{{Short description|American sociologist and academic}}
'''Neil Louis Gross''' (born June 1, 1971)<ref name="Neil Gross 2013">"Neil Gross." Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2013. Literature Resource Center, Accessed 13 June 2018.</ref> is the Charles A. Dana Professor of Sociology and chair of the department of sociology at Colby College.<ref name="faculty">{{Cite web |url=https://www.colby.edu/directory/profile/neil.gross/ |title=Neil L. Gross |website=Colby College |language=en-US |access-date=2017-07-23}}</ref> He is also a visiting scholar at New York University's Institute for Public Knowledge.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chronicle.com/blogs/conversation/2013/03/05/the-actual-politics-of-professors/|title=The Actual Politics of Professors|last=Gross|first=Neil|date=March 5, 2013|work=The Chronicle of Higher Education|access-date=January 24, 2014}}</ref> He has written several books on sociological and political topics, and also blogs for ''The Chronicle of Higher Education''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chronicle.com/blogs/conversation/author/ngross/|title=Neil Gross – The Conversation - Blogs - The Chronicle of Higher Education|work=The Chronicle of Higher Education|access-date=January 25, 2014}}</ref> Gross edited the American Sociological Association's journal ''Sociological Theory'' from 2009 to 2015.<ref name="Point of Inquiry">{{cite web|url=http://www.pointofinquiry.org/neil_gross_why_are_professors_and_scientists_so_liberal/|title=Neil Gross - Why Are Professors (and Scientists) So Liberal?|last1=Mooney|first1=Chris|author-link=Chris Mooney (journalist)|date=April 15, 2013|work=Point of Inquiry|access-date=January 24, 2014}}</ref> He previously taught at the University of Southern California, Harvard University, Princeton University, and the University of British Columbia.<ref name="Point of Inquiry" /><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.colby.edu/directory/profile/?profileid=neil.gross | title=Neil L. Gross · College Directory}}</ref>
== Early life and education == Gross grew up near Berkeley, California, raised by his stay-at-home mother and his father, a legal editor. Both of his parents were avid readers.<ref name="Hauchecorne">{{cite web|url=http://www.transeo-review.eu/What-is-the-new-sociology-of-Ideas.html|title=What is the new sociology of Ideas ? A Discussion with Charles Camic and Neil Gross|last1=Hauchecorne|first1=Mathieu|last2=Ollion|first2=Etienne|date=January 2009|work=Transeo Review|access-date=24 April 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140424210055/http://www.transeo-review.eu/What-is-the-new-sociology-of-Ideas.html|archive-date=24 April 2014}}</ref>
Gross earned a B.A. in Legal Studies from the University of California, Berkeley in 1992, and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2002.<ref name="Point of Inquiry" /> Before going to graduate school, Gross was a patrolman in the Berkeley Police Department.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.colby.edu/magazine/patrolling-the-new-sociology/ |title=Patrolling the New Sociology |last=Boyle |first=Gerry |date=2015-10-16 |website=Colby Magazine |language=en-US |access-date=2017-07-23}}</ref>
== Career == From 2004 to 2008, Gross was an assistant professor of sociology at Harvard University, after which he joined the faculty of the University of British Columbia.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2008/4/20/neil-gross-plans-to-leave-harvard/ |title=Neil Gross Plans To Leave Harvard|website=www.thecrimson.com |language=en |access-date=2017-07-23}}</ref> He was the editor-in-chief of ''Sociological Theory'' for six years (2009–2015).<ref name=faculty/> In 2015, he left the University of British Columbia to become Charles A. Dana professor and chair of sociology at Colby College.<ref name=faculty/>
===Biography of Richard Rorty=== Gross garnered considerable attention for his 2008 book ''Richard Rorty: The Making of an American Philosopher,'' which was described by philosopher Barry Allen as using Rorty's life to "build a theory of the sociology of ideas."<ref name="Neil Gross 2013"/><ref>Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, http://ndpr.nd.edu/ (October 11, 2008), Barry Allen, review of Richard Rorty.</ref> In his review, sociologist Neil Mclaughlin commended Gross for his "careful archival research, innovative theoretical synthesis and substantive contributions."<ref name="Neil Gross 2013"/><ref>Canadian Journal of Sociology, September 22, 2009, Neil McLaughlin, review of Richard Rorty: The Making of an American Philosopher, pp. 1156-1160.</ref>
