Prophetic versus priestly sociology: The salient case study of Arthur K. Davis |
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Authors: | David A Nock |
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Institution: | (1) Lockhead University, P7B 5E1 Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada |
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Abstract: | Arthur K. Davis was President of the Canadian Sociology and Anthropology Association in 1975–1976 and in 1995 received the
association’s Outstanding Contribution award. In Canada, he was particularly known for his article on “Canadian Society and
History as Hinterland Versus Metropolis,” originally published in Ossenberg’s anthology of 1971. This article was frequently
cited from 1972–1994 and was reprinted a number of times. Davis was also known for his articles on Thorstein Veblen, which
continue to receive citation.
Davis’ career merits careful study for at least two reasons. The first is that he was a Ph.D. product of the early Harvard
sociology graduate program, which has received much less attention than it deserves from sociological historians (unlike the
Chicago School). As such, Davis studied under of Talcott Parsons, Pitirim Sorokin, and Robert K. Merton. The second reason
is that Davis’ career clearly illustrates the usefulness of Robert W. Friedrichs’ distinction between the priestly and prophetic
roles that sociologists may fulfill. Davis’ career started under the influence of a priestly orientation (as symbolized by
his doctoral supervisor Talcott Parsons) and then gravitated to a prophetic stance as influenced by Pitirim Sorokin, Paul
M. Sweezy, and, more distantly, by Marx and Veblen. Since this transition took place just when the Cold War was falling, his
career reveals some of the pitfalls that await the prophetic sociologist in times that favor security and conservatism rather
than activism and change. |
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