Edward Ashod Tiryakian

Longtime Duke sociology faculty member Edward Ashod Tiryakian passed away peacefully on Feb. 1 at his home in Durham. He was 95 years old.

Born in 1929, the only son of Yervent Tiryakian and Keghinée Agathon, both diaspora Armenians, he was born in Bronxville, NY, and spent his early years in Nice, France. He matriculated with the Princeton University class of 1952, graduating summa cum laude majoring in sociology. He earned his Ph.D. in sociology from Harvard University in 1956 under the direction of Talcott Parsons and Pitirim O. Sorokin, the world’s two most renowned sociologists of their era. He met the woman who was to be his wife for 72 years, Josefina Cintron while both were students at Harvard, marrying in 1953. 

He and Josefina were Fullbright Scholars researching in the Philippines in 1957 and upon his return began teaching at Princeton before accepting a faculty position at Harvard. He joined the Department of Sociology at Duke in 1965 and immediately became a beloved professor among students, colleagues and administrators, reaching emeritus status in 2004. He continued teaching through 2020 as part of Duke’s Graduate Studies Program. 

Tiryakian’s 60-year academic career made unparalleled contributions in multiple areas publishing works on the life and work of his academic hero, the ground-breaking 19th century French sociologist Emile Durkheim; existentialism; apartheid; religion; modernity; African societies, 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 Université Paris Descartes. He continuously attended and often chaired sociological conferences around the world and felt strongly that academic cooperation was a bridge to solve ethnic and national differences. 

One of his most cherished Duke moments was his role in helping to resolve the student takeover of the Allen Building in February 1969. It was a labor of love helping the students about whom he cared deeply having their concerns 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 turbulent year 1968 which brought to bear the vast social changes happening globally in that period.

Dr. Tiryakian donated his professional papers to Penn State University, which has become a repository for the original documents of sociologists who have made a difference. In 2021, Dr. Tiryakian donated his professional library to the Sociology Department of Yerevan State University in Armenia, which created a dedicated wing in its library to honor him. He was recognized in the US Congressional Record for his accomplishments both on behalf of Armenia and academia. 

Colleagues and students described him as a deeply thoughtful and caring person and the paradigm 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. Everyone who met him described him as a kind person. In a world where professionals frequently change career paths, Tiryakian considered himself blessed to have found at a young age in teaching something he loved from the start. 

Duke University recognised his many accomplishments to the university through its media communication department and ordered flags at half mast in his honor - https://today.duke.edu/2025/02/duke-flags-lowered-sociologist-ed-tiryakiantaught-duke-54-years-dies

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

Dr. Tiryakian believed that his finest accomplishment was his unwavering faith in God, the greater good of humanity and the world we live in. 

There will be a viewing at Hall-Wynne Funeral Service; 1113 W. Main St. Durham, NC on Friday, Feb 14 from 5-7 pm. 

There will be a memorial service at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 810 W. Chapel Hill St;, Durham, NC at 2:30 Saturday, Feb 15, followed immediately by a memorial reception at Aria Events, 2609 N Duke St; Durham, NC. 

It was Professor Tiryakian’s request that in lieu of flowers, any memorial gifts be made to either the Armenian General Benevolent Union, http://www.agbu.org/memory-edward-tiryakian ; co-founded in 1906 by his grandfather Yervent Agathon, or to The Edward & Josefina Tiryakian Faculty Support Fund, which provides unrestricted support to Duke faculty in the Department of Sociology: https://duke.box.com/v/tiryakianfacultysupport.