Pitirim Sorokin

Who was Pitirim Sorokin?

Pitirim Alexandrovich Sorokin was a Russian American sociologist born in modern-day Komi. An academic and political activist in Russia, he emigrated from Russia to the United States in 1923. In 1930 at age 40, Sorokin was personally requested by the president of Harvard University to accept a position there. At Harvard, he founded the Department of Sociology. He was a vocal critic of his colleague Talcott Parsons. Sorokin was an ardent opponent of communism, which he regarded as a "pest of man." He is best known for his contributions to the social cycle theory.