The Institute for the Study of Societal Issues (ISSI) is UC Berkeley's hub for interdisciplinary social justice research. Since 1976, the Institute has been fostering qualitative and quantitative interdisciplinary research on the issues central to social stratification and inequality while training and supporting new generations of social change scholars.

Sign up for our newsletter

Keep up with current events.

Institute for the Study of Societal Issues

Support Fund

Help us reach our goal of $200k in 2026!

ISSI is home to:

Recent Stories

A Digital Journal in Chicana/o/x Studies

May 6, 2026

Pablo Gonzalez, co-director of ISSI's Graduate Fellows Program, edited the sixth volume of Digna Rabia, a journal of oral histories and research papers by Chicana/o/x Studies students. "Taken from the Zapatista slogan, Digna Rabia, believes that our word is truly our weapon. But our stories also heal. They also keep our word alive. […] Authors kept this in mind as they asked parents, siblings, grandparents, and friends, questions about their lives. The oral histories...

UCB strips political art from trailblazing multicultural center; AARC affiliates speak out

April 27, 2026

In February, university administrators stripped all the artwork from the Multicultural Community Center (MCC). To those who are supporting a campaign to defend the MCC and restore the art, the changes amount to a whitewashing of what they view as the center’s essential purpose. In this Berkeleyside article, AARC affiliates are quoted providing historical context.

“The administration is saying, ‘Oh no, you’re not being inclusive...

Understanding how micro affirmations support multiply marginalized social justice school leaders to thrive

April 27, 2026

ISSI graduate student Aukeem Ballard co-authored an article in the Journal of Educational Administration that amplifies enduring wisdom from the everyday experiences of women of color social justice school leaders who receive and give micro affirmations as an essential part of their asset-based leadership praxis. The authors' analysis suggests that receiving diverse types of micro affirmations sustained participants' resilience in the face of persistent racial and gendered microaggressions....

News Archive