In Memoriam: Ronald Inglehart

Abstract

Professor Ronald Inglehart passed away on May 8, 2021 in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the age of 86. He was born on September 5, 1934 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and obtained his Ph.D. in 1967 from University of Chicago. He was an editorial board member of Comparative Sociology since this journal began in 2002, when I was its founding editor. Professor Inglehart was a genuine, kind, and warm person. He was indisputably one of the world’s most renowned comparative political scientists and sociologists. He was a professor of political science and program director at the Institute of Social Research at the University of Michigan. He has been a visiting professor in France, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Brazil, and Nigeria. Professor Inglehart helped found the Euro-Barometer surveys and directed the World Values Surveys. His research examined changing belief systems and their impact on society and politics. He received the Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science in 2011 and was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Professor Inglehart’s major books, translated into many languages, include: The Silent Revolution: Changing Values and Political Styles among Western Publics (1977); Culture Shift in Advanced Industrial Society (1990); Modernization and Postmodernization: Cultural, Economic and Political Change in 43 Societies (1997); Cultural Evolution: Peoples’ Motivations are Changing, and Tranforming the World (2018); and Religion’s Sudden Decline: What’s Causing It, and What Comes Next? (2021). He authored, co-authored, and edited over 20 books and authored and co-authored more than 230 articles. Several of his articles were published in Comparative Sociology: “Introduction to this issue [a special issue on findings from the World Values Survey and European Values Survey],” volume 1 (2002); (with Pippa Norris) “Islamic culture and democracy: Testing the clash of civilizations thesis,” volume 1 (2002); (with Pippa Norris and Christian Welzel) “Gender equality and democracy,” volume 1 (2002); and “Mapping global values,” volume 5 (2006). According to Google Scholar, “Mapping global values” and “Islamic culture and democracy” are among the ten most cited articles ever published in Comparative Sociology.