Blackwell Reference Online

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American sociologist Anselm L. Strauss is best known for his work in qualitative research methods (grounded theory), medical sociology (chronic illness, dying, trajectories, healthcare organization and policy), sociology of work (articulation work, professions and careers), mesolevel theory (social worlds and arenas, negotiated or processual ordering), social psychology (transformations of identity, awareness contexts), Chicago sociology (symbolic interactionist theory), and urban sociology (American cities) ( Baszanger 1998 ). Son of a physical education teacher and a housewife, Strauss grew up near New York City. He planned to study medicine and took his bachelor's degree in biology at the University of Virginia (1939). Falling in love with sociology instead, he took his master's and doctoral degrees at the renowned department of the University of Chicago (PhD 1945). He then taught sociology at Lawrence College, Indiana University, University of Chicago, and University of California, San Francisco, retiring in 1987 as Emeritus Professor. Strauss was visiting faculty in England (Cambridge and Manchester Universities), France (University of Paris), and Germany (Universities of Konstanz and Frankfurt). With his intellectual antecedents in Dewey, Peirce, and Mead, Strauss's work built upon pragmatist philosophy and Chicago School sociology. His early work centered on identity and ... log in or subscribe to read full text