Pierre L. van den Berghe (1933–2019) was a

professor emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

of sociology and anthropology at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

, where he had worked since 1965. Born in the

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964. Colo ...

to Belgian parents, and spending

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

in occupied Belgium, he was an early witness to ethnic conflict and racism, which eventually led him to become a leading authority on ethnic relations. He conducted field work in South Africa, Mexico, Guatemala, Iran, Lebanon, Nigeria, Peru, and Israel. Early in his career, he lectured at the

University of Natal The University of Natal was a university in the former South African province Natal which later became KwaZulu-Natal. The University of Natal no longer exists as a distinct legal entity, as it was incorporated into the University of KwaZulu-N ...

alongside

Leo Kuper Leo Kuper (20 November 1908 – 23 May 1994) was a South African sociologist specialising in the study of genocide. Early life and legal career Kuper was born to a Lithuanian Jewish family. His siblings included his sister Mary (d. 1948), who ...

and

Fatima Meer Fatima Meer (12 August 1928 – 12 March 2010) was a South African writer, academic, screenwriter, and prominent anti-apartheid activist. Early life Fatima Meer was born in the Grey Streets of Durban, South Africa, into a middle-class family ...

. A student of

Talcott Parsons Talcott Parsons (December 13, 1902 – May 8, 1979) was an American sociologist of the classical tradition, best known for his social action theory and structural functionalism. Parsons is considered one of the most influential figures in soci ...

at Harvard (receiving the PhD in 1960), he nevertheless had little interest in

structural functionalism Structural functionalism, or simply functionalism, is "a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability". This approach looks at society through a macro-level o ...

and was one of the first proponents of

sociobiological Sociobiology is a field of biology that aims to examine and explain social behavior in terms of evolution. It draws from disciplines including psychology, ethology, anthropology, evolution, zoology, archaeology, and population genetics. Within t ...

approaches to social phenomena. Van den Berghe died on 6 February 2019.

Selected works

*Van den Berghe, Pierre L. 1981. ''The Ethnic Phenomenon.'' New York: Elsevier. *---. 1979. ''Human Family Systems: An Evolutionary View.'' New York: Elsevier. *---. 1977. ''Inequality in the Peruvian Andes: Class and Ethnicity in Cuzco.'' Columbia: University of Missouri Press. *---. 1975. ''Man in Society: A Biosocial View.'' New York: Elsevier. *---. 1973. ''Age and Sex in Human Societies: A Biosocial Perspective.'' Belmont, Calif: Wadsworth Pub. Co. *---. 1972. ''Intergroup Relations: Sociological Perspectives.'' New York: Basic Books. *---. 1970. ''Academic Gamesmanship; How to Make a PhD Pay.'' London: Abelard-Schuman. *---. 1967. ''Race and Racism: A Comparative Perspective.'' NY; Sydney: Wiley. *---. 1965. ''Africa: Social Problems of Change and Conflict.'' San Francisco: Chandler Pub. Co. *---. 1964. ''Caneville; the Social Structure of a South African Town.'' Middletown, Conn: Wesleyan University Press.

Notes

References

* *Van den Berghe, Pierre L. 1990. "From the Popocatetepl to the Limpopo." pages 410–431 in Bennett M. Berger, editor, ''Authors of Their Own Lives: Intellectual Autobiographies by Twenty American Sociologists.'' University of California Press.
Time Writers. May 1, 1978. "Fleeced Again".
Accessed 10 July 2011. 1933 births 2019 deaths Belgian sociologists Scholars of nationalism Harvard University alumni University of Washington faculty Belgian anthropologists Belgian expatriates in the United States Belgian Congo people {{belgium-academic-bio-stub