martin nicolaus and "fat cat sociology"

At the American Sociological Association's annual meetings in 1968, Martin Nicolaus, a graduate student, literally shook up the faux "scientific" sociological establishment with his "Fat Cat Sociology" presentation. Later, he taught Sociology at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby on the outskirts of Vancouver (set up, as he points out by the conservative Social Credit government to generate "human capital") during its tumultous years but left after many faculty members were either under fire or were getting fired for their anti-war activism. He went on to translate Marx's "Grundrisse" - an incredible accomplishment for which this native German speaker was more than eminently qualified.

I am not the only one to have wondered whatever happened to this proverbial thorn in the side of the powerful. Thanks to Google, I finally managed to locate him. His site is the proverbial treasure trove for those interested in the social history of scoiology and his reflexive takes on Sociology, sociologists of all stripes and his life so far. It is also a treat for photography enthusiasts such as me. Those who live for sociology, not off it, will enjoy his site:

martin nicolaus


Enjoy!