Alvin W. Gouldner

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Alvin Ward Gouldner (* 1920 in New York City , † 1980 ) was an American sociologist . From 1959 to 1967 Professor of Sociology at the University of New York , 1962 President of the Society for the Study of Social Problems (1962), 1972–76 Professor of Sociology in Amsterdam , from 1967 he was Max Weber Professor of Sociology at the Washington University .

Scientific development

His early works such as Patterns of Industrial Bureaucracy (1954) and Wildcat Strike (1955) develop aspects of Max Weber's theory of bureaucracy in relation to strikes , management and social control. He highlighted the possibilities of action for the working class and the fact of industrial conflict despite counteracting bureaucratic constraints. References to Weber's sociology of religion can be found in his writings on Technology and Moral Order .

He made a change of direction in the 1960s. He worked on a project that spawned studies on Plato's historical and critical social theory , Marxism, and contemporary sociology. In these studies he rejected the separation of neutral science, moral discourse and political engagement, which is required as a value-free system . He summarized his points of criticism in The Coming Crises of Western Sociology - not just a study on functionalism and Marxism, but also on the relationship between sociological science and its respective society at the time. In 1974 he founded the journal Theory and Society , in which he further promoted his view of critical sociology.

Gouldner then dealt in particular with the possibilities of ongoing social change , above all with the question: What can intellectuals contribute to changing their own future and to advancement as a “new class”? He called on sociologists to reflect on their theories and their own role in society, particularly with regard to the dialectics of ideology and technology .

After his death there was a dispute over the influences that shaped his vision of a critical theory . His view of rationality and critical sociology were influenced by the Frankfurt School , but his "radical sociology" style and perspective were at least as much influenced by Charles Wright Mills . His interest in bureaucracy, power and knowledge testify to his interest in Max Weber's sociology .

Works

  • Western sociology in crisis. Rowohlt, 1974 ( The coming crisis of Western sociology. Basic Books, 1970)
  • Enter Plato: Classical Greece and the Origins of Social Theory. Basic Books, 1965.
  • Intelligence as a new class. Campus, 1980, ISBN 3-593-32631-0
  • Wildcat strike. Antioch Press, 1954.
  • For Sociology: Renewal and Critique in Sociology Today. Allen Lane, 1973, ISBN 0-7139-0446-1 (a selection of the essays from this book was published in German translation: reciprocity and autonomy. Suhrkamp, ​​Frankfurt am Main 1984)
  • Patterns of Industrial Bureaucracy: Case Study of Modern Factory Administration. Collier Macmillan, 1954, ISBN 0-02-912730-0 .
  • The Dark Side of the Dialectic. Macmillan, 1980.
  • The Two Marxisms: Contradictions and Anomalies in the Development of Theory. Oxford University Press, 1982, ISBN 0-19-503066-4 .
  • Cosmopolitans and Locals: Toward an Analysis of Latent Social Roles. Bobbs-Merrill, 1958.
  • The norm of reciprocity: a preliminary statement. Bobbs-Merrill, College Division.

literature

  • Nicholas Abercrombie et al: The Penguin Dictionary of Sociology. 3. Edition. Penguin Books, London 1994, p. 187.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Gouldner, Alvin W.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gouldner, Alvin Ward
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American sociologist
DATE OF BIRTH 1920
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City
DATE OF DEATH 1980