Marshall Sklare

Marshall Sklare
Born October 21, 1921
Chicago, Illinois
Died March 1, 1992
Newton, Mass.
Fields Sociology
Institutions Brandeis University
Alma mater

Marshall Sklare (1921-1992) was an American sociologist whose work focused on American Jews and the American Jewish Community. Sklare was the Klutznick Family Professor of Contemporary Jewish Studies and Sociology at Brandeis University.[1] Because of his contributions to the social scientific study of Jewry, Sklare is known as the "father of American Jewish sociology".

Biography

Marshall Sklare was born in Chicago on October 21, 1921 and died in Newton, Mass. on March 1, 1992. Sklare was a third generation Jewish American, the grandson of immigrants from the area of Kovno in Lithuania.[2]

Academic Background

Sklare earned his Master's degree in Sociology from the University of Chicago and his Ph.D. in Sociology from Columbia University. Sklare worked Columbia University under the guidance of Seymour Martin Lipset.[2]

Association for the Social Scientific Study

Sklare served as the second president for the Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry (ASSJ) following Dr. Mervin Verbit. Sklare was president of the ASSJ from 1973 to 1975.[3] To date, twenty two scholars have received the Marshall Sklare Award.

The Marshall Sklare Award

Main article: Marshall Sklare Award

Starting in 1992, the ASSJ began the Marshall Sklare Award, an annual honor named in Sklare's memory recognizing "a senior scholar who has made a significant scholarly contribution to the social scientific study of Jewry".

Studies in Jewish Identity

Sklare caught the attention of the American Jewish community with his studies on Jewish identity. Sklare's "Lakeville studies"[4] was one of the first of its kind exploring the Jewish identities of American Jews in suburbia.

The Lakeville Studies

Among other topics explored in Sklare's "Lakeville studies" was Sklare's notion of a "good Jew".[5] The "good Jew" was essentially an idealized form of Jewish identity as expressed by the Lakeville respondents.

Books

Publications

See also

References

  1. "Marshall Sklare, 70, an Authority On Sociology of American Jewry - New York Times". The New York Times. 1992-03-13. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Sarna, J. D. (1992, January). Marshall Sklare (1921-1992). In Proceedings of the American Academy for Jewish Research (Vol. 58, pp. 33-35). American Academy for Jewish Research
  3. Swatos, William H. "ASSOCIATION FOR THE SOCIAL SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF JEWRY (ASSJ)". Encyclopedia of Religion and Society. hartsem.edu. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
  4. Sklare, Marshall, Joseph Greenblum, and Benjamin Bernard Ringer. The Lakeville Studies. Under the Dir. of Marshall Sklare. Basic books, 1967.
  5. Sklare, Marshall. "The Image of the Good Jew in Lakeville." Observing America’s Jews. Brandeis University Press, 1993.
  6. "Consultation on the Jewish Family and Jewish Identity: Proceedings". Retrieved 21 December 2013.
  7. "Not Quite at Home: How an American Jewish Community lives with itself and its neighbors". Retrieved 21 December 2013.
  8. "Lakeville and Israel: The Six-Day War and its Aftermath". Retrieved 21 December 2013.
  9. "The Riverton Study: How Jews Look at Themselves and Their Neighbors". BJPA.org. Retrieved 21 December 2013.