Peter Maurice Worsley (6 May 1924 – 15 March 2013) was a noted

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

sociologist and

social anthropologist Social anthropology is the study of patterns of behaviour in human societies and cultures. It is the dominant constituent of anthropology throughout the United Kingdom and much of Europe, where it is distinguished from cultural anthropology. In t ...

. He was a major figure in both anthropology and sociology, and is noted for introducing the term ''

Third World The term "Third World" arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Western European nations and their allies represented the " First ...

'' into English. He not only made theoretical and ethnographic contributions, but also was regarded as a key founding member of the New Left.Peel,JDY (2013) Peter Worsley obituary: Sociologist who did much to define the idea of a 'third world', ''The Guardian'', Thursday 28 March
(Accessed April 2013)Peter Worsley: A Life, interviewed by Alan Macfarlane
(Accessed April 2013)

Early life and education

Born in

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...

, Worsley started reading English at Emmanuel College, Cambridge but his studies were interrupted by

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. He served in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

as an officer in Africa and India. During this time he developed his interest in

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of be ...

. After the war he worked on

mass education Compulsory education refers to a period of education that is required of all people and is imposed by the government. This education may take place at a registered school or at other places. Compulsory school attendance or compulsory schooling ...

in Tanganyika and then went to study under

Max Gluckman Herman Max Gluckman (; 26 January 1911 – 13 April 1975) was a South African and British social anthropologist. He is best known as the founder of the Manchester School of anthropology. Biography and major works Gluckman was born in Johan ...

at the

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univ ...

. He received his PhD from the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies an ...

in Canberra.

Career

He lectured in sociology at the

University of Hull , mottoeng = Bearing the Torch f learning, established = 1927 – University College Hull1954 – university status , type = Public , endowment = £18.8 million (2016) , budget = £190 million ...

and then went on to become the first Professor of Sociology at the

in 1964.

Awards

Winner of the Curl Bequest Prize (1955) of the Royal Anthropological Institute for ''The kinship system of the Tallensi: a revaluation'' (Published in JRAI 1956, pp. 37–75).

Key works

*. *. *. *. *. *. * Subsequent publications by Weidenfeld & Nicolson (London), 1984 & 1988. . * Subsequent publications 1998 & 1999. Alternative . * Subsequent publications

Routledge Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law ...

1989, 1990 ; 2002 .

References

* David Simon (ed) (2006) Fifty Key Thinkers in Development, Routledge *

Citations

External links

Interviewed by Alan Macfarlane 25 February 1989 (video) {{DEFAULTSORT:Worsley, Peter Academics of the University of Hull
Academics of the University of Manchester Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge Alumni of the University of Manchester British sociologists Development specialists British Army personnel of World War II 1924 births 2013 deaths Presidents of the British Sociological Association New Left