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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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, Peter Moskos |
Horace Orlando Patterson (born June 5, 1940) is a famous Jamaican-American historian and sociologist. He is known for studying the history of race and slavery in the United States and Jamaica. He also studies how countries develop.
Mr. Patterson is currently a professor of sociology at Harvard University. His book, Freedom in the Making of Western Culture, won a major award called the U.S. National Book Award for Nonfiction in 1991.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Horace Orlando Patterson was born on June 5, 1940, in Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica. His parents were Almina Morris and Charles A. Patterson. His father was a local detective, and his mother became a seamstress.
Orlando grew up in Clarendon Parish in a small town called May Pen. He went to primary school there. Later, he moved to Kingston to attend Kingston College.
In 1958, while at Kingston College, Patterson won a special scholarship from the Jamaican government. Before starting university in 1959, he taught for a year at Excelsior High School in Jamaica.
University Studies
In 1962, he earned a degree in economics with a focus on sociology from the University of the West Indies in Mona. 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 called 'the Pelican'.
Patterson continued his studies in London. He earned his PhD in sociology from the London School of Economics in 1965. His PhD paper was about the Sociology of Slavery. His main advisor was David Glass.
Career and Research
Early in his career, Orlando Patterson was very interested in how his home country, Jamaica, could grow economically and politically. He worked as a special advisor to Michael Manley, who was the Prime Minister of Jamaica. This was from 1972 to 1979. During this time, he was also a professor at Harvard University. He managed both jobs by flying between Jamaica and the United States often.
Studying Slavery and Freedom
Patterson is most famous for his work on slavery and something he calls "social death." He has written many books about this topic. Social death is a concept where enslaved people were treated as if they had no social standing or rights.
He also studies the idea of freedom and how it developed in Western culture. He compares different types of slavery around the world. Another area of his research is about relationships between different ethnic and racial groups. He also looks at social issues in developing countries, especially in the Caribbean.
Patterson also writes fiction and explores themes related to countries that were once colonies. He has also thought deeply about how social science research should be done ethically.
Current Role and Honors
Orlando Patterson currently holds a special position at Harvard University. He is the John Cowles Chair in sociology.
He has received many awards for his important work. In October 2015, he received the Gold Musgrave Medal for his contributions to literature. In 2020, he was given the Order of Merit. This is Jamaica's third-highest national honor. In 2024, he received the Hegel Prize in Stuttgart, Germany.
Awards and Recognition
- 2024: Hegel Prize
- 2023: Barry Prize for Distinguished Intellectual Achievement
- 2020: Order of Merit, Jamaica
- 2016: Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, Lifetime Achievement
- 2015: Gold Musgrave Medal
- 1997: Walter Channing Cabot Faculty Prize, Harvard
- 1991: National Book Award, Non-Fiction
- 1983: Walter Channing Cabot Faculty Prize, Harvard
- 1983: Ralph Bunche Award for Best Scholarly Work on Pluralism
- 1983: Distinguished Contribution to Scholarship (formerly Sorokin Prize)
- 1965: Best Novel in English (The Children of Sisyphus)
Selected Works
Academic Books
- The Sociology of Slavery: Black Society in Jamaica, 1655-1838. (1967; 2nd ed. 2022).
- Ethnic Chauvinism: The Reactionary Impulse. (1977).
- Freedom, Vol. 1: 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).
Novels
- The Children of Sisyphus. (1965).
- An Absence of Ruins. (1967).
- Die the Long Day. (1972).
