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Herbert Gans

Sociology

Herbert Julius Gans was a German-born American sociologist, born on May 7, 1927, and died on April 21, 2025, who taught at Columbia University from 1971 to 2007. He came to the United States in 1940 as a refugee from Nazi Germany and sometimes described his scholarly work as an immigrant's attempt to understand America. He trained in sociology at the University of Chicago, studying with David Riesman and Everett Hughes, and in social planning at the University of Pennsylvania, and he served as the seventy ninth president of the American Sociological Association in 1988.

Facts
Birth DateSourced to the subject's own account
1927-05-07 1
Birth YearSourced to the subject's own account
1927 1
Death DateSourced to the subject's own account
2025-04-21 1
Death YearSourced to the subject's own account
2025 1
BirthplaceSourced to the subject's own account
Cologne, Germany 1
Death PlaceSourced to the subject's own account
New York City 1
Nationality / CultureSourced to the subject's own account
German-born American 1
Defining ContributionSourced to the subject's own account
Made his reputation as a critic of urban renewal in the early 1960s through ethnographic studies of American communities, suburbs and popular culture. 1
Notable WorkSourced to the subject's own account
The Urban Villagers (1962) 1
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Herbert Gans (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia
  • lead section: nationality
    was a German-born American sociologist who taught at Columbia University from 1971 to 2007
  • Biography section: birth date
    was born in Cologne, Germany on May 7, 1927
  • Biography section: birthplace
    was born in Cologne, Germany on May 7, 1927
  • Biography section: death date
    Gans died at his home in New York City, on April 21, 2025, at the age of 97
  • Biography section: death place
    Gans died at his home in New York City, on April 21, 2025, at the age of 97
  • Sociological research section: contribution
    he initially made his reputation as a critic of urban renewal in the early 1960s
  • Sociological research section: notable work
    His first book, The Urban Villagers (1962), described Boston's diverse West End neighborhood
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