I am a cultural and comparative-historical sociologist with research on altruistic behavior, transnational solidarity, and morality. My research explores how beliefs about the common good shape a variety of social sites by focusing on the ways discourse about morality is used to justify the existence of practices and institutions.

I am currently writing a book called The Religious Roots of Transnational Relief: Calvinism, Humanitarianism, and the Genesis of Social Fields, which is under advance contract at the University of Chicago Press. This project examines the origins and development of the humanitarian NGO sector. In addition, I am working on articles on how professional groups evaluate the worth of their work, and on how political groups respond to downward mobility.

At the Department of Sociology at Harvard University, I teach courses on humanitarianism, philanthropy, and social trauma. You can read here about my research, publications, teaching, and service. Contact me at shai.dromi@g.harvard.edu.