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Social Theorist

Amitai Etzioni

Also Known As Werner Falk
Sociology

Amitai Etzioni was a German-born Israeli-American sociologist known both for his early work on the sociology of organizations and for founding communitarianism as an organized social and political movement in the late twentieth century. In The Active Society (1968) he examined how modern societies could become more self-aware and self-directing social actors capable of guiding their own change, and from the 1990s onward he argued, in works such as The Spirit of Community (1993), that individual rights needed to be balanced against social responsibilities and the health of community institutions, a position that shaped public policy debate on the proper relationship between the individual, the community, and the state.

Facts
Birth DateSourced to the subject's own account
1929-01-04 1
Birth YearSourced to the subject's own account
1929 1
Death DateSourced to the subject's own account
2023-05-31 1
Death YearSourced to the subject's own account
2023 1
BirthplaceSourced to the subject's own account
Cologne, Germany 1
Death PlaceSourced to the subject's own account
Washington, D.C. 1
Nationality / CultureSourced to the subject's own account
Israeli-American 1
Defining ContributionSourced to the subject's own account
Founded the Communitarian Network, a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to supporting the moral, social, and political foundations of society. 1
Notable WorkSourced to the subject's own account
The Active Society 1
Connections

Associated With

Etzioni communitarian theory addressed how to balance individual rights with social responsibility within welfare-state policy design.

Sources
1. Amitai Etzioni (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia
  • lead sentence, birth date clause
    né Werner Falk; 4 January 1929-31 May 2023) was an Israeli-American sociologist, best known for his work on socioeconomics and communitarianism.
  • lead sentence, birth year figure
    né Werner Falk; 4 January 1929-31 May 2023) was an Israeli-American sociologist, best known for his work on socioeconomics and communitarianism.
  • lead sentence, death date clause
    né Werner Falk; 4 January 1929-31 May 2023) was an Israeli-American sociologist, best known for his work on socioeconomics and communitarianism.
  • lead sentence, death year figure
    né Werner Falk; 4 January 1929-31 May 2023) was an Israeli-American sociologist, best known for his work on socioeconomics and communitarianism.
  • Early life section, birthplace sentence
    Amitai Etzioni was born Werner Falk in Cologne, Germany in 1929 to a Jewish family.
  • Personal life section, death sentence
    Etzioni lived at the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C., where he died on 31 May 2023, at the age of 94.
  • lead sentence, nationality descriptor
    né Werner Falk; 4 January 1929-31 May 2023) was an Israeli-American sociologist, best known for his work on socioeconomics and communitarianism.
  • Early life section, birth name sentence
    Amitai Etzioni was born Werner Falk in Cologne, Germany in 1929 to a Jewish family.
  • Work section, opening sentence
    Etzioni authored over 30 books. About half are academic, the most important of which is The Active Society, and half written for the public, especially The Spirit of Community.
  • lead paragraph, Communitarian Network sentence
    He founded the Communitarian Network, a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to supporting the moral, social, and political foundations of society.
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