Dr Edward Ashod Tiryakian

1929 - 2025

Dr Edward Ashod Tiryakian

August 6, 1929 - February 1, 2025

Durham, North Carolina - Longtime Duke sociology faculty member Edward Ashod Tiryakian passed on Feb. 1 at his home in Durham. He was 95 years old.

Born in 1929, the only son of Yervant and Keghinee Tiryakian, he grew up in Bronxville, NY, and attended Princeton University as part of the class of 1952, graduating Summa Cum Laude majoring in sociology. He married Josefina Cintron in 1954 and earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from Harvard University in 1954 and 1956 respectively under the direction of Talcott Parsons and Pitirim o Sorokin.

He and Josefina were Fullbright Scholars researching in the Philippines in 1957 and upon his return began teaching at Princeton before leaving to teach at Harvard. He joined the Department of Sociology at Duke in 1966 and became a professor emeritus in 2004. He continued teaching through 2020 as part of Duke's Graduate Studies Program.

Tiryakian's 60-year academic career had unparalleled contributions in multiple areas including Emile Durkheim and his works; existentialism; apartheid; religion; modernity; and nationalism. He served as chair of Duke's sociology and anthropology department, and as director of Duke's Center for International Studies where he worked tirelessly with his wife to strengthen Duke's international presence.

He went on to serve as president of the International Society of French Speaking Sociologists and of the American Sociological Association History of Sociology section. He received honorary doctorates from the Sorbonne, as well as Universite Paris Descartes.

One of his most cherished Duke moments was his part in helping to resolve the student takeover of Allen Building in February 1969. It was a labor of love helping the students he cared deeply about having their concerns be heard by the university in support of its mission to educate and to arrive at a peaceful resolution in very unsettling times. Decades later, Tiryakian taught a popular class on the year 1968 about the vast social changes happening globally in that period.

Colleagues and students described him as a deeply thoughtful and caring person and the living definition of a sociologist. He loved meeting people, exploring different cultures, and writing about the diverse societies that were part of his world. He was cherished by his family, colleagues, his beloved university and academics around the world, as well as thousands of students whose lives he touched in deeply meaningful ways.

He is survived by his wife of 72 years, Josefina Cintron Tiryakian and his 2 sons, Edmund Tiryakian and his wife Jacqueline and Edwyn Tiryakian and his wife Karen.

Tiryakian believed that his finest accomplishment was his unwavering faith in both God and humanity and the world we live in.

There will be a viewing at Hall Wynn 1113 W Main St Durham NC on 2/14/2024 from 5-7 p.m.

There will be a memorial service at Immaculate Church 810 W Chapel Hill st Durham at 2:30 p.m. on 2/15/2025.

There will be a reception immediately following the service at Aria 2609 N Duke St Durham Bldg 700.

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