Robert Morrison MacIver
Encyclopedia
Robert Morrison MacIver was a U.S.
(Scottish
-born) sociologist.
MacIver was born in Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Scotland (17 April 1882) to Donald MacIver, a general merchant and tweed manufacturer, and Christina MacIver (née Morrison). On 14 August 1911 he was married to Elizabeth Marion Peterkin. (Three children: Ian Tennnt,Morrison, Christina Elizabeth, and Donald Gordon.)
He received degrees from the Universities of Edinburgh (M.A. 1903; D.Ph. 1915), Oxford (B.A. 1907), Columbia (Litt.E. 1929 and Harvard (1936). In his rather long period of formal education MacIver had never made any academically supervised study of sociology. His work in that field was distinguished by his acumen, his philosophical understanding, and extensive study of the major pioneering works of Durkheim, Toennies, Max and Alfred Weber
, Simmel
and others in the British Museum Library, London, while resident as a student in Oxford.
He was a University Lecturer in political science (1907) and sociology (1911) at the University of Aberdeen
. MacIver left Aberdeen in 1915 for a post at the University of Toronto where he was professor of political science and later head of department (1922–27). In 1927 he accepted an invitation from Barnard College of Columbia University
in New York where he became professor of social science(1927–36). He was subsequently named Lieber Professor of political science and sociology at Columbia University and taught there from 1929 to 1950. He was President, beginning in 1963, and then Chancellor of The New School
for Social Research (1965-66).
MacIver was Vice-Chairman of the Canada War Labor Board (1917–18). He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and of the American Philosophical Society. He was a member of the American Sociological Society, and was elected the 30th president of the American Sociological Association
in 1940. He was a member of the Institut Internationale de Sociologie and of Phi Beta Kappa.
Curriculum vitae provided by MacIver to the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches in 1950, in box 428.11.01.1 of the archives of the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland (http://library.oikoumene.org/en/home.html)
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
-born) sociologist.
MacIver was born in Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Scotland (17 April 1882) to Donald MacIver, a general merchant and tweed manufacturer, and Christina MacIver (née Morrison). On 14 August 1911 he was married to Elizabeth Marion Peterkin. (Three children: Ian Tennnt,Morrison, Christina Elizabeth, and Donald Gordon.)
He received degrees from the Universities of Edinburgh (M.A. 1903; D.Ph. 1915), Oxford (B.A. 1907), Columbia (Litt.E. 1929 and Harvard (1936). In his rather long period of formal education MacIver had never made any academically supervised study of sociology. His work in that field was distinguished by his acumen, his philosophical understanding, and extensive study of the major pioneering works of Durkheim, Toennies, Max and Alfred Weber
Weber
Weber is a surname of German origin, derived from the noun meaning "weaver". In some cases, following migration to English-speaking countries, it has been anglicised to the English surname 'Webber' or even 'Weaver'.Notable people with the surname include:...
, Simmel
Simmel
Simmel can refer to:* Erich Simmel , German jurist and politician * Ernst Simmel , German physician and psychoanalyst * Georg Simmel , German sociologist...
and others in the British Museum Library, London, while resident as a student in Oxford.
He was a University Lecturer in political science (1907) and sociology (1911) at the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
. MacIver left Aberdeen in 1915 for a post at the University of Toronto where he was professor of political science and later head of department (1922–27). In 1927 he accepted an invitation from Barnard College of 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...
in New York where he became professor of social science(1927–36). He was subsequently named Lieber Professor of political science and sociology at Columbia University and taught there from 1929 to 1950. He was President, beginning in 1963, and then Chancellor of The New School
The New School
The New School is a university in New York City, located mostly in Greenwich Village. From its founding in 1919 by progressive New York academics, and for most of its history, the university was known as the New School for Social Research. Between 1997 and 2005 it was known as New School University...
for Social Research (1965-66).
MacIver was Vice-Chairman of the Canada War Labor Board (1917–18). He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and of the American Philosophical Society. He was a member of the American Sociological Society, and was elected the 30th president of the American Sociological Association
American Sociological Association
The American Sociological Association , founded in 1905 as the American Sociological Society , is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the discipline and profession of sociology by serving sociologists in their work and promoting their contributions to serve society.The ASA holds its...
in 1940. He was a member of the Institut Internationale de Sociologie and of Phi Beta Kappa.
Works
- Community, (1917)
- Labor in the Changing World, (1919)
- Elements of Social Science, (1921)
- The Modern State, (1926)
- Relation of Sociology to Social Work, (1931)
- Society 1st Edition (textbook), (1931)
- Economic Reconstruction, (1934)
- Society 2nd Edition (textbook), (1937)
- Leviathan and the People, (1939)
- Social Causation, (1932)
- Toward Abiding Peace, (1933)
- The Web of Government, (1947)
- Society 3rd Edition (textbook), With Charles PageCharles PageCharles Page was an important philanthropist in the early history of Oklahoma and Tulsa. His enduring act was the creation of the Sand Springs Home for orphans and widows and otherwise unwanted and unloved children...
, (1949) - The More Perfect Union (1949)
- "The Pursuit of Happiness" (1955)
Sources
Entry in: A Dictionary of Sociology, George Marshall (Ed.), 1998, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-280081-7Curriculum vitae provided by MacIver to the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches in 1950, in box 428.11.01.1 of the archives of the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland (http://library.oikoumene.org/en/home.html)