Barrignton Moore Obituary: Helped Revise Approach To Social And Political History
Barrington Moore Jr. was a Harvard sociologist who helped change the way many academics studied social and political history.
Posing questions about how human behavior led to various political outcomes and then offering his own answers, Dr. Moore's books became essential reading in sociology and political science courses.
To scholars nationwide, "his name conjures up great respect," said former student Theda Skocpol, dean of Harvard University's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Many "really think of him as a leader in comparative history and the study of politics."
Dr. Moore died in his Cambridge home Oct. 16 from complications of pneumonia. He was 92.
In his seminal work, "Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy," published in 1966, he focused largely on the role social class plays as how countries modernize. His explanation of how different countries evolved politically was key in helping to open up a new stream of questioning by social scientists.
"Almost everyone acknowledged that it's great because it's original and it is powerful and therefore it shaped the discussion of these issues to the present days," Timothy J. Colton, director of Harvard's Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, said of the book.
Posing questions about how human behavior led to various political outcomes and then offering his own answers, Dr. Moore's books became essential reading in sociology and political science courses.
To scholars nationwide, "his name conjures up great respect," said former student Theda Skocpol, dean of Harvard University's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Many "really think of him as a leader in comparative history and the study of politics."
Dr. Moore died in his Cambridge home Oct. 16 from complications of pneumonia. He was 92.
In his seminal work, "Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy," published in 1966, he focused largely on the role social class plays as how countries modernize. His explanation of how different countries evolved politically was key in helping to open up a new stream of questioning by social scientists.
"Almost everyone acknowledged that it's great because it's original and it is powerful and therefore it shaped the discussion of these issues to the present days," Timothy J. Colton, director of Harvard's Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, said of the book.