Barbara Ruth Laslett 

February 22, 1933 – March 18, 2024
by Johanna Brenner, Michael and Sarah Laslett 

Professor Barbara Laslett, Sociologist at the University of Southern California and the University of Minnesota, died on March 18th, 2024 in Seattle, Washington after a long battle with dementia. 

Laslett was introduced to the world of feminist sociology as a research assistant to Alice Rossi in the mid-1960s at the University of Chicago, where she earned her PhD. She went on to play an active role in the first generation of feminist sociologists who led the transformation of the discipline through their publications and organizing work.  She was an adventurous thinker and an early proponent of interdisciplinary scholarship.  Her first major article, “Social Change and the Family: Los Angeles, California, 1850-1870,” American Sociological Review, 1977, challenged functionalism, the dominant theoretical framework of the time in family sociology.  Her research at the intersection of demography, social history, and sociology focused on families in particular social and historical contexts and deepened our understanding of the impact of class formation on household structure, on women’s participation in the paid labor force, and on the dynamics of change in family relationships.   This research was published in major sociological journals, including ASR, Journal of Marriage and the Family, and the American Journal of Sociology.  Several of her articles were republished in scholarly collections.  Her interest in connecting history and sociology led her to participate in forming the Social Science History Association where she served on the Social Science History journal editorial board from 1975-1993 and as Vice President and then President in 1990-91.   

The 1970’s were a time of feminist ferment and scholarship in many disciplines, including sociology.  Laslett was one of the founding members of Sociologists for Women in Society, which took on the task of not only advocating for women within the profession but also promoting and supporting feminist scholarship—scholarship that would be not simply by women but for women—developing new theoretical perspectives and new knowledge crucial to changing women’s social, political, and economic conditions.    

Laslett was deeply involved in this project.  Her work on the concept of social reproduction as a framework for feminist analysis and research laid the ground for what has become a creative and productive field of inquiry not only in sociology but also in history, economics, anthropology and cultural studies.  Laslett’s engagement in the emerging field of feminist sociology of knowledge led to another significant intellectual contribution.  Trained as a quantitative sociologist, Laslett drew on feminist science studies to explore the claims to scientific certainty and objectivity that privileged quantitative methods in the discipline. She approached this question through a biographical study of William Ogburn, considered the “father” of modern quantitative sociology.  In her article “Unfeeling Knowledge: Emotions and Objectivity in the History of Sociology,” Laslett outlined the gendered character of Ogburn’s commitment to quantification.  This exploration also led Laslett to greater appreciation of biography as a form of legitimate sociological inquiry (“Biography as Historical Sociology”). 

Laslett’s intellectual breadth is evidenced in her many collaborations with other feminist scholars resulting in publications in the sociology of deviance (“Losing Weight: The Organizational Production of Behavior Change”), feminist sociological theory (“Gender and Social Reproduction: Historical Perspectives”), sociology of knowledge (Gender & Scientific Authority), historical sociology (History and Theory: Feminist Research, Debates and Contestations), and political sociology (Rethinking the Political: Gender, Resistance, and the State).   She brought this intellectual flexibility and feminist commitment to her outstanding work as an editor of two important scholarly journals: Contemporary Sociology (1983-1986) and Signs: A Journal of Women, Culture and Society (1990-1995).  At Signs, she encouraged expansion beyond the humanities, publishing work from across the social sciences, including, of course, sociology.  As editor of Contemporary Sociology, she deftly broadened the scholarship reviewed, introducing sociologists to relevant work from other disciplines.   

In a career spanning three decades, Laslett was dedicated to supporting other feminist scholars.  She served for many years on professional committees charged with investigating cases of discrimination against women and changing hostile institutional and organizational cultures. She mentored many younger sociologists, reading and editing their work, offering career advice and encouragement.    

Barbara Laslett’s many contributions to academic sociology were recognized in 2001 when she received the Jessie L. Bernard award given by the ASA in recognition of significant cumulative work done throughout a professional career that demonstrates broad feminist impact. 

In the latter part of her career, Laslett taught as a visiting professor at universities across Europe, including in Finland, Turkey, The Netherlands and Sweden, and was a visiting scholar in Hungary and the United Kingdom. After retiring in 2001, Laslett pursued her interests in jewelry-making, singing with the Seattle Labor Chorus, travel and spending time with her children and grandchildren.   

She is survived by her son Michael Laslett, daughter Sarah Laslett, and grandchildren Kai and Rio Laslett-Vigil.