Saskia Sassen is the Robert S Lynd Professor of Sociology at Columbia University, New York City, USA.
She
is an internationally renowned sociologist and economist, noted for her
analyses of globalization and international human migration, and is the
Centennial Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics.
Saskia
Sassen is also a member of the Columbia University Committee on Global
Thought (CGT). Chaired by Nobel Laureate University Professor Joseph
Stiglitz, the professors who make up the committee are among the most
prestigious scholars in their fields. CGT’s initial aim is to identify
underrepresented viewpoints that link disciplines. In so doing, CGT
will augment the University’s engagement with issues of globalization.
Born
in The Hague in 1949, she holds a PhD in Sociology and Economics from
the University of Notre Dame, USA, and completed post-doctoral studies
at the Faculté des Sciences Humains, Université de Poitiers, France and
the Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. She was
previously Ralph Lewis Professor of Sociology at the University of
Chicago.
Most recently, she is the author of Territory, Authority, Rights: From Medieval to Global Assemblages, also published in German as Das Paradox des Nationalen (Suhrkamp, 2008). She is the author of Cities in a World Economy (3rd ed), The Global City: New York, London, Tokyo, and co-edited Digital Formations: New Architectures for Global Order. Her books have been translated into sixteen languages.
She
has recently completed a five-year project on sustainable human
settlement for UNESCO. The project established a network of researchers
and activists in more than 30 countries and is published in the Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems: www.eolss.net.
She
serves on several editorial boards and is an advisor to several
international bodies. She is a Member of the Council on Foreign
Relations, a member of the National Academy of Sciences Panel on
Cities, and was Chair of the Information Technology and International
Cooperation Committee of the Social Science Research Council (USA).
Her comments have appeared in The Guardian, The New York Times, Le Monde Diplomatique, The International Herald-Tribune, Vanguardia, Clarin, and The Financial Times, among others.
Saskia
Sassen presented a keynote address at the 2nd International Holcim
Forum 2007 in Shanghai and was member of the Holcim Awards global jury
in 2009.
[last updated 23-Aug-10]