Brisbane, Albert (1809–1890)

US social reformer who adopted Charles Fourier's social philosophy, essentially a socialism that called for establishing small cooperative communities. He promoted ‘Fourierism’ (which he tended to rename ‘associationism’) through various publications (such as The Phalanx, 1843–45). Brisbane took little practical action, however. His major work on Fourier's theories was the General Introduction to Social Theory, (1876).

He was born in Batavia, New York, the son of a wealthy landowner. He had little formal schooling but in 1828 went off to Europe ‘to solve the mystery of man's destiny’. For six years he studied at various universities and met several great thinkers – Goethe, Hegel, Jules Michelet, and Charles Fourier. Returning to the USA, by 1851 he had effectively withdrawn from social activism. He concentrated on managing the family business. He published his various ideas on everything from psychology to Fourier's theories. Although admired in his day, he was generally described as a propagandist, not as an effective leader.