Turner, Ralph H(erbert) (1919- )

US sociologist. He specialized in collective behaviour and social movements, and wrote Collective Behavior (coauthored, 1957, later revised) as well as several works on community response to disasters, particularly earthquakes. Turner was born in Effingham, Illinois. He earned his PhD at the University of Chicago and spent his long academic career at the University of California: Los Angeles (1948-90).