Shmuel Noah Eisenstadt: 1923 - 2010

Shmuel Noah Eisenstadt

September 10, 1923–September 2, 2010

Shmuel Noah Eisenstadt, recipient of CEU’s second Honorary Doctorate, passed away in his home in Jerusalem on 2 September, 2010.

Noted Israeli sociologist and Rose Isaacs Professor of Sociologist Emeritus at Hebrew University of Jerusalem from 1990 until his death, Eisenstadt researched dynamic aspects of major civilizations and made significant contributions in the areas of cultures, modernization and social and political change. Widely known as a synthesizer and a bridge-builder to other disciplines, Eisenstadt developed the concept of “multiple modernities,” according to which each civilization has its own modernity, with its own strengths and weaknesses — a view that is antithetical to the widely debated concept of the clash of civilizations.

During his distinguished career, Eisenstadt held guest professorships and memberships at numerous prestigious universities and academies worldwide, including the University of Zurich, the University of Chicago, the University of Bern, Harvard University, the Israeli Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Academy of Arts and Sciences in the United States. His academic prizes include the International Balzan Prize, the Max-Planck research prize and the Holberg International Memorial Prize, which he received in 2006. Eisenstadt’s many publications include Tradition, Change, and Modernity and Multiple Modernities.