Ventures in Political Science: Narratives and Reflections

Born in Rock Island, Illinois, American political scientist Gabriel Almond was educated at the University of Chicago. During World War II, he was associated with the Office of War Information and also with the War Department in Europe. After the war he served on the faculties of several universities, including Princeton University, Yale University, and Stanford University. He has also been visiting professor at the University of Tokyo and the University of Belo Horizonte in Brazil as well as a consultant to the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Air Force. Almond is most noted for his work in comparative politics and comparative political systems. He is the author and coauthor of several landmark books, including The Civic Culture: Political Attitudes and Democracy in Five Nations The Civic Culture: (1963), a seminal piece in the field (coauthored with Sidney Verba). Among Almond's other well-known works are The Politics of Developing Areas (1960) and Comparative Politics: A Developmental Approach (1966). A member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Political Science Association, Almond received the James Madison Award in 1972 for his work in the field.