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VOLUME: 1 linear foot

ACCESS: This collection is open to the public upon request. Patrons must contact an archivist to schedule an appointment to access the digital files in this collection.

COPYRIGHT: Please consult the archivist for information about duplication or publishing of any materials from this collection.

Biographical Note
Gert Mueller was born in Dresden, Germany on July, 7 1922. He served in the German military during World War II and was a prisoner of war in Russia, where he learned Russian and was exposed to Marxism. After his release in 1949, Mueller studied at the Free University Berlin in West Berlin and in Munich, where he eventually completed his PhD. His diverse interests included Greek, Slavic studies, history, sociology, political science and philosophy. Mueller was inspired by Marx and interested in developing history as a strict science, but encountered opposition from the neo-Kantian Baden school and decided to pursue sociology instead. After graduation Mueller became took state exams to qualify to teach history, French, current affairs, and philosophy in secondary school. Mueller taught high school in Germany and Portugal for a few years and then devoted time to independent study. In 1966, Mueller accepted a position teaching German and Russian at the University of Pittsburgh. While there he rekindled his interest in sociology, philosophy and history. He moved to the Department of Sociology as an assistant professor after two years. During this time, Mueller created tables and charts to go along with his lectures because he felt he was not explaining the theories adequately in English. In 1973, he joined the faculty of American University as an associate professor. He was elevated to the rank of professor in 1980 and became an emeritus professor in 1991.

Scope and Content Note
This collection consists mainly of unpublished manuscripts written by Gert Mueller between 1954 and 2003. In addition, there are articles and notes relating to influential sociologists such as Émile Durkheim, a copy of Mueller’s curriculum vitae, a list of publications and presentations, and a collection of tables and charts authored by him. Some materials are in German.

Provenance
This collection was donated to American University Archives by Gert Mueller in October, 2009.

Processing Note
There is a born-digital component to this collection. The digital files consist of manuscripts and bibliographies, and are sorted by manuscript title. Several digital manuscripts share the same name as paper manuscripts, but are different enough to be considered separate titles.These digital files are listed separately from the paper manuscript of the same name.

Box and Folder Listing
Box 1
Manuscripts:

  • Die Struktur der reinen Dialektik, 1954
  • Entwurf zu einer Arbeit über Logik, Denkformen und Metaphysik, 1954
  • Häresien zur Protestantischen Ethik, 1972-1973
  • Heresies about the Protestant Ethic, 3/1974
  • The Logical Foundations of Social Theory, 3/16/1984
  • Systems, Fields and Structures, 7/13/1984
  • Marxism and Functionalism, 7/27/1984
  • The Analytical Foundations of Sociology, 7/29/1984
  • The Logical Foundations of Theoretical Sociology, 9/15/1984 (?)
  • Functionalism and Cybernetics, 11/2/1984
  • Marx and Weber. Weber’s Protestant Ethic: The Attempt to Refute Marx, 12/21/1984
  • The Mind and Society, 4/20/1985
  • Fundamentals of Sociological Theory, 1/31/1991 (2 folders)
  • Sociology as a Rigorous Science, 7/6/1991
  • What Sociological Theory Is, 4/3/1992
  • The Axes of Sociological Theory, 8/21/1994 Digital
  • The Axes of Sociological Theory, 8/24/1994
  • The Functions of Logic, 10/24/1994 Digital
  • The Logical Foundations of Sociological Theory, 10/29/1994 Digital
  • The Intricacies of Theory Construction, 11/21/1994 Digital
  • Systems, Fields and Functions, 8/15/1996
  • Social Architectonics, 8/16/1996
  • Social Architectonics, 8/26/1996 Digital
  • From Ontology to Analytical Sociology, 9/22/1997 Digital
  • The Ontological Foundations of Sociological Theory, 10/24/1997 Digital
  • Freud and the Moral Order, 1/16/1998, undated Digital
  • Sociology as a Strict Science, 6/2/1999, undated Digital
  • Manuscript Acknowledgement, 5/27/2003 Digital
  • The Functions of Logic, 5/31/2003
  • Analytical Sociology: An Outline, undated Digital
  • Analytical Theory and Ontology, undated Digital
  • The Architectonics of Sociological Theory, undated Digital
  • Cybernetics and Society, undated Digital
  • The Domains of Analytical Sociology, undated Digital
  • From Ontology to Analytical Theory, undated Digital
  • From Structuralism to Pragmatism, undated
  • Functionalism and Ontology, undated Digital
  • Functionalism Reconsidered, undated Digital
  • The Functions of Logic, undated
  • The Illusions of Empiricism, undated Digital
  • Manuscript Bibliographies, undated Digital
  • Marxism and Functionalism, undated Digital
  • The Mind and Society, undated Digital
  • The Moral Order, undated Digital
  • New Essays on Analytical Sociology, undated
  • New Essays on Analytical Sociology, undated Digital
  • Ontology and Phenomenology, undated Digital
  • Set Theory and Macrosociology, undated Digital
  • The Social Order, undated Digital
  • Sociology and Ontology, undated
  • Sociology and Ontology, undated Digital
  • Sociology as a Strict Science, undated
  • Work Wealth and Power, undated Digital
  • Tables and Charts from Manuscripts, undated
  • Tables and Charts from Manuscripts, 1/21/1999, undated Digital
Notes:
  • Notes on Louis Althusser, 1974-1979
  • Notes on Wilhelm Dilthey, 1988
  • Notes on Émile Durkheim, 1975-1984
  • Notes on Talcott Parsons, 1970-1980
  • Miscellaneous articles with notes, undated
Other:
  • Curriculum Vitae and Biographical Information, 1975-1992
  • List of Publications, Papers and Presentations, 1992
  • Tables, 1970-1980