Vladimir Shlapentokh, American sociologist, died at 88

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Vladimir Emmanuilovich Shlapentokh, born on October 19, 1926, and died October 6, 2015, in East Lansing, Michigan.

Vladimir was a Soviet-born American sociologist, historian, political scientist, and university professor, notable for his work on Soviet and Russian society and politics as well as theoretical work in the fields of sociology.

He was a Professor of Sociology at Michigan State University (MSU). Vladimir was widely considered a “founding father” (together with Vladimir Yadov, Boris Grushin, and Yuri Levada) of Soviet sociology.

Vladimir was born and educated in the former Soviet Union.

Vladimir conducted the first set of national public opinion surveys in the Soviet Union, working as a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Sociology, Moscow.

Before emigration to the United States in 1979, he had published ten books already, as well as several articles on the methodology of sociological studies and various social issues.

After moving to the United States, Vladimir has published more than 30 books and dozens of professional articles.

His columns have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and the Christian Science Monitor.

Since 1982, Vladimir has served as a consultant to the United States government, regularly reporting on social processes, ideology, and public opinion on post-communist states, including Russia.

Vladimir speaks English, German, French, Italian, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, and other Slavic languages.

Vladimir Shlapentokh passed away on October 6, 2015 at age 88.