Tilly, Charles (1929–2008)

Abstract

Abstract Charles Tilly was a leading American historical sociologist. His first book was a widely acclaimed study of the Vendée and the rural counter‐revolutionaries of 1793–1796. Over his entire career he published more than 50 books in social history and historical sociology. Among his best‐known works were The Contentious French , Popular Contention in Great Britain 1758–1834 , and (with Doug McAdam and Sidney Tarrow), The Dynamics of Contention . He particularly contributed to the study and understanding of contentious action, state‐making, and the rise of European capitalism. In his last years he was involved in a major shift in methodological approach highlighting the role of mechanisms and social relations in the study of social change, finally describing himself as a “rational realist.”