Everett Stonequist
Encyclopedia
Everett Verner Stonequist (October 5, 1901 - March 26, 1979) was an American
Sociologist perhaps best known for his 1937 book, The Marginal Man
, Mass. and received his A.B. degree in History
and Sociology
at Clark University
. He later studied at Cornell University
, Columbia University
, and the University of Paris
. He received his doctorate in Sociology
at the University of Chicago
in 1930.
Stonequist taught and conducted research at the University of Hawaii
, Duke University
, and the University of Missouri
. In 1970 Stonequist was honored by Union College in Schenectady for his contributions to the area of race relations. His expertise extended into many areas of research, including the problems of Jews
living in primarily Gentile
areas, and conditions in Ethiopia
, Cyprus
, Egypt
, Kenya
, Jordan
, and Israel
. In these respects he was clearly as much an anthropologist by inclination as a sociologist.
Stonequist spent most of his academic life teaching at Skidmore College
, Saratoga Springs, NY, where he was a well-known figure as a leader on the city's planning commission and housing authority. His work led to the construction of low-cost housing to local residents, and the Stonequist Apartments senior citizen
complex. He chaired the Saratoga Springs Housing Authority
for almost 30 years and was a technical consultant and planner for the city planning board for 19 years. He was a popular speaker who was widely sought by high school groups and civic, social, and religious organizations.
"He chaired the Skidmore College Department of Sociology from 1930 to 1970. His book, The Marginal Man, called attention to the problems experienced by people making transitions between different cultures, and specifically to pressures felt by minority and ethnic group members in American society. The book is generally credited with laying groundwork for later studies of "marginal" ethnic and occupational groups."
Stonequist's sociological work on marginality builds on that of his chief mentor at Chicago
, Robert E. Park
. "R. E. Park...[was] Stonequist's teacher and the originator of the term marginal man"
Park's notion that an individual suspended between two cultural realities is marginal results in difficulties in establishing an identity. This work was continued and developed further by Howard S. Becker
and others most notably J M Billson, L H Bowker, F M Cox, A F Buono, J B Kamm, J Golden, Mark A Grey, and R A Stebbins.
"One of Park's students [at Chicago], Everett Stonequist, was writing The Marginal Man--A Study in Personality and Culture Conflict (1937). He described the marginal man as "one who is poised in psychological uncertainty between two or more social worlds, reflecting in his soul the discords and harmonies, repulsions and attractions of these worlds." Stonequist's study examines representative types of marginal persons."
In 1980, Dr. Stonequist's family and friends established the Everett V. Stonequist Award, given annually to a graduating senior who has shown outstanding interest and achievement in the study of sociology
at Skidmore. The recipient, whose interest and grades in sociology
are among the award criteria, is selected by the faculty of the Department of Sociology
, Anthropology
, and Social Work
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Sociologist perhaps best known for his 1937 book, The Marginal Man
Life & Work
Stonequist was born in WorcesterWorcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, Mass. and received his A.B. degree in History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
at Clark University
Clark University
Clark University is a private research university and liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts.Founded in 1887, it is the oldest educational institution founded as an all-graduate university. Clark now also educates undergraduates...
. He later studied at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, and the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
. He received his doctorate in Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1930.
Stonequist taught and conducted research at the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
, Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, and the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
. In 1970 Stonequist was honored by Union College in Schenectady for his contributions to the area of race relations. His expertise extended into many areas of research, including the problems of Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
living in primarily Gentile
Gentile
The term Gentile refers to non-Israelite peoples or nations in English translations of the Bible....
areas, and conditions in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. In these respects he was clearly as much an anthropologist by inclination as a sociologist.
Stonequist spent most of his academic life teaching at Skidmore College
Skidmore College
Skidmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,500 students. The college is located in the town of Saratoga Springs, New York State....
, Saratoga Springs, NY, where he was a well-known figure as a leader on the city's planning commission and housing authority. His work led to the construction of low-cost housing to local residents, and the Stonequist Apartments senior citizen
Senior citizen
Senior citizen is a common polite designation for an elderly person in both UK and US English, and it implies or means that the person is retired. This in turn implies or in fact means that the person is over the retirement age, which varies according to country. Synonyms include pensioner in UK...
complex. He chaired the Saratoga Springs Housing Authority
Public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
for almost 30 years and was a technical consultant and planner for the city planning board for 19 years. He was a popular speaker who was widely sought by high school groups and civic, social, and religious organizations.
"He chaired the Skidmore College Department of Sociology from 1930 to 1970. His book, The Marginal Man, called attention to the problems experienced by people making transitions between different cultures, and specifically to pressures felt by minority and ethnic group members in American society. The book is generally credited with laying groundwork for later studies of "marginal" ethnic and occupational groups."
Stonequist's sociological work on marginality builds on that of his chief mentor at Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Robert E. Park
Robert E. Park
Robert Ezra Park was an American urban sociologist, one of the main founders of the original Chicago School of sociology.-Life:...
. "R. E. Park...[was] Stonequist's teacher and the originator of the term marginal man"
Park's notion that an individual suspended between two cultural realities is marginal results in difficulties in establishing an identity. This work was continued and developed further by Howard S. Becker
Howard S. Becker
Howard Saul Becker is an American sociologist who made major contributions to the sociology of deviance, sociology of art, and sociology of music. Becker also wrote extensively on sociological writing styles and methodologies. In addition, Becker's book The Outsiders provided the foundations for...
and others most notably J M Billson, L H Bowker, F M Cox, A F Buono, J B Kamm, J Golden, Mark A Grey, and R A Stebbins.
"One of Park's students [at Chicago], Everett Stonequist, was writing The Marginal Man--A Study in Personality and Culture Conflict (1937). He described the marginal man as "one who is poised in psychological uncertainty between two or more social worlds, reflecting in his soul the discords and harmonies, repulsions and attractions of these worlds." Stonequist's study examines representative types of marginal persons."
In 1980, Dr. Stonequist's family and friends established the Everett V. Stonequist Award, given annually to a graduating senior who has shown outstanding interest and achievement in the study of sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
at Skidmore. The recipient, whose interest and grades in sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
are among the award criteria, is selected by the faculty of the Department of Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, Anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
, and Social Work
Social work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
.