![Thomas J](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Thomas_J._Fararo.jpg)
Thomas J. Fararo (February 11, 1933 - August 20, 2020) was Distinguished Service
Professor Emeritus
''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
at the
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...
. After earning a
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
in
sociology
Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...
at
Syracuse University
Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...
in 1963, he received a three-year postdoctoral
fellow
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
ship for studies in
pure
Pure may refer to:
Computing
* A pure function
* A pure virtual function
* PureSystems, a family of computer systems introduced by IBM in 2012
* Pure Software, a company founded in 1991 by Reed Hastings to support the Purify tool
* Pure-FTPd, F ...
and
applied mathematics
Applied mathematics is the application of mathematical methods by different fields such as physics, engineering, medicine, biology, finance, business, computer science, and industry. Thus, applied mathematics is a combination of mathematical s ...
at
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
(1964–1967). In 1967, he joined the
faculty of University of Pittsburgh; during 1972-1973, he was visiting professor at the University of York in England.
Fararo is listed in
American Men and Women of Science
''American Men and Women of Science'' (the 40th edition was published in 2022) is a biographical reference work on leading scientists in the United States and Canada, published as a series of books and online by Gale. The first edition was publish ...
,
Who's Who in America
Marquis Who's Who ( or ) is an American publisher of a number of directories containing short biographies. The books usually are entitled ''Who's Who in...'' followed by some subject, such as ''Who's Who in America'', ''Who's Who of American Wome ...
, and ''Who's Who in Frontier Science and Technology''. In 1998, he received the Distinguished Career Award from the Mathematical Sociology section 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 ...
.
In addition to over a dozen books, Fararo has published over two dozen book chapters, over one dozen articles in reference works, and over 50 journal articles. Some of his books are edited works that relate to his career-long interest in making mathematical ideas relevant to the development of sociological theory.
Fararo has served on the editorial boards of the ''American Journal of Sociology'', the ''American Sociological Review'', the ''Journal of Mathematical Sociology'', ''Social Networks'', ''Sociological Forum'', and ''Sociological Theory''.
Fararo has been both an originator and an explicator of ideas and methods relating to the use of formal methods in sociological theory. In his original work, he has employed theories and methods relating to social networks in combination with a focus on social processes. This combination is illustrated by the theoretical method he has called E-state Structuralism (where E stands for Expectations) with work on this done with former student John Skvoretz. He often employed the axiomatic method in such work, as in the 2003 monograph with his student Kenji Kosaka that sets out a formal theory of how images of stratification are generated.
In his expository work, he has attempted to move the field of sociology closer to a conception of theorizing that is more formal, as in his 1973 book ''Mathematical Sociology'' and in various papers and edited books, including the 1984 volume ''Mathematical Ideas and Sociological Theory''.
One of his objectives has been to articulate a coherent vision of the core of sociological theory: its philosophy, its key theoretical problems, and its methods, especially those employing formal representation. This objective is represented in his 1989 book, ''The Meaning of General Theoretical Sociology: Tradition and Formalization''.
The general vision that informs Fararo's theoretical work is "the spirit of unification," a theme that is set out in ''Social Action Systems: Foundation and Synthesis in Sociological Theory'', a 2001 book that analyzes key theories from the standpoint of the aspiration of synthesis, moving toward more comprehensive theories of social life.
Selected works
* ''A Study of a Biased Friendship Net'' (with
M. Sunshine).(1964)
* ''Mathematical Sociology.'' (1973)
* ''Mathematical Ideas and Sociological Theory'' (ed.) (1984)
* ''The Meaning of General Theoretical Sociology: Tradition and Formalization.'' (1989)
* ''Rational Choice Theory: Advocacy and Critique'' (ed. with
James Samuel Coleman
James Samuel Coleman (May 12, 1926 – March 25, 1995) was an American sociologist, theorist, and empirical researcher, based chiefly at the University of Chicago.
He was elected president of the American Sociological Association in 1991. He stud ...
). (1992)
* ''The Problem of Solidarity: Theory and Models'' (ed. with
P. Doreian) (1998)
* ''Social Action Systems: Foundation and Synthesis in Sociological Theory.'' (2001)
* ''Generating Images of Stratification: A Formal Theory.'' (with
K. Kosaka) (2003)
* ''Purpose, Meaning and Action: Control System Theories in Sociology.'' (ed. with
K. McClelland) (2006)
* ''Suburban Power Structures and Public Education'' (with others). (1963)
References
PDF The Mathematical Sociologist, Newsletter of the Mathematical Sociology, Section of the American Sociological Association, Summer Supplement 2004 - mentions Thomas Fararo being awarded the DCA
External links
UP webpagewit
a CV* . Pittt Sociology News #11, Spring Term, 2006 has an extensive bio of Thomas Fararo (p. 4)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fararo, Thomas
1933 births
2020 deaths
American sociologists
University of Pittsburgh faculty