Tilly, Charles

Tilly, Charles, 1929–, American sociologist. Educated at Harvard and Oxford, Tilly has taught at the Univ. of Michigan and the New School for Social Research. His book The Contentious French (1986) painstakingly documents people confronting the power of the nation-state and modern capitalism and examines how the growth of social structures influenced their "repertoires of collective actions." His numerous other books include From Mobilization to Revolution (1978), Big Structures, Large Processes, Huge Comparisons (1985), European Revolutions, 1492–1992 (1993), Cities and the Rise of States in Europe, A.D. 1000 to 1800 (1994), and Durable Inequality (1998).

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Tilly, Charles (1929–  ) sociologist; born in Lombard, Ill. Harvard-educated, he taught at institutions including the University of Michigan (1969–84) and the New School for Social Research (1984), where he directed the Center for Studies of Social Change. He combined sociological, political, and historical analysis in his studies of early capitalism, war, and social action. He wrote among other works The Contentious French (1986).