of knowledge. Her work addresses topics such as dignity, stigma, racism, class cultures, collective well-being, social resilience, and social change. She directed the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard and leads the Weatherhead Research Cluster on Comparative Inequality and Inclusion. Lamont also served as co-director of the Successful Societies Program of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, which produced the books "Successful Societies: How Institutions and Culture Affect Health" and "Social Resilience in the Neo-Liberal Era."

Lamont is the author of several books, including "Money, Morals, and Manners: The Culture of the French and the American Upper-Middle Class," "The Dignity of Working Men: Morality and the Boundaries of Race, Class, and Immigration," "How Professors Think: Inside the Curious World of Academic Judgment," and the co-authored "Getting Respect: Responding to Stigma and Discrimination in the United States, Brazil and Israel." Her book "Seeing Others: How Recognition Works and How It Can Heal a Divided World" examines how societies can bridge divisions by extending recognition to marginalized groups.

Lamont’s scholarship has received honors such as the C. Wright Mills Award from the Society for the Study of Social Problems for "The Dignity of Working Men," the Gutenberg Award, the Erasmus Prize, the Kohli Prize for Sociology, and honorary doctorates from multiple countries. She is a member of the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the British Academy, and the Royal Society of Canada.

Lamont served as president of the American Sociological Association and is a Carnegie Fellow. She received the Everett Mendelsohn Excellence in Mentoring Award from the Harvard Graduate Students Association. Through her academic writing, public commentary, and speaking engagements, Lamont addresses issues of inequality, recognition, and the cultural dynamics shaping society.