Political scientist Giovanni Sartori dies at 92

FLORENCE, ITALY – Eminent political scientist and public intellectual Giovanni Sartori dies at the age of 92 Tuesday April 4, 2017 at the age of 92.

Florence-born professor Sartori, who would have turned 93 on May 13, was the author of books on democracy translated all over the world.

Writing for the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, he dubbed two electoral laws the Mattarellum and the Porcellum, showing his characteristic irony and wit.

Born in Florence in 1924, Sartori began his academic career as a lecturer in the History of Modern Philosophy at the University of Florence. He founded the first Political Science academic post in Italy, and was Dean of the newly formed University of Florence’s Department of Political Science.

Sartori served as Albert Schweitzer Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University from 1979 to 1994 and was later appointed Professor Emeritus.

He was a recipient of a Prince of Asturias Award (Social Sciences area) in 2005 and of the Karl Deutsch Award in 2009 of the International Political Science Association (IPSA), which honours a prominent scholar engaged in the cross-disciplinary research.

His article Concept Misformation in Comparative Politics published in The American Political Science Review is prominent in the field. Sartori dies at the age of 92 in Florence from throat cancer on April 4, 2017.

Premier Paolo Gentiloni paid tribute to Sartori «for his knowledge and the corrosive intelligence with which this illustrious scientist gave maps and names to politics so it could try to rediscover itself.»

Senate Speaker Pietro Grasso said «Giovanni Sartori was one of the top political scientists of our time, a great intellectual who honoured our country in the world’s most prestigious universities.»