Alvin W Gouldner (1920-1980) was a prolific sociologist of the post-World War II era
who spent the early part of his career (the 1950s) in the field of industrial sociology. A
case study of Gouldner's early life and career is useful insofar as it intertwines with the
development of industrial sociology as a distinct subfield within sociology. Through this
analysis we are also better able to understand how and in what ways a burgeoning
organizational studies program developed at Columbia University during the 1940s. This
analysis of the historical and cultural contexts within which Gouldner came to prominence
as an industrial sociologist at Columbia, and the intellectual program that resulted, can also
help shed light on more recent trends in organizational studies.
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/james_chriss/5/