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Orlando Patterson receives Order of Merit

Orlando Patterson.

Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer

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John Cowles Professor of Sociology Orlando Patterson was awarded the the honor of the Order of Merit (OM) this month. No more than two persons can be awarded the OM in any given year.

According to its website, the OM “may be conferred upon any citizen of Jamaica or distinguished citizen of a country other than Jamaica … who has achieved eminent international distinction in the field of science, the arts, literature, or any other endeavor.”

Patterson is the author of multiple academic papers and books, including “Slavery and Social Death” (1982), “The Ordeal of Integration” (1997), and “Understanding Black Youth” (2015).