The death of a UC Berkeley sociology professor emeritus in a hit-and-run on Monday stunned the campus’ academic community and is “an unimaginable loss,” according to the leader of the sociology department.
Michael Burawoy, 77, of Oakland, died after being hit by a car about 7:10 p.m. at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Park View Terrace. Oakland police said a dark-colored SUV hit Burawoy as he walked through a marked crosswalk, then kept going.
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Police are looking for the driver.
“Like many others, I am reeling from the news of (Burawoy’s) death” Raka Ray, UC Berkeley’s Dean of Social Sciences, wrote in a statement released by the university. “This is a tremendous loss for me personally, to our Social Sciences community, UC Berkeley, and to sociologists worldwide, from England to South Africa and from India to Brazil.”
Burawoy retired in 2023 from Cal after 47 years of teaching and remained a professor emeritus. He arrived at the campus in 1976 and was at various points the president of the American Sociological Association and International Sociological Association.
UC Berkeley’s sociology department received a $100,000 gift in 2023 to establish an endowment in Burawoy’s honor.
“His greatest legacy went far beyond the many books and articles he published or prestigious awards he received,” Ray wrote. “It was in the people whose lives he changed. He was an extraordinary teacher, who mentored and inspired thousands of students, changing their lives with his fierce intellect and kindness.”
Burawoy’s research led him to copper mines in Zambia; machine shops Chicago and Hungary; and a rubber plant and furniture factory in post-Soviet Russia. Colleagues said his impact there and at home was hard to fathom.
“He mentored me when I first arrived at Berkeley as an assistant professor,” Ray said. “I learned to love Berkeley through his eyes. I learned what it meant to teach, to mentor, to do research seriously, and above all, what devotion to one’s calling looks like. I am grateful that in my present position as dean, I will always have his voice in my ear, reminding me that it is my duty to think above all about the needs of those most disadvantaged, the powerless, those who had to fight to get here.”
Ray added that a memorial service is being arranged.
Police had no updates on the investigation Wednesday. They have not put out a detailed description of the vehicle or the driver.
