Sociology in Oxford is concerned with real-world issues with policy relevance, such as social inequality, organised crime, the social basis of political conflict and mobilization, and changes in family relationships and gender roles. Our research is empirical, analytical, and comparative in nature, reaching far beyond British society, to encompass systematic cross-national comparison as well as the detailed study of Asian, European, Latin American and North American societies.
Statistical analysis of large-scale survey data is one of our core strengths. And we are at the forefront in developing new research methods, including the analysis of complex social networks and computer simulation. The Centre for Experimental Social Sciences (at Nuffield College) provides infrastructure for designing and conducting social experiments. Our expertise also encompasses ethnographic studies and archival/historical research. In addition, Oxford sociologists lead the development of analytical sociology which identifies generalizable social mechanisms and elucidates the logic of individual action.