Theorist: Jeffrey C. Alexander

Theorist : Jeffrey C . Alexander

Jeffrey C . Alexander works in the areas of theory , culture , and politics . He is a modern sociologist . One of the most significant theorist of sociology in the 20th century . He published a variety of papers and books . His papers appear not only in particulary sociological or scientific journals . Prof . Alexander also reviews the current events of the world society and his opinions and evaluations appear in form of articles in newspapers and magazines for ordinary people

People are made so that never are interested in biography of significant

br scientists , writers , poets , artists , theorists etc . We want to know how they lived , when and where they were born , what their childhood was like and many other details only after they die . So is the information about this great person , Prof . Jeffrey Alexander , is also very poor

In 1868 Prof . Alexander , at the time only an ordinary student , has received his Bachelor 's degree (B .A ) in Harvard College . And in 1978 he got his Ph .D . in University of California , Berkley . It was quite a hard way to this title , Professor . The best illustration of these years of his life and how his views and theories were formed would the memories of Prof . Alexander himself

When I came to Berkeley in 1969 , I was one of two or three students NOT given any financial assistance -- my academic record at Harvard was that bad ! In fact , I was fortunate simply to have been admitted . My first two years at Berkeley revolved mainly around becoming a true Marxist intellectual , learning as much from Fred Block and the journal then called "Socialist Revolution (later "Socialist Review ) as from my courses . As my politics moved from revolutionary to democratic socialist (and eventually to left liberal , however , I became aware that I had , in fact , experienced several key intellectual episodes during those first years -- these were the courses from Neil Smelser , Robert Bellah , and Leo Lowenthal . I managed to corral all three to work with me on my grandiose dissertation , which became even more so in the four years after its completion , and have kept closely in touch with Smelser and Bellah ever since

So , my Berkeley years were an intense education in high theory , starting from the culture of classical and New Left Marxism and moving from there into the classical and modern more strictly sociological domain . It was an experience that formed me , and removed me from "mainstream sociology , for the rest of my academic life

After leaving Berkeley , I spent 25 years as an assistant to full Professor at UCLA . I published lots of theory there , tried to start an intellectual movement or two , learned a great deal at the beginning from the microsociology that flourished there , and helped to build up through my years of administration , one of our discipline 's better , and certainly most balanced departments . Two years ago I moved to Yale where I have reluctantly become a Chair once again , resuming institution building...