George Andrew Lundberg (October 3, 1895 – April 14, 1966) was an American sociologist.[1]

George Andrew Lundberg
Born(1895-10-03)3 October 1895
Died14 April 1966(1966-04-14) (aged 70)
Seattle, Washington, US
Alma mater
Known forPresident of American Sociological Society
Scientific career
FieldsSociology

Background edit

Lundberg was born in Fairdale, North Dakota. His parents, Andrew J. Lundberg and Britta C. Erickson, were immigrants from Sweden. Lundberg received his bachelor's degree from the University of North Dakota in 1920, a master's degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1922, and a doctorate in 1925 from the University of Minnesota,[2] where he studied under Luther Lee Bernard [de] and F. Stuart Chapin.

Career edit

Following his doctorate, he began a faculty position at the University of Washington, but left after a year for postdoctoral studies at Columbia University, and then took a position as an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh. In 1930, he became director of the Bureau of Social Research at the Pittsburgh Federation of Social Agencies, but he soon left Pittsburgh for a faculty position at Columbia. In 1934 he worked with the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, and soon thereafter moved to Bennington College in Vermont, where he was professor of sociology and statistics. After holding additional faculty positions at the University of Minnesota, Brigham Young University, and Stanford University, he joined the University of Washington in 1945 as professor and chair, and remained there for the rest of his career.[3]

Lundberg served at the 33rd President of the American Sociological Society.[3][4][5] He was also president of the Pacific Sociological Association,[6] the Eastern Sociological Society, and the Sociological Research Association, and was the editor of the journal Sociometry from 1941 to 1947.[3]

Lundberg died on April 14, 1966, in Seattle, Washington, "following surgical treatment for a condition not ordinarily considered dangerous".[7]

Awards and honors edit

Lundberg was a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and was awarded the Distinguished Achievement Medal of the University of Minnesota and an honorary doctorate in 1958 from the University of North Dakota.[3] After his death, a conference of the Pacific Sociological Association was held in his honor.[8]

Contributions edit

Lundberg's most lasting impression was made in his work entitled, Can Science Save Us?. However, Lundberg focused much of his research on the applications, limits, delimits, operational definitions, and linguistics.[9] Lundberg's approach to sociology is usually categorized as neo-positivism. Lundberg was critical of the Chicago School of sociology.[10] He felt that their methodologies were not precise enough to generate reliable results.[11]

Books edit

  • Trends in American sociology (with Read Bain and Nels Anderson). Harper, 1929. Edited volume of a symposium of young sociologists.[12]
  • Social research : a study in methods of gathering data. Longmans, Green and Co., 1929. Reprinted 1942 and 1953. 2nd ed., Greenwood Press, 1968.[13]
  • Leisure: a suburban study (with Mirra Komarovsky and Mary Alice McInerny). Columbia University Press, 1934. Agathon Press, 1969.[14]
  • Foundations of sociology. The Macmillan Company, 1939; David McKay, 1964.[15]
  • Can science save us? Longmans, Green and Co., 1947.[16]
  • Sociology (with Otto N. Larsen and Clarence C. Schrag). Harper & Row, 1958; 4th ed., McGraw Hill, 1968.[17]

