Charles Tilly

Charles Tilly
Born	May 27, 1929 Lombard, Illinois, U.S.
Died	April 29, 2008 (2008-04-30) (aged 78) New York, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	Harvard University (AB, PhD)
Spouse	Louise A. Tilly
Children	4
Scientific career
Fields	Social Science Sociology Political science History
Institutions	University of Delaware Harvard University University of Toronto University of Michigan The New School Columbia University Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy
Academic advisors	Barrington Moore Jr.
Doctoral students	Barry Wellman Ann Mische Daniel Nexon John M. Merriman

Charles Tilly (May 27, 1929 – April 29, 2008^[1]) was an American sociologist, political scientist, and historian who wrote on the relationship between politics and society. He was a professor of history, sociology, and social science at the University of Michigan from 1969 to 1984 before becoming the Joseph L. Buttenwieser Professor of Social Science at Columbia University.

He has been described as "the founding father of 21st-century sociology"^[1] and "one of the world's preeminent sociologists and historians."^[2] He published widely across topics such as urban sociology, state formation, democracy, social movements, labor, and inequality.^[3] He was an influential proponent of large-scale historical social science research. The title of Tilly's 1984 book Big Structures, Large Processes, Huge Comparisons is characteristic of his particular approach to social science research.