Orlando Patterson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Orlando Patterson
OJ OM
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Patterson at the University of California, Berkeley
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Horace Orlando Patterson
5 June 1940 Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica
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| Education |
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Notable work
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"The Sociology of Slavery" (1967); "Slavery and Social Death" (1982); Freedom in the Making of Western Culture (1991) |
| Title | John Cowles Chair in Sociology at Harvard University |
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| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Harvard University |
| Doctoral advisor | David Glass |
| Doctoral students | Mabel Berezin, Marion Fourcade |
Horace Orlando Patterson OM (born June 5, 1940) is a well-known Jamaican-American historian and sociologist. He is famous for his studies on the history of race and slavery in the United States and Jamaica. He also researches how societies develop. Today, he is a top professor of sociology at Harvard University. In 1991, his book Freedom in the Making of Western Culture won the U.S. National Book Award for Nonfiction, a very important prize.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Horace Orlando Patterson was born on June 5, 1940, in Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica. His parents, Almina Morris and Charles A. Patterson, strongly supported Jamaica’s People's National Party. His father was a local detective, and his mother became a seamstress. Orlando was his mother's only child, but he had six half-siblings from his father's side.
He grew up in Clarendon Parish in a small town called May Pen. After primary school, he moved to Kingston to attend Kingston College. In 1958, while at Kingston College, Patterson won a special Jamaica Government Exhibition scholarship. Before starting university in 1959, he taught for a year at Excelsior High School in Jamaica.
He then went to the University of the West Indies, Mona. In 1962, he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics, focusing on Sociology. During his time there, he was very active. He was the president of the Economics Society and the Literary Society. He also edited the student magazine, 'the Pelican'.
Patterson continued his studies at the London School of Economics in England. He earned his PhD in sociology in 1965. His PhD paper, called The Sociology of Slavery, became a very important book. His advisor for this work was David Glass. While in London, he also wrote for the New Left Review and was part of the Caribbean Artists Movement.
Orlando Patterson's Career and Research
Early in his career, Orlando Patterson was very interested in helping his home country, Jamaica, grow economically and politically. From 1972 to 1979, he served as a special advisor to Michael Manley, who was the Prime Minister of Jamaica. At the same time, he was also a professor at Harvard University. To do both jobs, Patterson often traveled between Jamaica and the United States. He would fly to Jamaica right after his last lecture at Harvard.
Patterson is most famous for his studies on slavery and what he calls "social death." Social death is a concept where enslaved people lose their social identity and rights. He has written many books about this topic. His research also looks at the idea of freedom and how it developed in Western cultures. He compares different forms of slavery around the world.
He also studies relationships between different ethnic and racial groups. He looks at social issues in developing countries, especially in the Caribbean. Patterson also researches gender and family life in Black societies. He has written fictional stories too, often about life after colonialism.
Today, Patterson holds a special position at Harvard University. He is the John Cowles Chair in sociology.
Awards and Recognition
Orlando Patterson has received many important awards for his work. These awards recognize his contributions to literature, sociology, and understanding social culture.
- In 2015, he received the Gold Musgrave Medal. This award is given for outstanding achievements in arts, science, and literature in Jamaica.
- In 2020, he was given the Order of Merit by Jamaica. This is Jamaica's third-highest national honor. It recognized his major international contributions to academics, West Indian literature, and sociology.
- In 2024, he was honored with the Hegel Prize in Stuttgart, Germany.
- He also won the National Book Award for Non-Fiction in 1991 for his book Freedom in the Making of Western Culture.
- In 2016, he received the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Lifetime Achievement. This award honors books that contribute to our understanding of racism and human diversity.
Selected Books
Orlando Patterson has written many important books and articles. Here are some of his well-known works:
- The Sociology of Slavery: Black Society in Jamaica, 1655-1838 (1967)
- Ethnic Chauvinism: The Reactionary Impulse (1977)
- Freedom in the Making of Western Culture (1991) – This book won the National Book Award.
- The Ordeal of Integration (1997)
- The Cultural Matrix: Understanding Black Youth (with Ethan Fosse) (2015)
- The Confounding Island: Jamaica and the Postcolonial Predicament (2019)
- The Paradox of Freedom: A Biographical Dialogue (with David Scott) (2023)
He has also written novels:
- The Children of Sisyphus (1965)
- An Absence of Ruins (1967)
- Die the Long Day (1972)
