author
Henry Pratt Fairchild
1880–1956
A prominent American sociologist of the early 20th century, he wrote widely on immigration, race, and population questions and took part in some of the era’s most heated public debates. His work offers a vivid window into both the ambitions and the blind spots of social science in his time.
1 Audiobook
Immigration : A world movement and its American significance
by Henry Pratt Fairchild
About the author
Born in Dundee, Illinois, on August 18, 1880, Henry Pratt Fairchild studied at Doane College and later earned his Ph.D. at Yale. Early in his career he taught in Smyrna, Turkey, before holding academic posts in the United States, including at Yale and New York University.
Fairchild became known as a sociologist and writer on immigration, nationality, race relations, and population. He also edited Dictionary of Sociology, a reference work that helped introduce sociological terms and ideas to a wider readership.
He was active in public controversies as well as academic life, and some of the causes and organizations he was connected with are now understood as deeply troubling parts of American intellectual history, including eugenics. He died on October 2, 1956, leaving behind work that is still read today both for its influence and as a record of the social thinking of his era.