References edit

  1. ^ Hammersley, Martyn (2007), "Lundberg, George. A. (1895–1966)", in Ritzer, George (ed.), Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology, Blackwell Publishing, doi:10.1111/b.9781405124331.2007.x (inactive January 31, 2024), hdl:10138/224218, ISBN 9781405124331{{citation}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2024 (link).
  2. ^ Robert E. L. Faris (August 1966). "George Andrew Lundberg". The American Sociologist (pp 212–213). Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d Christopher, S. C. (1967), "In Memoriam: George A. Lundberg", International Journal of Comparative Sociology, 8 (1): 118–120, doi:10.1177/002071526700800108, S2CID 144683885.
  4. ^ "Dr. Lundberg Elected Sociological President", Christian Science Monitor, October 5, 1942.
  5. ^ Biography Archived 2009-01-08 at the Wayback Machine at American Sociological Association web site, retrieved 2009-07-19.
  6. ^ Past officers and editors Archived 2008-05-19 at the Wayback Machine, Pacific Sociological Association, retrieved 2009-07-19.
  7. ^ Faris, Robert E. L. (August 1966). "George Andrew Lindberg". The American Sociologist: 212–213. ISSN 0003-1232.
  8. ^ De Grazia, Alfred, ed. (1968), The Behavioral sciences: essays in honor of George A. Lundberg, Behavioral Research Council. Reviewed by Joseph S. Roucek (1969), The Western Political Quarterly 22(3): 680, and by Peter Abell (1970), The British Journal of Sociology 21(1): 118.
  9. ^ Don Martindale, The Nature and Types of Sociological Theory, 1981, pg.127
  10. ^ Hammersley, Martyn (1989). The Dilemma of Qualitative Method: Herbert Blumer and the Chicago Tradition. London: Routledge. pp. Ch.4.
  11. ^ Warshay, Lee. Methodological Issues: Science (Empiricism and Neo-Positivism) and Humanism (Subjective and Objective idealism). Manuscript. Wayne State University, Detroit.
  12. ^ Reviews: Vance, Rupert B.; Lundberg, George A.; Bain, Read; Anderson, Nels (1930), "Trends in American Sociology.", Social Forces, 9 (2), University of North Carolina Press: 299–300, doi:10.2307/2570334, JSTOR 2570334. Bernard, L. L. (1930), "LUNDBERG, GEORGE A., BAIN, READ, and ANDERSON, NELS. Trends in American Sociology. Pp. xii, 443. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1929", Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 148: 303–304, doi:10.1177/000271623014800160, S2CID 144324192. Reuter, E. B. (1930), "Book Review:Trends in American Sociology. George A. Lundberg, Read Bain, Nels Anderson", American Journal of Sociology, 36 (1): 142, doi:10.1086/215295.
  13. ^ Reviews: Rice, Stuart A. (1929), "LUNDBERG, GEORGE A. Social Research: A Study in Methods of Gathering Data. Pp. xi, 380. New York: Longmans, Green and Company, 1929", The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 145 (1): 208, doi:10.1177/000271622914500136, S2CID 144138784. Ogg, Frederic A.; Lunderg, George A.; Gee, Wilson (1930), "Social Research; A Study in Methods of Gathering Data", The American Political Science Review, 24 (1), American Political Science Association: 197–199, doi:10.2307/1946807, JSTOR 1946807, S2CID 147653449. Redfield, Robert (1931), "Social Research. A Study in Methods of Gathering Data . George A. Lundberg", American Anthropologist, 33 (1): 106–107, doi:10.1525/aa.1931.33.1.02a00130. Phelps, Harold A.; Lundberg, George A. (1942), "Social Research: A Study in Methods of Gathering Data", Journal of the American Statistical Association, 37 (219), American Statistical Association: 397–398, doi:10.2307/2279013, hdl:2027/coo.31924014493658, JSTOR 2279013. Shanas, Ethel (1942), "Book Review:Social Research: A Study in Methods of Gathering Data. George A. Lundberg", American Journal of Sociology, 47 (6): 998, doi:10.1086/219056. Bowers, Raymond V.; Lundberg, George A. (1942), "Social