French sociologist Alain Touraine passed away Chess legend Kasparov: “You can’t be neutral when evil fights against us”

Renowned French sociologist Alain Touraine died on Friday at the age of 97. Touraine coined the term “post-industrial society” and analyzed post-industrial social movements.

This was reported by the AFP news agency on Friday evening. The name Touraine will remain linked to a field of research, namely the ‘new social movements’ such as students, feminists, environmentalists or regionalists that emerged in the 1970s. Touraine also shaped the method of sociological interventionism.

Born August 3, 1925 in Hermanville-sur-Mer (F) near Caen (F), the son of a doctor published in 1955 his acclaimed thesis “L’Évolution du travail ouvrier aux usines Renault” (supervised by Georges Friedmann) . . Two years later he founded the Laboratoire de sociologie Industrielle, which was transformed in 1970 into the Center d’études des mouvements sociaux.

In May 1968 he was one of those who called for the abolition of exams for social science students. He was a member of the Commission for the Reform of Universities or the Commission for Reflection on Nationality (1987). In the 1994 European elections, he was among numerous intellectuals and politicians on the list “Europe begins in Sarajevo”, led by Professor Léon Schwartzenberg.

Touraine also engaged in the demands of minority groups, including researching the French strikes in late 1995, Zapatismo in Mexico, gender equality in public life, and the four-day work week.

Winner of the prestigious Prince of Asturias Prize in 2010, he was also known in countries such as Poland, where he received a major award in 2012 for his work on the Solidarity Movement (Solidarnosc), the first trade union independent from the Eastern Bloc, in the 80’s . (sda/afp)