William J. Cousins

William J. Cousins (January 25, 1924 – July 31, 2013) was an American sociologist who led international urban community development, taught sociology and race relations at several colleges, and wrote a number of books and articles on international community development. Although he was raised in the Baptist Church, he began his affiliation with the Quakers during his university years and became a lifelong pacifist.

Cousins was the first Black faculty member at Wellesley College, and among the first African Americans to teach at a top liberal arts college.

Yale University Library records Cousins as a sociologist whose focused on race relation and interracial interactions. At Yale, he focused his graduate research on race relations and completed a dissertation titled A Role Analysis of Negro-White Relations that examined interracial relations through the lens of role theory. Shortly after completing his Ph.D. at Yale University, Cousins went to India with the American Friends Service Committee and began a career in international community development. He led several projects over the years in which reliance on local leaders and community members, rather than outside aid, led to important improvement in slum living conditions.

Notable among these was Cousins' work in the 1970s through UNICEF on the successful model project in Hyderabad, India's fifth largest city. There, Cousins and his team concentrated on creating a community spirit before attempting to improve homes and other community facilities.

Early life

Cousins was raised in Ansonia, Connecticut. He was struck with polio when he was eight years old, and was initially unable to walk. With extensive physical therapy performed by his parents, he began to regain mobility. He attended Newington ("Newington Home for Crippled Children."), a rehabilitation school, for several years and by the time he entered Yale University, he was able to walk with just a cane. Cousins was awarded both his undergraduate and doctoral degrees in sociology from Yale University. Cousins' dissertation, titled A Role Analysis of Negro-White Relations, focused on role theory and the link to interracial relations. His research heavily reflected insight into the dynamics of minority groups.

Career

Most of his career was in community development at the international level. He began with the international Cooperation Administration (predecessor of AID) as a rural Community development Advisor in India and Iran. In 1964, he was appointed by Then he became the first Peace Corps representative in Iran. This was followed by volunteering as one of the three founders of a pilot project in Urban Community Development in Baroda, India, sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee.

Publications Cousins, William J., A Role Analysis of Negro-White Relations, Yale University, 1953. 231 pages Cousins, William J., Urban Basic Services in Unicef, UNICEF History Monograph Series XIV, copyright. United Nations Children's Fund 1992 Cousins, William J. and Catherine Goyder, Changing Slum Communities Fry, Sarah, Bill Cousins, Ken Olivola, Health of Children Living in Urban Slums in Asia and the Near East: Review of Existing Literature and Data, 2002, USAID.