=== On liberalism in academia === Another focus of Gross' work has been the political leanings of university professors. With Solon Simmons, he began in 2006 a survey of 1417 faculty members at 927 U.S. universities, colleges, and community colleges, called the ''Politics of the American Professoriate''.<ref name="GrossSimmons2007">{{cite web |last1=Gross |first1=Neil |last2=Simmons |first2=Solon |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228380360 |title=The Social and Political Views of American Professors |date=September 24, 2007}} Working Paper presented at a Harvard University Symposium on Professors and Their Politics.</ref><ref name="GrossSimmons2014">{{cite book|editor1-last=Gross|editor1-first=N.|editor2-last=Simmons|editor2-first=S. |title=Professors and Their Politics|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D1vCAwAAQBAJ |chapter=The Social and Political Views of American College and University Professors |last1=Gross|first1=Neil|author-link1=Neil Gross |last2=Simmons|first2=Solon |date=29 May 2014|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|isbn=978-1-4214-1334-1|lccn=2013035780}}</ref>{{rp|25–26}}<ref name="JaschikOct2007">{{cite web |last1=Jaschik |first1=Scott |title=The Liberal (and Moderating) Professoriate |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/10/08/liberal-and-moderating-professoriate |website=Inside Higher Ed |access-date=June 15, 2018 |date=October 8, 2007}}</ref> According to ''Inside Higher Ed'', several experts said the survey data collected by Gross and Simmons "may become the definitive source for understanding professors' political views."<ref name="JaschikOct2007"/> Gross published an extensive analysis of the survey results in his 2013 book ''Why Are Professors Liberal and Why Do Conservatives Care?''<ref name="GrossSimmons2013">{{cite book|last=Gross|first=Neil|title=Why Are Professors Liberal and Why Do Conservatives Care?|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5-VLm9EcghoC|publisher=Harvard University Press|date=2013|isbn=9780674059092|lccn=2012031469}}</ref> He and Simmons further analyzed this field of research in their 2014 compilation, ''Professors and Their Politics''.<ref name="GrossSimmons2014"/>{{rp|25–26}} Sociologist Joseph Hermanowicz regarded the compilation as an important work, on a par with "Paul Lazarsfeld and Wagner Theilen's classic study of 1958 and Seymour Martin Lipset and Everett Carll Ladd's 1976 work."<ref>{{cite journal|title=Professors and Their Politics. Edited by Neil Gross and Solon Simmons.|journal=American Journal of Sociology|date=November 2015|volume=121|issue=3|pages = 983–985|first=Joseph C.|last=Hermanowicz|doi=10.1086/682889}}</ref>
Gross has found, along with numerous other researchers, that there are more liberals than conservatives in university faculty,<ref name="GrossSimmons2014"/>{{rp|25–26}} but he added that there is relatively little evidence indicating students are indoctrinated into liberal opinions during college.<ref name="Point of Inquiry"/> In a field of study where experts disagree,<ref name="Forum">{{cite journal|last1=Rothman|first1=Stanley|last2=Lichter|first2=S. Robert|last3=Nevitte|first3=Neil|title=Politics and Professional Advancement Among College Faculty|journal=The Forum|volume=3|issue=1|year=2005|article-number=0000102202154088841067 |doi=10.2202/1540-8884.1067|url=http://www.conservativecriminology.com/uploads/5/6/1/7/56173731/rothman_et_al.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131194437/http://www.conservativecriminology.com/uploads/5/6/1/7/56173731/rothman_et_al.pdf|url-status=usurped|archive-date=January 31, 2017|citeseerx=10.1.1.207.1412|s2cid=145340516 }}</ref><ref name="BBS">{{cite journal|title=Political diversity will improve social psychological science |first1=José L.|last1=Duarte |first2=Jarret T.|last2=Crawford |first3=Charlotta|last3=Stern |first4=Jonathan|last4=Haidt|author-link4=Jonathan Haidt |first5=Lee|last5=Jussim|author-link5=Lee Jussim |first6=Philip E.|last6=Tetlock|author-link6=Philip E. Tetlock |journal=Behavioral and Brain Sciences |volume=38 |pages=e130|number=e130 |orig-year=July 18, 2014|year=2015 |doi=10.1017/S0140525X14000430 |pmid=25036715}}</ref><ref name="OSO">{{cite book|author1=Jon A. Shields|author2=Joshua M. Dunn Sr.