Bert Useem
Professor
// Sociology
Emeriti Faculty
Office and Contact
Email: useem@purdue.edu
Ph.D., Brandeis University (1980)
Specialization
law and society; social movements and political sociology
Bert Useem received his Ph.D. from Brandeis University in 1980. He has published two books on prison riots – one on their causes and another on strategies for their resolution. A more recent book examines the prison buildup – its causes, impact on order behind bars, and the effect on the crime rate. Recent articles, in the American Journal of Sociology and American Sociological Review, with Jack Goldstone, develop the idea that theories of revolution can be used to explain prison riots. He has also written articles about social movements, for example, the popular effort to resist court-ordered school desegregation and the effort to promote nuclear power.