Lewis A. Coser

Lewis A. Coser

Lewis Coser (27 November 1913–8 July 2003) was an American sociologist.

Born in Berlin ("Ludwig Cohen"), Coser was the first sociologist to try to bring together structural functionalism and conflict theory; his work was focused on finding the functions of social conflict. Coser argued - with Georg Simmel - that conflict might serve to solidify a loosely structured group. In a society that seems to be disintegrating, conflict with another society, inter-group conflict, may restore the integrative core. For example, the cohesiveness of Israeli Jews might be attributed to the long-standing conflict with the Arabs. Conflict with one group may also serve to produce cohesion by leading to a series of alliances with other groups.

Conflicts within a society, intra-group conflict, can bring some ordinarily isolated individuals into an active role. The protest over the Vietnam War motivated many young people to take vigorous roles in American political life for the first time.

Conflicts also serve a communication function. Prior to conflict, groups may be unsure of their adversary’s position, but as a result of conflict, positions and boundaries between groups often become clarified, leaving individuals better able to decide on a proper course of action in relation to their adversary.

Much like status consistency, conflicts along the same cleavages intensify the severity of the conflict. Cross-cutting cleavages tend to dissipate the severity of the conflict. For example, the coincidence of economic and political disenfranchisement among Palestinians in the West Bank intensify their conflict with Israeli Jews. In contrast, the non-coincidence of economic and political disenfranchisement among Quebeckers reduces somewhat the severity of their conflict with English Canada, especially with the rising prosperity of the French Canadian new middle class operating in the public sector and corporate world.

2003, Coser died in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Books

*"The Functions of Social Conflict", 1956
*"Sociological Theory", 1964
*"Men of ideas", 1965
*"Political Sociology", 1967
*"Continuities in the Study of Social Conflict", 1967
*"Masters of Sociological Thought", 1970
*"Greedy Institutions", 1974
*"The Idea of Social Structure, Papers in Honor of R. K. Merton", 1975
*"The Uses of Controversy in Sociology", 1976
*"Refugee Scholars in America", 1984
*"Conflict and Consensus", 1984

External links

* [http://dissentmagazine.org/article/?article=470 Lewis Coser 1913-2003]


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  • Lewis alfred coser — Lewis A. Coser Lewis Alfred Coser (27 novembre 1913 le 8 juillet 2003) était un sociologue américain d origine allemande. Né à Berlin, Coser a été le premier sociologue à tenter d appliquer le fonctionnalisme à l analyse du conflit. Ses… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Lewis A. Coser — Lewis Alfred Coser, ursprünglich Ludwig Cohen, manchmal auch abweichend Ludwig Cohn (* 27. November 1913 in Berlin; † 8. Juli 2003 in Cambridge, Massachusetts), wirkte als Soziologe in den USA. Der Sohn einer wohlhabenden und gebildeten Familie… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Lewis A. Coser — Lewis Alfred Coser (27 novembre 1913 le 8 juillet 2003) était un sociologue américain d origine allemande. Né à Berlin, Coser a été le premier sociologue à tenter d appliquer le fonctionnalisme à l analyse du conflit. Ses recherches ont porté… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Lewis Coser — Lewis A. Coser Lewis Alfred Coser (27 novembre 1913 le 8 juillet 2003) était un sociologue américain d origine allemande. Né à Berlin, Coser a été le premier sociologue à tenter d appliquer le fonctionnalisme à l analyse du conflit. Ses… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • COSER, ROSE LAUB — (1916–1994), U.S. sociologist. Born in Berlin but educated in Antwerp, Rose Laub immigrated to New York with her parents in 1939. Three years later, she married lewis a. coser (1913–2003), a fellow refugee from Nazi Europe, who, like Rose, was a… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Lewis Coser — Lewis Alfred Coser, ursprünglich Ludwig Cohen, manchmal auch abweichend Ludwig Cohn (* 27. November 1913 in Berlin; † 8. Juli 2003 in Cambridge, Massachusetts) war ein US amerikanischer Soziologe. Der Sohn einer wohlhabenden und gebildeten… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • COSER — or COSER may refer to: Lewis A. Coser, an American sociologist George Lucas Coser Brazilian footballer Achille Coser, Italian footballer CoSer This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an …   Wikipedia

  • COSER, LEWIS A. — COSER, LEWIS A. (Ludwig Cohen; 1913–2003), U.S. sociologist. Born in Berlin, Coser left Germany in 1933 and went to France. In 1941 he immigrated to the United States, where during the war he worked for American government agencies. He taught at… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Coser — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Lewis Coser (ursprünglich Ludwig Cohen, manchmal auch abweichend Ludwig Cohn ; 1913–2003), Soziologe Rose Laub Coser (1916–1994), US amerikanische Soziologin deutscher Herkunft Diese Seite ist eine …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Coser —   [ kəʊzə], Lewis Alfred, amerikanischer Soziologe, * Berlin 27. 11. 1913; Studium in Paris (Sorbonne); 1941 Emigration in die USA; lehrte 1951 68 an der Brandeis University (Massachusetts); 1969 87 Professor in New York (State University), seit… …   Universal-Lexikon

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