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Howard S. Becker, Who Looked at Society With a Fresh Eye, Dies at 95 Howard S. Becker, Who Looked at Society With a Fresh Eye, Dies at 95
(about 3 hours later)
Howard S. Becker, an eminent American sociologist who brought his wide-ranging curiosity, sharp observation and dry wit to subjects as diverse as the art world, marijuana use and the meaning of deviance, died on Wednesday at his home in San Francisco. He was 95.Howard S. Becker, an eminent American sociologist who brought his wide-ranging curiosity, sharp observation and dry wit to subjects as diverse as the art world, marijuana use and the meaning of deviance, died on Wednesday at his home in San Francisco. He was 95.
The death was confirmed by his wife, Dianne Hagaman.The death was confirmed by his wife, Dianne Hagaman.
Dr. Becker was probably best known for “Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance,” a groundbreaking book published in 1963. “The central fact about deviance: It is created by society,” he wrote, arguing that “deviance” is inherent not in certain behaviors but in the way those behaviors are viewed by others.Dr. Becker was probably best known for “Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance,” a groundbreaking book published in 1963. “The central fact about deviance: It is created by society,” he wrote, arguing that “deviance” is inherent not in certain behaviors but in the way those behaviors are viewed by others.
The book presents two “deviant” groups, marijuana smokers and dance musicians, and examines their cultures and careers. It is rich with the language of its subjects. The notion that deviance is a label applied by the larger society gave rise to what is called “labeling theory.” Dr. Becker was one of its pioneers, and the book’s perspective was especially innovative, appearing at the end of the conformist and moralistic 1950s.The book presents two “deviant” groups, marijuana smokers and dance musicians, and examines their cultures and careers. It is rich with the language of its subjects. The notion that deviance is a label applied by the larger society gave rise to what is called “labeling theory.” Dr. Becker was one of its pioneers, and the book’s perspective was especially innovative, appearing at the end of the conformist and moralistic 1950s.
Profiling Dr. Becker in The New Yorker in 2015, Adam Gopnik was fascinated by the “strange second act” of Dr. Becker’s career: renown in France. “Outsiders” became a staple of the French social science curriculum, and he became a force in French sociology. He spent several months a year in France, and Alain Pessin wrote two biographies and a sociological work about him (translated into English as “The Sociology of Howard Becker,” published in 2017). Collections of Dr. Becker’s articles were also published there.Profiling Dr. Becker in The New Yorker in 2015, Adam Gopnik was fascinated by the “strange second act” of Dr. Becker’s career: renown in France. “Outsiders” became a staple of the French social science curriculum, and he became a force in French sociology. He spent several months a year in France, and Alain Pessin wrote two biographies and a sociological work about him (translated into English as “The Sociology of Howard Becker,” published in 2017). Collections of Dr. Becker’s articles were also published there.
Mr. Gopnick attributed Dr. Becker’s appeal as an intellectual hero in France to “three highly American elements — jazz, Chicago and the exotic beauties of empiricism.” (Dr. Becker had been a jazz piano player since his teens; “Paroles et Musique,” a collection of his papers about art and related subjects, included a CD of his duets with a French bass player.)