Karl Mannheim was a sociologist who is known for his contributions to the field of sociology. He was born in Hungary in 1893 and studied at the University of Budapest before moving to Germany in 1919. He was a professor at the University of Frankfurt and later at the London School of Economics. He wrote extensively on the topics of social stratification, the sociology of knowledge, and the sociology of generations. His work has been influential in the development of sociology as an academic discipline.