Background
Patterson, Orlando was born on June 5, 1940 in Jamaica. Son of Charles A. Patterson and Almina Morris. came to the United States, 1970.
Patterson, Orlando was born on June 5, 1940 in Jamaica. Son of Charles A. Patterson and Almina Morris. came to the United States, 1970.
He attended primary school there, then moved to Kingston to attend Kingston College. He went on to earn a BSc in Economics from the University of the West Indies, Mona, in 1962, and his Ph.D. in Sociology at the London School of Economics in 1965.
Earlier in his career, Patterson was concerned with the economic and political development of his home country, Jamaica. He served as special advisor to Michael Manley, Prime Minister of Jamaica, from 1972 to 1979. Patterson is known for his work on the relationship between slavery and Social death, which he has worked on extensively and written several books about.
Patterson has appeared on PBS and has been a guest columnist in The New York Times. A recent article in the latter, "The Real Problem With America’s Inner Cities," used the lens of developmental sociology to analyze recent protests and looting in West Baltimore. Patterson currently holds the John Cowles chair in Sociology at Harvard University.
Ernest W. Burgess Fellow, American Academy of Political and Social Science Member, American Sociological Association Board of Directors, New York Civil Rights Coalition.
( A bleak portrayal of life on the Dungle—the rubbish hea...)
(Originally published in 1967, An Absence of Ruins is a po...)
( This is the first full-scale comparative study of the n...)
1972.
Ethnic Chauvinism: The Reactionary Impulse.
Member American Academy Arts and Sciences, American Sociological Association (citation for distinguished contribution to scholarship 1983).
Married Nerys Wyn Thomas, Sept.5, 1965 (divorced 1994). Children: Rhiannon, Barbara. Married Anita Haya Goldman, August 12, 1995.