Morris "Buzz" Zelditch (February 29, 1928 – December 8, 2017) was an American sociologist. He was Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Stanford University, where he had been a member of the faculty since 1961. He was known for his work on the effects of status characteristics embedded in the stratification of the larger society, legitimacy of structures of authority, and generalizability of the results of sociological experiments. He received his B.A. from Oberlin College in 1951 and his PhD from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

in 1955; his doctoral advisor was

Talcott Parsons Talcott Parsons (December 13, 1902 – May 8, 1979) was an American sociologist of the classical tradition, best known for his social action theory and structural functionalism. Parsons is considered one of the most influential figures in soci ...

and his dissertation was titled ''Authority and Solidarity in Three Southwestern Communities''. He then taught at the sociology department of

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

1955–61, before joining Stanford University in 1961 as an Associate Professor of Sociology and eventually as a full Professor. He was also chairman of Stanford's sociology department during the years 1964–1968 and 1989–1994. He officially retired in 1996, but continued to teach and to publish; "his current research on legitimacy is concerned with the legitimacy of groups: With its determinants; with its effects on the mobilization of resources, for example its effects on tax compliance, on the one hand, and moral hazards (such as corruption) on the other; with the consequences of these effects for the provision of public goods; and, finally, with effects of the legitimacy of multiple levels of groups on inter-group relations". He was editor-in-chief of the ''

American Sociological Review The ''American Sociological Review'' is a bi-monthly peer-reviewed academic journal covering all aspects of sociology. It is published by SAGE Publications on behalf of the American Sociological Association. It was established in 1936. The editors- ...

'' 1975–1978, President of the

Pacific Sociological Association The Pacific Sociological Association (PSA) is a professional association of sociologists in the Pacific region of North America. The PSA is best known for its annual conference and academic journal'' Sociological Perspectives''. History The Paci ...

1991–1992 and chairman of the theory section of the American Sociological Association in 1999–2000. He received the ''Cooley-Mead Award for Distinguished Scholarship'' from the

ASA ASA as an abbreviation or initialism may refer to: Biology and medicine * Accessible surface area of a biomolecule, accessible to a solvent * Acetylsalicylic acid, aspirin * Advanced surface ablation, refractive eye surgery * Anterior spinal ar ...

's Section on Social Psychology in 2000 and the ''Dean’s Award for Distinguished Lifetime Achievement in Teaching'' from Stanford University in 2007. He died on December 8, 2017 at the age of 89.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zelditch, Morris 1928 births 2017 deaths American sociologists Columbia University faculty Stanford University faculty Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni American Sociological Review editors People from Pittsburgh