|title=Passing on the Right: Conservative Professors in the Progressive University|date=March 2016|doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199863051.001.0001|publisher=Oxford Scholarship Online|language=en|oclc=965380745|isbn=9780199863051}}</ref><ref name="Ames">{{cite journal|title=Hide the Republicans, the Christians, and the Women: A Response to "Politics and Professional Advancement Among College Faculty"|first1=Barry|last1=Ames|first2=David C.|last2=Barker|first3=Chris W.|last3=Bonneau|first4=Christopher J.|last4=Carman|date=2005|volume=3 |issue=2 |url=https://sites.pitt.edu/~cwb7/assets/papers/Forum%2005%20article.pdf |ssrn = 1012734|journal=The Forum|article-number=0000102202154088841075 |doi=10.2202/1540-8884.1075 |via=University of Pittsburgh}}</ref> and some have taken opposing views specifically on Gross' methods and interpretations,<ref name="Tetlock">{{cite journal |last1=Tetlock|first1=Philip E.|author-link1=Philip E. Tetlock |last2=Mitchell|first2=Gregory |title=Why so Few Conservatives and Should we Care? |journal=Society |date=February 2015 |volume=52 |issue=1 |pages=28–34 |doi=10.1007/s12115-014-9850-6 |s2cid=144878612 |department=Symposium: Liberals and Conservatives in Academia}}</ref><ref name="WoessnerSociety">{{cite journal |last1=Woessner|first1=Matthew |last2=Kelly-Woessner|first2=April |title=Reflections on academic liberalism and conservative criticism |journal=Society |date=February 2015 |volume=52 |issue=1 |pages=35–41 |department=Symposium: Liberals and Conservatives in Academia |doi=10.1007/s12115-014-9864-0|s2cid=145584445 }}</ref><ref name="Yancey2015">{{cite journal |last1=Yancey |first1=George |author-link1=George Yancey |title=Both/and instead of either/or |journal=Society |date=February 2015 |volume=52 |issue=1 |pages=23–27 |doi=10.1007/s12115-014-9854-2 |s2cid=144153781 |department=Symposium: Liberals and Conservatives in Academia}}</ref><ref name="MarsdenSociety">{{cite journal |last1=Marsden|first1=George M.|author-link1=George Marsden |title=Religious discrimination in academia |journal=Society |date=February 2015 |volume=52 |issue=1 |pages=19–22 |department=Symposium: Liberals and Conservatives in Academia |doi=10.1007/s12115-014-9853-3|s2cid=144749284 }}</ref> he has criticized what he sees as conservative political bias intentionally distorting the results of demographic research on campus politics.<ref name="GrossSimmons2014"/>{{rp|20}}
In a 2017 ''New York Times'' editorial entitled "Professors Behaving Badly", Gross wrote that the occasional "political outbursts" by professors on social media may not be a consequence of their far-left politics. Instead, he suggested that professors are becoming alienated by their bleak employment prospects and precarious economic status in the growing adjunct tier of the academic work force.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gross |first=Neil |title=Professors Behaving Badly |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/30/opinion/sunday/adjunct-professors-politics.html |date=September 30, 2017}}</ref>
== Works ==
=== Articles ===
* "Comments on Searle", ''Anthropological Theory'', <abbr>vol.</abbr> 6, <abbr>n<sup>o</sup></abbr> 1, March 2006, <abbr>p.</abbr> 55 <small>(</small>{{doi|10.1177/1463499606061734}})
=== Books === * "Pragmatism, Phenomenology, and Twentieth-Century American Sociology" [Chapter Six, page 183] - in ''Sociology in America: A History'', Craig Calhoun, ed. 2008. {{ISBN|9780226090955}} * ''Richard Rorty: The Making of an American Philosopher''- 2008. {{ISBN|9780226309903}} * ''Social Knowledge in the Making'' - co-edited with Charles Camic and Michèle Lamont. 2011. * ''Why Are Professors Liberal and Why Do Conservatives Care?'' - 2013. {{ISBN|9780674059092}} * ''Professors and Their Politics'' - co-edited with Solon Simmons. 2014. {{ISBN|9781421413341}} * ''Walk the Walk, How Three Police Chiefs Defied the Odds and Changed Cop Culture''. 2023. {{ISBN|9781250777522}}
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [https://web.archive.org/web/20140201205617/http://soci.ubc.ca/persons/neil-gross/ University of British Columbia - Neil Gross] * [https://www.colby.edu/directory/profile/?profileid=neil.gross Colby College - Neil Gross]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gross, Neil}} Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:Academic staff of the University of British Columbia Category:American academic journal editors Category:American sociologists Category:Colby College faculty Category:Harvard University faculty Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni Category:University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni