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    Tribute to the doyen of Sociology- Michael Burawoy 1947-2025

    The South African Sociological Association (SASA) is devastated to learn of the tragic passing of Professor Emeritus Michael Burawoy (1947–2025), whose enduring scholarship and intellectual contributions revitalised sociology and reshaped its practice over the past six decades.

    Burawoy spent a significant part of his life and career in Southern Africa, living in South Africa and Zambia for five years between 1968 and 1972, during his twenties. His first engagement with sociology occurred in Zambia, where he studied the working conditions of mineworkers in independent Zambia. He worked as a mineworker, drawing from participant observation to unpack the intersection between race and class and power and the manufacturing of consent and how this persisted in the post-colonial context. This formative experience profoundly influenced his sociological outlook, shaping both his theoretical orientation – Marxism - and his methodological approach: the extended case study method in ethnography.

    Throughout his career he remained a close friend of Southern African sociology and used his experiences in Southern Africa to locate his sociology in a global context. Burawoy contributed to (re) imagining different ways of practicing sociology and its connection to the public. He encouraged critical engagement with the discipline, urging scholars to (re)imagine the various ways sociology could be practised and to consider its different historical and intellectual moments. During his tenure as President of the International Sociological Association (ISA), he actively championed the participation of African sociologists and students, fostering greater inclusion and global dialogue.

    Burawoy was a towering figure in sociology - an astute scholar, prolific writer, critical thinker, outstanding teacher and mentor, storyteller and orator, activist-scholar, and unwavering advocate for social justice. Within Southern African sociology and beyond, he will be remembered for inspiring new ways of thinking about sociology, social struggles, the university, and society, and for advancing a vision of a more equitable global sociology. His legacy will endure through the generations of scholars he has influenced.

    SASA extends deepest condolences to his family, friends, and students. May his soul rest in power!!! Hamba Kahle Comrade Michael!

    SASA Council & Executive, 2024-2025:

    Crispen Chinguno (President) | Bianca Tame (Vice-President) | Nomzamo Ntombela (Secretary) | Thabang Sefalafala (Treasurer) | Claire-Anne Lester | Percyval Bayane | Mojalefa Mankgero | Mlamuli Makhoba | Tawanda Nyawasha | Divane Nzima | Karabo Mohapanele | Teboho Moleko | Patience Motsatsi | Siyabulela Fobosi | Anne Wiltshire.