Ray Oldenburg (April 7, 1932 – November 21, 2022) was an American urban sociologist who is known for writing about the importance of informal public gathering places for a functioning

civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.democracy Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...

, and

civic engagement Civic engagement or civic participation is any individual or group activity addressing issues of public concern. Civic engagement includes communities working together or individuals working alone in both political and non-political actions to ...

. He coined the term "

third place In sociology, the third place refers to the social surroundings that are separate from the two usual social environments of home ("first place") and the workplace ("second place"). Examples of third places include Church (building), churches, C ...

" and is the author of '' The Great Good Place'' (which was a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice for 1989) and the 2001 '' Celebrating The Third Place''. With his coauthor Karen Christensen, to whom he left the task of completing a sequel, he continued to argue that third places are the answer to loneliness, political polarization, and climate resilience. The original ''The Great Good Place'' was republished in print in 2023 and audio in 2025.

Personal life

Oldenburg was born in

Henderson, Minnesota Henderson is a town in Sibley County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 960 at the 2020 census. History Henderson was founded in August 1852 by Joseph R. Brown, and was named for his mother's maiden name. By 1855, Henderson had ...

, on April 7, 1932. He was raised by Grace and Raymond Oldenburg and lived a straightforward life throughout high school and undergraduate school before serving in the army for two years in the South of France. While continuing his academic career, he eventually married Judith Oldenburg at the age of 35, having three children and eight grandchildren. On November 21, 2022, Oldenburg died at the age of 90.

Academic career

Oldenburg was

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". ...

at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of West Florida in

Pensacola Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only city in Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Pensacola metropolitan area, which ha ...

. He received his B.S. in English and Social Studies from Mankato State University in 1954. He then received his M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

in 1965 and 1968, respectively.

Philosophy

Oldenburg suggests that

beer gardens A beer garden (German: ''Biergarten'') is an outdoor area in which beer and food are served, typically at shared tables shaded by trees. Beer gardens originated in Bavaria, of which Munich is the capital city, in the 19th century, and remain co ...

, main streets, pubs, cafés, coffeehouses, post offices, and other "third places" are the heart of a community's social vitality and the foundation of a functioning democracy. They promote social equality by leveling the status of guests, provide a setting for grassroots politics, create habits of public association, and offer psychological support to individuals and communities. Oldenburg identifies that each person has a first and second place, where the former represents environments that are informal and isolating (home) while the latter represents environments that are formal, structured, and mission-driven (workplaces). Thus, the existence of third places offers individuals a neutral public space for connecting and establishing bonds with others in a non-purposeful environment. Third places "host the regular, voluntary, informal, and happily anticipated gatherings of individuals beyond the realms of home and work." Oldenburg is primarily concerned by the disappearance of third places as

suburbanization Suburbanization (American English), also spelled suburbanisation (British English), is a population shift from historic core cities or rural areas into suburbs. Most suburbs are built in a formation of (sub)urban sprawl. As a consequence ...

continues in modern societies. He is aware that modern suburbs only offer first and second places with a mandatory car-centric commute between them, and that "public" places have become commercialized to the extent in which one is required to purchase a good or service and is forbidden to "loitering." His latest and last book was ''The Joy of Tippling''.

Bibliography

* * * *Oldenburg, Ray (2018). ''The Joy of Tippling: A Salute to Bars, Taverns, and Pubs''. Great Barrington, Massachusetts: Berkshire Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1614728382.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oldenburg, Ray 1932 births 2022 deaths University of Minnesota alumni American sociologists Urban sociologists