Robert Bierstedt (1913–1998) was an American
sociologist who often wrote about sociological theory, culture, and constitutional law. He was a native of
Burlington, Iowa
Burlington is a city in, and the county seat of, Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,982 in the 2020 census, a decline from the 26,839 population in 2000. Burlington is the center of a micropolitan area, which includes ...
and graduated in philosophy from the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...
in 1934. He received a master's degree in philosophy in 1935 and a doctorate in sociology in 1946 from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
.
He headed the department of sociology at
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...
and at
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
before becoming emeritus professor of sociology at the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
. He was a student of the
Russian-American
Russian Americans ( rus, русские американцы, r=russkiye amerikantsy, p= ˈruskʲɪje ɐmʲɪrʲɪˈkant͡sɨ) are Americans of full or partial Russians, Russian ancestry. The term can apply to recent Russian diaspora, Russian imm ...
sociologist
Pitirim Sorokin
Pitirim Alexandrovich Sorokin (; russian: Питири́м Алекса́ндрович Соро́кин; – 10 February 1968) was a Russian American sociologist and political activist, who contributed to the social cycle theory.
Background
...
when he was a visiting graduate student at Harvard University during the 1930s. Bierstedt served as vice-president of the
American Sociological Association
The American Sociological Association (ASA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the discipline and profession of sociology. Founded in December 1905 as the American Sociological Society at Johns Hopkins University by a group of fif ...
when Sorokin was elected president.
Bierstedt was a longtime director of the
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...
, serving as chairman of its academic freedom committee and the church-state committee in the 1960s and 1970s. In addition, he was a former director of the
American Council of Learned Societies
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
, a federation of scholarly groups focused on the humanities, and president of the
Eastern Sociological Society Eastern Sociological Society is a non-profit organization with a mission of "promoting excellence in sociological scholarship and instruction". It publishes a peer-reviewed journal (Sociological Forum) and holds a yearly academic conference
An ac ...
. In his 1959 presidential address "Sociology and Humane Learning" to the Eastern Sociological Society he argued for the role of debate in sociology and the importance of what he referred to as the "theoretic bias" in interpreting social phenomena.
Bierstedt was a rationalist, critiquing what he saw as the prevalent empiricism of his time. In a paper read before the Illinois Academy of Science in 1949, he argued:
"Aristotle's ''Politics'' is one of the classic works of Western civilization not because of what it tells us about the electoral machinery of the Greek city states in the fourth century before Christ, but because of its observations on the origins and functions of government."
He also held Fulbright Senior Lectureships at
Edinburgh University
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1582 ...
and the
London School of Economics
, mottoeng = To understand the causes of things
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £240.8 million (2021)
, budget = £391.1 millio ...
.
He wrote several books, including ''The Social Order'', ''Power and Progress: Essays on Sociological Theory'' and ''American Sociological Theory'', and published many papers and essays in several sociological, anthropological, and literary journals.
He died on September 8, 1998 at Martha Jefferson Hospital in
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...
at 85.
Books
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References
External links
''New York Times'' Obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bierstedt, Robert
1913 births
1998 deaths
University of Iowa alumni
Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health alumni
American sociologists
Rutgers University faculty
20th-century American scientists