Anselm Leonard Strauss (December 18, 1916 – September 5, 1996) was an American sociologist professor at the

University of California, San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It is part of the University of California system and is dedic ...

(

UCSF The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a public land-grant research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It is part of the University of California system and is dedicated entirely to health science and life ...

) internationally known as a medical sociologist (especially for his pioneering attention to chronic illness and dying) and as the developer (with Barney Glaser) of

grounded theory Grounded theory is a systematic methodology that has been largely applied to qualitative research conducted by social scientists. The methodology involves the construction of hypotheses and theories through the collecting and analysis of data. G ...

, an innovative method of qualitative analysis widely used in sociology, nursing, education, social work, and organizational studies. He also wrote extensively on Chicago sociology/

symbolic interactionism Symbolic interactionism is a sociological theory that develops from practical considerations and alludes to humans' particular use of shared language to create common symbols and meanings, for use in both intra- and interpersonal communication. ...

, sociology of work, social worlds/arenas theory,

social psychology Social psychology is the methodical study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. Although studying many of the same substantive topics as its counterpart in the field ...

and urban imagery. He published over 30 books, chapters in over 30 other books, and over 70 journal articles. Strauss was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

immigrants in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and grew up in

Mount Vernon, New York Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, immediately to the north of the Borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Moun ...

. His physician recommended that Strauss move to

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

after high school because he suffered from

bronchial A bronchus ( ; : bronchi, ) is a passage or airway in the lower respiratory tract that conducts Atmosphere of Earth, air into the lungs. The first or primary bronchi to branch from the trachea at the Carina of trachea, carina are the right main b ...

problems. However, he moved to the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

in 1935, where he received his B.S. in Biology in 1939. From there he went to the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

, where he received his M.A. in sociology (1942) and his Ph.D. in the same field (1945). It was also there where he studied symbolic interactionism under

Herbert Blumer Herbert George Blumer (March 7, 1900 – April 13, 1987) was an American sociologist whose main scholarly interests were symbolic interactionism and methods of social research. Believing that individuals create social reality through collective ...

, but ultimately completed his doctoral dissertation under the supervision of Ernest Burgess.Baszanger‌, Isabelle (1998) "The Work Sites of an American Interactionist: Anselm L. Strauss, 1917-1996", Symbolic Interaction, 21(4), 353–377. During the years 1944 to 1947, Strauss was on the faculty of Lawrence College. From there he moved to

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

(1946–1952), where he met and collaborated with Alfred Lindesmith; in 1949, they published their very influential book, ''Social Psychology''. That volume was translated into Swedish, German, and Japanese and the eighth edition in English was published in 1999. In 1952, Strauss returned to the University of Chicago as an assistant professor. During that time, he worked with Prof. Everett Hughes, and became associated with a group of colleagues who would become known as the "Second Chicago School" (e.g., Howard S. Becker and

Erving Goffman Erving Goffman (11 June 1922 – 19 November 1982) was a Canadian-born American sociologist, social psychologist, and writer, considered by some "the most influential American sociologist of the twentieth century". In 2007, '' The Time ...

). In 1960, he went to the School of Nursing at the

where he founded the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences. He chaired the department until 1987, although even as a

professor emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". ...

he continued his research and teaching activities. During his time as chair, he was a consultant to the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

(WHO) in 1962 and 1970. While at the University of California, San Francisco, Strauss and Barney Glaser originated

, which is widely used within

qualitative research Qualitative research is a type of research that aims to gather and analyse non-numerical (descriptive) data in order to gain an understanding of individuals' social reality, including understanding their attitudes, beliefs, and motivation. This ...

. Strauss was elected Fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

in 1980. In that year he also received the Charles H. Cooley Award from the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interactionism. Between 1955 and 1980, he was an invited visiting professor at the universities of Frankfurt and Konstanz in Germany, Cambridge and Manchester in England, Paris in France, and Adelaide in Australia. Strauss married Frances Cooperstein in 1940 and was survived by her, his nephews Ted and Elliot Zucker and four grand-nephews and nieces, including Jonathan Zucker.

Selected publications

*''Grounded Theory in Practice'' (co-editor, 1997) *''Continual Permutations of Action'' (1993) *''Basics of Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory Procedures and Techniques'' (co-author, 1990. Translated into Korean, German, Chinese and Russian) *''Unending Work and Care: Managing Chronic Illness at Home'' (co-author, 1988. Translated into German) *''Qualitative Analysis for Social Scientists'' (1987. Translated into German and Chinese) *''Negotiations: Varieties, contexts, and social order'' (1978) *''Field Research: Strategies for a Natural Sociology'' (co-author, 1973. Translated into Japanese) *''The Discovery of Grounded Theory'' (co-author, 1967. Translated into Japanese) *''

Awareness of Dying ''Awareness of Dying'' is a 1965 book () by Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss. In his 2007 article, sociologist Stefan Timmermans called the book "landmark". History and content When Strauss came to the medical school of the University of Cali ...

'' (co-author, 1965. Translated into Dutch, Polish and German) *''Psychiatric ideologies and institutions'' (1964) *''Mirrors and Masks: The Search for Identity'' (1959). Translated into German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Polish and Italian

References

Notes Sources * Legewie, Heiner & Schervier-Legewie, Barbara (September 2004). "Forschung ist harte Arbeit, es ist immer ein Stück Leiden damit verbunden. Deshalb muss es auf der anderen Seite Spaß machen". Anselm Strauss interviewed by Heiner Legewie and Barbara Schervier-Legewie. ''Forum: Qualitative Social Research On-line Journal'', 5(3), Art. 22.
Interview as MP3 audio (English)

Accessed on May 20, 2005.

External links

Strauss memorial page at UCSF
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strauss, Anselm 1916 births 1996 deaths American sociologists People from Mount Vernon, New York University of California, San Francisco faculty Lawrence University faculty Sociologists of science Medical sociologists