1976
Karl Wolfgang Deutsch
Harvard University, United States
(1976–1979)
Karl Wolfgang Deutsch (1912–1992) was a Czech political scientist renowned for his pioneering contributions to the study of nationalism and political communication. He earned his first university degree from the Deutsche Universität in Prague in 1934. As an opponent of Nazism, he later transferred to Charles University, also in Prague, where he earned a Ph.D. in Political Science in 1938. After immigrating to the United States, he was awarded a fellowship to study at Harvard University, earning his second Ph.D. in 1951. During World War II, Deutsch worked for the Office of Strategic Services and participated in the San Francisco Conference that established the United Nations.
Prof. Deutsch’s academic career spanned prominent institutions such as MIT, Yale, and Harvard. His major books include The Analysis of International Relations (1978); Nationalism and Its Alternatives (1969); Arms Control and the Atlantic Alliance (1967); The Nerves of Government (1963); and Nationalism and Social Communication (1953). His research on political integration, systems theory, and cybernetics helped shape the modern study of political science.
As noted in the Memorial Minute adopted by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University, Prof. Deutsch’s impact as a social scientist stemmed from his erudition and his ability to develop new concepts that led to insights into fundamental issues, such as nationalism and political integration: “Karl developed the concept of social mobilization, the process whereby people become uprooted from their traditions and become available for new patterns of communication and behavior, and he identified quantitative indicators to study it in most countries of the world. He demonstrated how this process increased the likelihood of political integration among peoples who already shared the same language, traditions, and basic social institutions, while it accelerated the forces toward disintegration of states whose peoples did not share such traits.”
A leading figure in IPSA, Prof. Deutsch served as IPSA Vice-President from 1970 to 1973 and as President from 1976 to 1979. He was also President of the American Political Science Association (1969-1970) and Director of the International Institute of Comparative Social Research at the Science Center in Berlin (1976). In recognition of his lasting impact on the discipline, IPSA established the Karl Deutsch Award, recognizing exceptional scholars who have made significant contributions to political science.
