Norman L. Friedman

Norman Lee Friedman
Fields Sociology
Institutions California State University, Los Angeles
Alma mater University of Missouri
Thesis  (1965)
For the author "Norman Friedman", see Norman Friedman.

Norman Friedman is an American sociologist and the former chairman of the Department of Sociology at California State University, Los Angeles.

Academic career

Norman Friedman received his doctorate in sociology from University of Missouri in 1965. He served as the chairman of the Department of Sociology at California State University in Los Angeles, California.[1]

Autobiographical sociology

Norman Friedman coined the term "autobiographical sociology," defined as a "pathway to data and ideas that requires the sociologist introspectively recollect, reconstruct, and interpret the past phenomenon or process he/she was involved in."[2][3]

Formation of the ASSJ

Norman Friedman contributed to the growth and development of the field of the sociology of Jewry. In 1950s and 1960s, the field was quite underdeveloped; sociologist Seymour Lipset stated at the time that there were far more Jewish sociologists than "sociologists of Jews".[4] One of the key points in the discipline's development was the formation of the a professional organization for sociologists specializing in the sociology of Jewry. The idea for the formation of a professional organization for scholars specializing in the sociology of Jewry first surfaced in 1966; the concept was discussed by Friedman and Werner J. Cahnman and at an American Sociological Association (ASA) conference.[5] The association was informally launched by Friedman and Bernard Lazerwitz in 1970; the event, titled "The Sociological Study of Jewry" took place at the ASA annual conference. Sociologists Solomon Poll, Mervin Verbit and Arnold Dashevsky submitted a motion to establish a formal group; the motion was voted upon and accepted. Friedman served as the organization's secretary. The new organization, the Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry (ASSJ), formally met for the first time the following year.[6][1][7]

Publications

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Blasi, Anthony. Sociology of Religion in America: A History of a Secular Fascination with Religion. BRILL. (2014): 206-207. Accessed May 9, 2014.
  2. ↑ Shostak, Arthur B., ed. Private Sociology: Unsparing Reflections, Uncommon Gains. Rowman & Littlefield, 1996.
  3. ↑ Friedman, Norman L. "Autobiographical sociology." The American Sociologist 21, no. 1 (1990): 60-66.
  4. ↑ Lipset, Seymour. "Jewish Sociologists and Sociologists of the Jews." Jewish Social Studies (1955): 177-178.
  5. ↑ Friedman, Norman L. "Conception and Birth of the Association for the Sociological Study of Jewry," Ethnic Forum 6 (1986): 98-111.
  6. ↑ Waxman, Chaim I."The Professional Dilemma of Jewish Social Scientists: The Case of the ASSJ." The Social Scientific Study of Jewry: Sources, Approaches, Debates. Ed. Uzi Rebhun. Oxford University Press. Accessed May 9, 2014.
  7. ↑ Jelenko, Martha. American Jewish Yearbook Vol 75. Edited by Morris Fine, and Milton Himmelfarb. American Jewish Committee. (1974): page 606.