Franz Schurmann
| Franz Schurmann | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Herbert Franz Schurmann June 21, 1926 New York City |
| Died | August 20, 2010 (aged 84) San Francisco, California |
| Cause of death | Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease |
| Occupation | Sociologist, historian, author |
| Employer | Pacific News Service |
| Partner(s) | Sandy Close |
| Children | Mark Anderson Schurmann, Peter Leon Schurmann |
| Relatives | Dorothy Schurmann (sister) |
Herbert Franz Schurmann (June 21, 1926 – August 20, 2010) was an American sociologist and historian who was best known for his research and writings about Communist China during the Cold War period. He taught at the University of California, Berkeley, in the departments of Sociology and History for 38 years, and he also served a term as the head of the Center for Chinese Studies. He was an early opponent of the Vietnam War, and was the first American professor to visit Hanoi during the bombing raids there. He co-founded the Pacific News Service in 1970 together with author Orville Schell, serving as editor and commentator, and wrote the weekly "Predictions" column.
Schurmann was born on June 21, 1926, in Astoria, Queens, New York, and grew up in Bloomfield, Connecticut. He developed fluency in as many as 12 languages, acquiring them from his Slovenian father who spoke five languages himself, his mother who was an immigrant from Germany, and from the dialects spoken in the melting pot community where he was raised. He briefly attended Trinity College in nearby Hartford, Connecticut. He was drafted by the United States Army during World War II and was assigned to learn Japanese, serving as a newspaper censor during the American occupation of Japan. He befriended Stefan Brecht during his Army service and met Thomas Mann and other German émigrés at the California home of Stefan's father Bertolt Brecht. After completing his military service Schurmann was awarded a Ph.D. in Asian studies from Harvard University, which he was able to attend using his G.I. Bill benefits as a veteran.
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