Research: A Study in Methods of Gathering Data", Sociometry, 5 (2), American Sociological Association: 197–199, doi:10.2307/2785433, hdl:2027/coo.31924014493658, JSTOR 2785433. Farnsworth, Paul R. (1942), "Review of Social Research: A Study in Methods of Gathering Data (2nd Ed.)", The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 37 (4): 569, doi:10.1037/h0051370. Peel, Roy V.; Lundberg, George A. (1942), "Social Research; A Study in Methods of Gathering Data", The American Political Science Review, 36 (5), American Political Science Association: 982–984, doi:10.2307/1949316, JSTOR 1949316, S2CID 148216538. Davis, Kingsley; Lundberg, George E. (1943), "Social Research: A Study in Methods of Gathering Data", American Sociological Review, 8 (1), American Sociological Association: 100–101, doi:10.2307/2085466, hdl:2027/coo.31924014493658, JSTOR 2085466.
  14. ^ Reviews: McKenzie, R. D. (1935), "LUNDBERG, GEORGE A., et al. Leisure, A Suburban Study. Pp. 396. New York: Columbia University Press, 1934. $3.00", The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 178 (1): 214–215, doi:10.1177/000271623517800151, S2CID 145470807. Schauffler, Mary C. (1935), "Book Review:Leisure: A Suburban Study. George A. Lundberg, Mirra Komarovsky, Mary Alice McInerny", American Journal of Sociology, 41 (2): 256, doi:10.1086/217064.
  15. ^ Reviews: Sorokin, Pitirim A. (1940), "Book Review:Foundations of Sociology. George A. Lundberg", The American Journal of Sociology, 45 (5): 795–798, doi:10.1086/218455. Banks, J. A.; Lundberg, George A.; McKay, David (1965), "Foundations of Sociology", The British Journal of Sociology, 16 (1), Blackwell Publishing: 82–83, doi:10.2307/588570, JSTOR 588570.
  16. ^ Reviews: Kaempffert, Waldemar (June 8, 1947), "A New Role for the Social Sciences", New York Times. Jordan-Smith, Paul (February 9, 1947), "I'll be judge, you'll be jury", Los Angeles Times. Gregg, John R. (1947), "Book Review: Can Science Save Us? George A. Lundberg", The Quarterly Review of Biology, 22 (4): 318, doi:10.1086/395893. Hankins, Frank H.; Lundberg, George A. (1947), "Can Science Save Us?", Southern Economic Journal, 14 (1), Southern Economic Association: 73–74, doi:10.2307/1052873, JSTOR 1052873. Morgenthau, Hans (1947), "Book Review: Science and Freedom. Lyman Bryson; Can Science Save Us? George A. Lundberg", Ethics, 57 (3): 217, doi:10.1086/290567. Woodard, James W. (1947), "Lundberg, George A., Can Science Save Us? p. 122. New York: Longmans, Green and Co., 1947", The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 252 (1): 158–159, doi:10.1177/000271624725200183, S2CID 143597717. Parton, Dorothy M.; Lundberg, G. A. (1947), "Can Science Save Us?", The American Catholic Sociological Review, 8 (2), Oxford University Press: 140–141, doi:10.2307/3707554, JSTOR 3707554. Lundberg, George A.; Hertzler, G.O. (1947), "Can Science Save Us?", Social Forces, 26 (1): 100–101, doi:10.2307/2572613, JSTOR 2572613. Freedman, Ronald; Lundberg, George A. (1948), "Can Science Save Us?", American Sociological Review, 13 (2), American Sociological Association: 226–228, JSTOR 2087037. Becker, Howard (1948), "Book Review: Can Science Save Us? George A. Lundberg", American Journal of Sociology, 54 (2): 170, doi:10.1086/220305. Chinoy, Ely; Lundberg, George (1949), "Can Science Save Us?", The Canadian Journal of Economics and Political Science, 15 (1), Blackwell Publishing: 117–118, doi:10.2307/137969, JSTOR 137969. Pierce, Albert; Lundberg, George A. (1962), "Can Science Save Us?", American Sociological Review, 27 (1), American Sociological Association: 132, JSTOR 2089778.
  17. ^ Review: Hinkle, Roscoe C. Jr. (1956), "Book Review:Sociology. George A. Lundberg, Clarence C. Schrag, Otto N. Larsen", American Journal of Sociology, 61 (4): 381, doi:10.1086/221780.