Richard Fritz Behrendt (6 February 1908 in

Gliwice Gliwice (; , ) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. The city is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river (a tributary of the Oder River, Oder). It lies approximately 25 km west from Katowice, the regional capital ...

Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( ; ; ; ; Silesian German: ; ) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located today mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic. The area is predominantly known for its heav ...

– 17 October 1972 in

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

sociologist.

Life

Behrendt was born in

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

(now Poland) on February 2, 1908. After studying business in

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

and

(where he earned a doctorate in 1931), and at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

, he worked as a journalist before obtaining a professorship at the

University of Panama The University of Panama () is a public university in Panama City, Panama. It was founded on October 7, 1935. Initially, it had 175 students learning education, commerce, natural sciences, pharmacy, pre-engineering or law. , it had 74,059 student ...

in 1935. From 1941 to 1943 he was a professor in the School of Inter-American Affairs at the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

. After a stint at the Interamerican University of Panama, as director of the Institute of Social and Economic Research, he moved to

Colgate University Colgate University is a Private university, private college in Hamilton, New York, United States. The Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York ...

in the US in the Fall of 1945, and was promoted to full professor of international affairs in 1946. In 1950 he moved again to the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

. He continued to work as a professor in the US until 1953, when he returned to Europe as an extraordinary professor of sociology at the

University of Bern The University of Bern (, , ) is a public university, public research university in the Switzerland, Swiss capital of Bern. It was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the canton of Bern. It is a comprehensive university offering a br ...

, becoming an

ordinary professor Academic ranks in Germany are the titles, relative importance and power of professors, researchers, and administrative personnel held in academia. Overview Appointment grades * (Pay grade: ''W3'' or ''W2'') * (''W3'') * (''W2'') * (''W2'', ...

in 1956. Beginning in 1960, he directed the institut de sociologie et des questions de développement socio-économique there. From 1965 to 1972 he was a professor of sociology at the

Free University of Berlin The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public university, public research university in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in West Berlin in 1948 with American support during the early Cold War period a ...

. He died by suicide on 17 October 1972 in Basel.

Selected publications

Behrendt's books included: *Die Schweiz und der Imperialismus, die Volkswirtschaft des hochkapitalistischen Kleinstaates im Zeitalter des politischen und ökonomischen Nationalismus (Zürich: Rascher & Co., 1932) *''Modern Latin America in Social Science Literature, a Selected, Annotated Bibliography of Books, Pamphlets, and Periodicals in English in the Fields of Economics, Politics, and Sociology of Latin America'' (University of New Mexico Press, 1949) *''Das Problem der "unentwickelten" Länder'' (Verwaltungs-und Wirtschaftsakademie Essen 2, Essen, 1956) *''Dynamische Gesellschaft: Über die Gestaltbarkeit der Zukunft'' (Alfred Scherz Verlag, 1963) *''L'homme à la lumière de la sociologie'' (Paris: Payot, 1964; translated from German by Lucien Piau *''Sozial Strategie für Entwicklungsländer'' (S. Fischer, 1965) *''Zwischen Anarchie und neuen Ordnungen: soziologische Versuche über Probleme unserer Welt im Wandel'' (Freiburg: Verlag Rombach, 1967)Review of ''Zwischen Anarchie und neuen Ordnungen'':

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Behrendt, Richard Fritz 1908 births 1972 deaths German sociologists People from Gliwice People from the Province of Silesia University of Cologne alumni Academic staff of the Free University of Berlin German male writers