A lecture titled "Challenging the Power Elite in the 21st Century" will be this year’s annual Kingsley Birge Sociology Lecture, to be held on Wednesday, April 5, at 8 p.m. in the Given Auditorium of Colby College’s Bixler Art and Music Building. The lecture will be presented by Bill Domhoff, a research professor in psychology and sociology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. The event is open to the public and free of charge.

Domhoff has performed extensive research on social power structures and published literature on race, religion, class and gender-oriented dominance in American society. His books include Who Rules America?, Diversity in the Power Elite: Have Women and Minorities Reached the Top? and The Powers That Be. In addition to his extensive work in sociology, Domhoff has conducted research in the field of psychology about how dreams provide insight into understanding the human mind.

The Birge Lecture was established in 1981 in honor of Kingsley Harlow Birge, Colby professor of sociology, with donations from his students, friends and colleagues. The fund brings to campus speakers who give public lectures relating to the human experience and human potential.