Edward Shils

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Edward Albert Shils (born July 1, 1910 in Springfield , Massachusetts , † January 23, 1995 in Chicago ) was an American sociologist and social philosopher who taught as a professor at the University of Chicago .

life and work

Shils grew up in Philadelphia . He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1931 . In 1934 he became a research assistant and in 1938 a lecturer at the University of Chicago. This was followed by a move to Europe, where he took his master's degree at the University of Cambridge in 1941 . During the Second World War he served in the British Army and worked for the American Office of Strategic Services . After the war he returned to Chicago, where he became an associate professor in 1947 and professor in 1950. In 1971 he was made a Distinguished Service Professor .

For many years, Shils took on overseas assignments in addition to his Chicago duties. From 1946 to 1950 he was a lecturer in sociology at the London School of Economics , 1961-1970 Fellow of King's College, Cambridge , from 1970 to 1978 Fellow of Peterhouse (Cambridge) and from 1971 to 1977 honorary professor of social anthropology at of the University of London . He was made an honorary member of the London School of Economics in 1972 and an honorary member of Peterhouse in 1979. From 1976 to 1977 he was also a professor at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands .

Shils researched and published together with Talcott Parsons on the development of social structure analysis . He translated the works of European sociologists into American and was particularly influenced by Max Weber . Among his particular merits is the connection of the empirical tradition of the Chicago School of Sociology with the theoretical thinking of European social scientists.

Shils founded the history of science journal, Minerva , in 1962 . Since 1968 he was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and since 1980 a member of the American Philosophical Society .

After his death, his library was acquired by the Erfurt University Library .

Honors

Fonts (selection)

  • With Talcott Parsons : Toward a General Theory of Action . Harvard University Press, Cambridge (Massachusetts) 1951.
  • The torment of secrecy. The background and consequences of American security policies . W. Heinemann, Melbourne 1956.
  • The intellectual between tradition and modernity. The Indian situation . Mouton, The Hague 1961.
  • The intellectuals and the powers. And other essays . University of Chicago Press, Chicago 1972, ISBN 0226753158 .
  • Center and periphery. Essays in macrosociology . University of Chicago Press, Chicago 1975, ISBN 0226753174 .
  • The calling of sociology and other essays on the pursuit of learning . University of Chicago Press, Chicago 1980, ISBN 0226753239 .
  • Tradition . University of Chicago Press, Chicago 1981, ISBN 0226753255 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Information on life and work is based, unless otherwise stated, on: Obituary: Edward Shils, Committee on Social Thought, Sociology . In: The University of Chicago Chronicle , Vol. 14, No. 11, February 2, 1995.
  2. ^ International Balzan Prize Foundation, Prize winners: Edward Shils .
  3. ^ Edward Shils Library, Erfurt University Library.
  4. ↑ Information on honorary doctorates is based on: International Balzan Prize Foundation, Prizewinners: Edward Shils, Bio-bibliography
personal data
SURNAME Shils, Edward
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Shils, Edward Albert (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American sociologist, translator, and university professor
DATE OF BIRTH July 1, 1910
PLACE OF BIRTH Springfield , Massachusetts
DATE OF DEATH January 23, 1995
Place of death Chicago , Illinois