ISBN: Ostalo
Godina izdanja: 1978
Jezik: Engleski
Autor: Strani

Alfred Mcclung Lee - Sociology for Whom?
Oxford University Press, 1978
236 str.
meki povez
stanje: vrlo dobro

Sociology, a relatively young discipline, has generated a great deal of soul-searching by its practitioners. Lee, Professor Emeritus at Brooklyn College, provides a sociological approach to sociology. Whereas others--C. Wright Mills in The Sociological Imagination, for example--question the subject-matter and methods of the field, Lee accepts the motion of a social science, and directs his questions toward the institutional context of sociology. On that basis, his call for a "humanist" sociology is not a methodological call-to-arms, but a plea for sociologists to place their skills at the service of people rather than power-wielding institutions. His instrumentalist approach, not surprisingly, leads him to a skeptical view of sociological theory, favoring, instead, practical "clinical and field" experience which will bring sociologists closer to their subjects. Lee`s sociology could be called "populist"; he uncovers the false images of success which overlay establishment affiliations while defending those who take up popular causes from spurious charges of non-scientific behavior. He rules out of court, however, the larger question of the relationship between the discipline and its current role--can sociology, as it is now, serve any master, or is it particularly suited to being a handmaiden to institutionalized power? Based upon previously published articles, this volume will serve as a good introduction to Lee`s brand of humanist sociology, but by setting his sights so narrowly, he has deprived himself of a larger audience.

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Alfred McClung Lee

August 23, 1906 - May 19, 1992

The Brooklyn College Archives and Special Collections provides the following biographical sketch of Alfred McClung Lee:

Alfred McClung Lee was born in Oakmont, Pennsylvania in 1906. He married Elizabeth Riley Briant, a sociologist and writer, in 1927. After attaining a B.A. at the University of Pittsburgh and a Ph.D. at Yale University, Alfred McClung Lee began a long career of university teaching and scholarship.

Lee was a professor at the University of Kansas from 1934-1938, then became a lecturer and professor at New York University from 1938-42. This relationship would continue until 1955, with Lee serving as a visiting professor. The next university at which he taught was Wayne University (1942-1949), where Lee was the Chairman of the Sociology and Anthropology departments (1942-1947). Lee then left Wayne University to become a professor at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York from 1941-1971. He was Chairman of the Sociology and Anthropology department at Brooklyn College from 1951-1957, and in 1971 the college honored this distinguished professor by making him Professor Emeritus. He was also a Visiting Scholar at Drew University until his passing.

Alfred McClung Lee was also a very active member and leader in a large number of sociological, journalistic, and humanitarian organizations both public and private. In his early career, his activities included being a public affairs specialist for the Twentieth Century Fund (1938-1940), executive director of the Sumner Club at Yale University (1939-1943), executive director for the Institute for Propaganda Analysis (1940-1942), research consultant for the FCC (1941) and the Department of Justice (1943-1944), member of the board of directors of the ACLU in New York (1949-1956), president and co-founder of Society for the Study of Social Problems (1953-1954), and the chair of the committee of social science consultants for the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund (1954-1957).

Preface
1. Sociology for Whom?
2. For All Those Willing to Inquire
3. For the Better Understanding of Group Life
4. For the Better Understanding of Social Processes
5. For the Advancement of Social Science
6. For the Service of Humanity
7. For the Exploration of Social Alternatives
8. For the Achievement of Human Freedom
9. For the Promotion of Social Health
10. For the Guidance of Social Action
Index


Nonfiction, Sociology