DUNCAN, OTIS DUDLEY

born Dec. 2, 1921, Nocona, Texas, U.S. American sociologist whose study of the black population of Chicago (1957) demonstrated early in his career the validity of human ecology as an extension of the discipline of sociology. Duncan received his B.A. from Louisiana State University (1941), his M.A. from the University of Minnesota (1942), and his Ph.D from the University of Chicago (1949). He became associate professor of human ecology at the University of Chicago (195760), where he had taught since 1951, becoming a full professor (196062). In 1973 he became professor of sociology of the University of Arizona. His widely referenced The American Occupational Structure (1967; with Peter M. Blau) advanced scientific understanding of the structure and development of the contemporary urban community by interpreting population as a mobile work force.