Peter Worsley facts for kids
Peter Maurice Worsley (born May 6, 1924 – died March 15, 2013) was an important British sociologist and social anthropologist. These are people who study how societies work and how different cultures live. Peter Worsley was a big name in both these fields. He is famous for using the term Third World in English, which described countries that were not part of the main powerful groups after World War II. He also helped start the New Left, a political movement that wanted big changes in society.
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Peter Worsley's Early Life and Learning
Peter Worsley was born in Birkenhead, a town in England. He started studying English at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, a famous university. But his studies were stopped because of World War II. During the war, he served as an officer in the British Army in places like Africa and India. This time helped him become very interested in anthropology, which is the study of human societies and cultures.
After the war, Peter Worsley worked on something called "mass education" in Tanganyika (now part of Tanzania). This meant helping many people learn. Later, he went to the University of Manchester to study under a famous professor named Max Gluckman. He then earned his PhD, which is a very high university degree, from the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia.
Peter Worsley's Career in Sociology
After finishing his studies, Peter Worsley began teaching sociology at the University of Hull. Sociology is the study of how people live together in groups and societies. In 1964, he became the very first Professor of Sociology at the University of Manchester. This was a big achievement and showed how important his work was in understanding society.
Awards and Recognitions
Peter Worsley won an award called the Curl Bequest Prize in 1955. He received this from the Royal Anthropological Institute for his work on the "kinship system" of the Tallensi people. Kinship systems are about how families and relatives are connected in different cultures.
Important Books by Peter Worsley
Peter Worsley wrote many important books and articles. These books helped people understand more about different societies and how they change. Some of his later books were published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson and Routledge.
