«It is with deep regret that I announce the death of Michael Burawoy, the victim of a vile hit-and-run accident while walking near his home in Oakland, USA.
Known for his proposals for global ethnography, public sociology and extended case studies, he profoundly influenced contemporary sociology, having done fieldwork as a participant observer from a labourer's post in Zambia, Hungary, the USA, India and Russia. A brilliant orator and an excellent teacher, he fought several civic battles against the commercialisation of the university. He tried to ensure that Sociology, in its rigour and autonomy, would make the world a more liveable and just place.
He knew Portuguese sociology very well and the sociology done in Porto, which he loved so much. He worked with some of us, passing on his intellectual and civic vigour and enthusiasm. At this sad time, I urge you to re-read his works and keep his legacy alive by updating it.
I'll leave you with a phrase he loved very much, taken from his friend Erik Olin Wright: ‘Where there's a way, there's a will’»
by João Teixeira Lopes