John Lie
Dean of International and Area Studies and Class of 1959 Professor University of California, Berkeley

Biography

John Lie (pronounced "Lee") was born in Seoul, South Korea. Soon thereafter, he followed his parents to live in Tokyo and Honolulu. He attended Harvard University, where he received all his degrees (A.B., A.M., and Ph.D.). Currently, he is Dean of International and Area Studies and Class of 1959 Professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

As an undergraduate, Lie concentrated in Social Studies (that is, he would probably have majored in either Political Economy of Industrial Societies or Development Studies had he attended Berkeley). Intending to work for a governmental or non-governmental organization (especially on problems relating to development, poverty, and peace), the lure (or the inertia) of academic life has kept him in academe for virtually all of his adult life. He has, however, been affiliated with many institutions. Before joining the Berkeley faculty in 2003, he held teaching or research appointments at University of Tokyo, Yonsei University (South Korea), University of Hawaii-Manoa, University of Oregon, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Keio University (Japan), National Taiwan University, University of Waikato (New Zeland), Harvard University, and University of Michigan.

Lie's primary academic interests are social theory and political economy. Though sympathetic to the idea of academic disciplines and the necessity of intellectual specialization, he remains committed to the unifying ideals of the human sciences. That is, as much as it is profitable to focus on the economy, it nonetheless remains important to understand relations with and underpinnings of political, social, and other factors and forces. Similarly, as much as one may focus usefully on a single country, it is still crucial to understand other countries: international, transnational, and global relations and realms. Many of these concerns manifest themselves in his books.

Being something of a generalist, Lie's teaching interests have focused on two courses: introductory sociology and social (sociological) theory. Many years of teaching large introductory lecture courses have resulted in his textbook, Sociology. His next book is tentatively entitled The Consolation of Social Theory.

Lie's foray into administration stems in part from his generalist inclination and research and teaching interests. The year after he was tenured, he became Head of Sociology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. At Michigan he directed the Center for Japanese Studies and the Korean Studies Program.

For additional information, see also Lie's faculty website at: http://sociology.berkeley.edu/faculty/LIE/