Stein Rokkan
Encyclopedia
Stein Rokkan was a Norwegian
political scientist
and sociologist
. He was a professor
in comparative politics
at the University of Bergen
.
, Rokkan collaborated in the 1940s and 1950s as the assistant of Arne Næss
. Later on, his interest turned towards the study of politics
, especially the formation of political parties and Europe
an nation-state
s. It was during this period that he collaborated with Seymour Martin Lipset
, "Lipset and Rokkan" becoming a duo that would forever be remembered by students of political sociology. He is also known as a pioneer user of computer technology in the social sciences. He wrote on cleavage
, comparative history
, party system
s and Catalan nationalism
, among other topics.
Rokkan is the creator of a series of models for state
and nation
formations in Europe. He was president of the International Political Science Association
from 1970 to 1973, president of UNESCO's
International Social Science Council
(ISSC) (1973-77), vice-president of the International Sociological Association
from 1966 to 1970, and chairman (from 1970 to 1976) and co-founder of the European Consortium for Political Research
(ECPR). The Stein Rokkan Prize for Comparative Social Science Research
has been awarded by the ISSC, the ECPR and the University of Bergen in Rokkan's honour since 1981.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
political scientist
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and sociologist
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...
. He was a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
in comparative politics
Comparative politics
Comparative politics is a subfield of political science, characterized by an empirical approach based on the comparative method. Arend Lijphart argues that comparative politics does not have a substantive focus in itself, but rather a methodological one: it focuses on "the how but does not specify...
at the University of Bergen
University of Bergen
The University of Bergen is located in Bergen, Norway. Although founded as late as 1946, academic activity had taken place at Bergen Museum as far back as 1825. The university today serves more than 14,500 students...
.
Career and influence
Stein Rokkan was born on the Lofoten archipelago in the far north of Norway and raised in the nearby town of Narvik. Originally educated as a philosopherPhilosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, Rokkan collaborated in the 1940s and 1950s as the assistant of Arne Næss
Arne Næss
Arne Dekke Eide Næss was a Norwegian philosopher, the founder of deep ecology. He was the youngest person to be appointed full professor at the University of Oslo....
. Later on, his interest turned towards the study of politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, especially the formation of political parties and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an nation-state
Nation-state
The nation state is a state that self-identifies as deriving its political legitimacy from serving as a sovereign entity for a nation as a sovereign territorial unit. The state is a political and geopolitical entity; the nation is a cultural and/or ethnic entity...
s. It was during this period that he collaborated with Seymour Martin Lipset
Seymour Martin Lipset
Seymour Martin Lipset was an American political sociologist, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, and the Hazel Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University. His major work was in the fields of political sociology, trade union organization, social stratification, public opinion, and...
, "Lipset and Rokkan" becoming a duo that would forever be remembered by students of political sociology. He is also known as a pioneer user of computer technology in the social sciences. He wrote on cleavage
Cleavage (politics)
Cleavage in political science is a concept used in voting analysis and is the division of voters into voting blocs.The preliminary assumption is that voters don’t come in predefined groups of pros and cons for or against a certain subject. Ballot analysis assumes that voters opt for a certain...
, comparative history
Comparative history
Comparative history is the comparison of different societies which existed during the same time period or shared similar cultural conditions. The comparative history of societies emerged as an important specialty among intellectuals in the Enlightenment in the 18th century, as typified by...
, party system
Party system
A party system is a concept in comparative political science concerning the system of government by political parties in a democratic country. The idea is that political parties have basic similarities: they control the government, have a stable base of mass popular support, and create internal...
s and Catalan nationalism
Catalan nationalism
Catalan nationalism or Catalanism , is a political movement advocating for either further political autonomy or full independence of Catalonia....
, among other topics.
Rokkan is the creator of a series of models for state
Sovereign state
A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither...
and nation
Nation
A nation may refer to a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, and/or history. In this definition, a nation has no physical borders. However, it can also refer to people who share a common territory and government irrespective of their ethnic make-up...
formations in Europe. He was president of the International Political Science Association
International Political Science Association
The International Political Science Association , founded under the auspices of UNESCO in 1949, is an international scholarly association. IPSA is devoted to the advancement of political science in all parts of the world...
from 1970 to 1973, president of UNESCO's
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
International Social Science Council
International Social Science Council
The International Social Science Council is an international organisation that aims to promote the social and behavioural sciences. It was founded in 1952, under the auspices of UNESCO.-External links:* **...
(ISSC) (1973-77), vice-president of the International Sociological Association
International Sociological Association
International Sociological Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to scientific purposes in the field of sociology and social sciences...
from 1966 to 1970, and chairman (from 1970 to 1976) and co-founder of the European Consortium for Political Research
European Consortium for Political Research
The European Consortium for Political Research is an independent, scholarly association, which supports and encourages the training, research and cross-national cooperation of many thousands of academics and graduate students specialising in political science and all its sub-disciplines...
(ECPR). The Stein Rokkan Prize for Comparative Social Science Research
Stein Rokkan Prize for Comparative Social Science Research
The Stein Rokkan Prize for Comparative Social Science Research is an academic honour awarded by the International Social Science Council , the University of Bergen and the European Consortium for Political Research , in memory of the political scientist and sociologist Stein Rokkan.It is awarded to...
has been awarded by the ISSC, the ECPR and the University of Bergen in Rokkan's honour since 1981.
Selected works
- Party Systems and Voter Alignments. Co-edited with Seymour Martin LipsetSeymour Martin LipsetSeymour Martin Lipset was an American political sociologist, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, and the Hazel Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University. His major work was in the fields of political sociology, trade union organization, social stratification, public opinion, and...
(Free Press, 1967) - Building States and Nations. Co-edited with Shmuel EisenstadtShmuel EisenstadtShmuel Noah Eisenstadt was an Israeli sociologist. In 1959 he was appointed to a teaching post in the sociology department of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. From 1990 until his death in September of 2010 he had been a professor emeritus...
(Sage, 1973) - Economy, Territory, Identity: Politics of West European Peripheries. Co-authored with Derek W. Urwin (Sage, 1983)
Other sources
- State Formation, Nation-Building, and Mass PoliticsMass politicsMass politics is a political order resting on the emergence of mass political parties.The emergence of mass politics generally associated with the rise of mass society coinciding with the Industrial Revolution in the West around the time of President Andrew Jackson...
in Europe: The Theory of Stein Rokkan. Edited by Peter FloraPeter FloraPeter Flora is an Austrian citizen and taught until his retirement in spring 2009 as a professor of sociology at the University of Mannheim.- Academic career :...
(Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, 1999).