"A perfectly titled, beautifully detailed, candid, thoughtful, and thought-evoking autobiography by the consummate participant observer. A powerful testament to an important research style in sociology and ethnography."--Robert K. Merton, Columbia University
While it documents a remarkable career, Participant Observer is also a personal chronicle in which William Foote Whyte reflects on his childhood, his education, his courageous struggles with polio and with the crises of family and academic life.
William Foote Whyte is an emeritus professor in the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University.