October 3-5, 2008, Columbia University, New York

Charles Tilly was one of the giants of social science and remains through his teaching, writing, and leadership a formative influence on the study of politics, social movements, inequality, states, French and British history, and historical social science in general. In recognition of his extraordinary achievements, Tilly was selected the winner of the 2008 Albert O. Hirschman Prize, awarded by the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) several weeks before his death on April 29th. To celebrate Tilly’s many contributions and explore themes close to his heart, the SSRC and Columbia University are convening a conference in his honor, including the formal award of the Albert O. Hirschman Prize and the Memorial. All events are in the Italian Academy except the Memorial in Low Library.

For more information, visit the conference website at http://www.ssrc.org/hirschman, including the latest version of the program at http://www.ssrc.org/hirschman/event/2008/agenda. Ample time will be provided for audience comments during each session. The conference will start on Friday October 3rd in the early evening and end on Sunday October 5th after lunch. Time is alotted for informal gatherings and reminiscence. All events are free and open to the public, but registration is required (http://hirschman.eventbrite.com). There is also a "Frequently Asked Questions" page on the conference website which includes links to inexpensive accommodation for students from out of town and for other guests on a budget.

Shortly after his death, the SSRC launched a web site of "Tributes to Charles Tilly" (www.ssrc.org/essays/tilly), featuring essays by several of his close colleagues and former students and providing the opportunity to submit tributes online (http://www.ssrc.org/essays/tilly/your-stories). The "Tributes to Charles Tilly" also include a page with "Annotated Links to Charles Tilly Resources" (http://www.ssrc.org/essays/tilly/resources), providing extensive information about Charles Tilly's life and work. Furthermore, there is a page listing the newspaper obituaries from around the world (http://www.ssrc.org/essays/tilly/other-tributes). And as a prelude and pre-announcement of the conference, the SSRC published an interactive version of Charles Tilly's new article “Memorials to Credit & Blame” (http://www.ssrc.org/essays/tilly/creditblame).