Robert N. Rapoport
Personal Information
Description
Robert Norman Rapoport was born in Brockton, Massachusetts. He received an MA degree in Social Anthropology from the University of Chicago, and a PhD at the Department of Social Relations of Harvard University for his thesis on the changing values of Navaho Indians. He studied mental illness in a Canadian county, then held several positions, from assistant to Professor. In 1954 he became Research Director in the Social Rehabilitation Unit of Belmont Hospital, in Surrey, England. He worked under the psychiatrist Maxwell Jones, who was developing the concept of a therapeutic community. This experience yielded more than a dozen papers, several of which he wrote with his wife, Rhona Sofer Rapoport, a South African sociologist and psychoanalyst. In 1957 Rapoport returned to the U.S. to attend Harvard University and then Boston College. In 1960, he published his first book, Community as Doctor. In 1965 he returned to England to become Senior Social Scientist at the Tavistock Institute in London. He and his wife became interested in working on gender and family issues, which led to several more books. In 1973 he and Rhona established the Institute for Family and Environmental Research. In the 1980s, Rapoport moved to New York City to work in children's mental health issues. In the 1990s he became Visiting Professor at Surrey University.
Books
Children, Youth, and Families
This book examines the connections between basic research in the social sciences, and political and social action to improve the situations of children, youth, and families. In the 1950s and 1960s, following the many effective applications of their work during World War II, there Was a vigorous interplay between social scientists and those engaged in programme development. More recently, their paths have diverged. Adducing the model of the physical sciences, Robert N. Rapoport and his collaborators argue that this divergence contributes to inhibition of action initiatives, on the one hand, and stagnation in the quest for new knowledge, on the other. Dr Rapoport raises ten key questions about the appropriate relationship between research and action, and these issues are discussed in the fields of education, youth employment and unemployment, juvenile justice, child health, community mental health, social services, and family research by authors who have had extensive and authoritative involvement in these areas.
Families As Educators for Global Citizenship
"All people and regions of the world are deeply affected by world events, no matter how closely they embrace or how actively they try to resist their impact. This book explores some of the ways globalization has changed and formed children, youth, and families. It defines some of the ways that culture, politics, religion, and world events have altered the attitudes, behaviours, and well-being of families. It also outlines some of the approaches that families have taken, and could take, in adapting to the changing world around them. Authors provide perspectives from over 20 countries and from many professional backgrounds, including sociology, psychology, religion, political science, peace studies, environmental studies, and economics. Suggestions are given for future research studies, interventions with families, and the construction of public policies."--Jacket.