SNA All Star: Robert V. Gould

Roger V. Gould was an influential sociologist who sought explanations for social upheavals large and small in the subtle texture of interpersonal relationships.

Dr. Gould was born on Oct. 12, 1962, in Brookline, MA. Gould attended the Dalton School and earned bachelor's and doctoral degrees at Harvard University. Gould was a professor at the University of Chicagofor a decade and then a professor at Yale University. From 1997-2000 he served as the editor of The American Journal of Sociology. Gould's work Insurgent Identities: Class, Community and Protest in Paris from 1848 to the Commune (Univ. of Chicago, 1995) was noted for its building its case on a study of the archives which led to a rejection of the class theory of Paris revolutions. He examined local archives before concluding that the traditional explanations for the turbulence of that period were wrong. It was not a class struggle, he argued, but a turf battle in which one's neighborhood and one's associates were more important than economic status. Gould also wrote Collision of Wills: How Ambiguity About Social Rank Breeds Conflict (Univ. of Chicago 2003) which was published posthumously. Gould also contributed to anthologies of social scientific methods.

His emphasis on hard research was not intended to reject theory but to strengthen it. He suggested that by closely studying enough different conflicts, whether in places like Corsica or in an American urban neighborhood, it might be possible to arrive at overarching theories to explain the violence.

Dr. Gould died of leukemia on April 29th, 2002 at the age of 39. In addition to his mother, Mr. Gould is survived by his wife, Erin Graves Gould, and a brother, Anthony C. Gould of Manhattan.