Herbert Blumer was an American sociologist best known for developing the concept of symbolic interactionism. Born in 1900, he studied under George Herbert Mead at the University of Chicago, where he later became a prominent figure in the field of sociology. Blumer emphasized the importance of social interactions and the meanings individuals attach to them in understanding human behavior. Blumer's work focused on how people create and interpret symbols in their social environments. He argued that human actions are based on the meanings that individuals assign to things, which can change over time. His ideas have significantly influenced the study of social psychology and qualitative research.