Peter Hedström
Encyclopedia
Peter Hedström is one of the founders of and a well-known authority in the field of analytical sociology
. He has made important contributions to the analysis of social contagion processes and complex social network
s, as well as to the philosophical and meta-theoretical foundations of analytical sociology. He is one of the key contributors to the literature on social mechanisms.
Hedström is Professor of Sociology and Official Fellow of Nuffield College
, University of Oxford
. He received his Ph.D. at Harvard University
in 1987. He then took a post as Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago
, and, in 1989, he became Professor of Sociology at Stockholm University
. In 2002, he assumed his present position at the University of Oxford. He is Past President of the Swedish Sociological Association and has served as editor of Acta Sociologica
and as associate editor of the American Journal of Sociology
, Annual Review of Sociology, and Rationality and Society. He is past President of the European Academy of Sociology
, Secretary-General of the International Institute of Sociology
, and a Fellow of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
.
Analytical sociology
Analytical sociology is a strategy for understanding the social world. It is concerned with explaining important macro-level facts such as the diffusion of various social practices, patterns of segregation, network structures, typical beliefs, and common ways of acting...
. He has made important contributions to the analysis of social contagion processes and complex social network
Social network
A social network is a social structure made up of individuals called "nodes", which are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.Social...
s, as well as to the philosophical and meta-theoretical foundations of analytical sociology. He is one of the key contributors to the literature on social mechanisms.
Hedström is Professor of Sociology and Official Fellow of Nuffield College
Nuffield College, Oxford
Nuffield College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is an all-graduate college and primarily a research establishment, specialising in the social sciences, particularly economics, politics and sociology. It is a research centre in the social sciences...
, University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. He received his Ph.D. at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1987. He then took a post as Assistant Professor 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...
, and, in 1989, he became Professor of Sociology at Stockholm University
Stockholm University
Stockholm University is a state university in Stockholm, Sweden. It has over 28,000 students at four faculties, making it one of the largest universities in Scandinavia. The institution is also frequently regarded as one of the top 100 universities in the world...
. In 2002, he assumed his present position at the University of Oxford. He is Past President of the Swedish Sociological Association and has served as editor of Acta Sociologica
Acta Sociologica
Acta Sociologica is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering all areas of sociology. It is an official journal of the Nordic Sociological Association and was established in 1955...
and as associate editor of the American Journal of Sociology
American Journal of Sociology
The American Journal of Sociology was established in 1895 by Albion Small and is the oldest academic journal of sociology in the United States. The journal is attached to the University of Chicago's sociology department and it is published bimonthly by The University of Chicago Press. Its...
, Annual Review of Sociology, and Rationality and Society. He is past President of the European Academy of Sociology
European Academy of Sociology
The European Academy of Sociology is a fellowship of respected scholars with expertise in many different areas of sociology, united around the common concern to promote rigorous standards in sociology. EAS was founded in 2000 and Raymond Boudon was its first President...
, Secretary-General of the International Institute of Sociology
International Institute of Sociology (IIS)
The International Institute of Sociology is a scholarly organization which seeks to stimulate and facilitate the development, exchange, and application of scientific knowledge to questions of sociological relevance...
, and a Fellow of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway.-History:The University of Oslo was established in 1811. The idea of a learned society in Christiania surfaced for the first time in 1841. The city of Throndhjem had no university, but had a learned...
.
Key publications
- P. Hedström and P. Bearman (Eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Analytical Sociology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
- P. Hedström Dissecting the Social: On the Principles of Analytical Sociology. Cambridge University Press, 2005.
- P. Hedström and R. Swedberg (eds.) Social Mechanisms: An Analytical Approach to Social Theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998.