Patrick Baert (born 23 January 1961, in Brussels) is a Belgian sociologist and social theorist, based in Britain. He is a Professor of Social Theory at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Selwyn College, Cambridge. The last chapter of The Existentialst Moment develops the theoretical framework – positioning theory – that underpins the book. This frame of reference also guides partly Conflict in the Academy although the latter also draws explicitly on insights from cultural sociology.