About Peter Turchin

Peter Turchin works in historical social science at the intersection of social and cultural evolution, historical macrosociology, economic history and cliometrics, mathematical modeling, and the construction and analysis of large historical databases.

Originally trained as a theoretical biologist, Turchin received a B.A. in biology from New York University in 1980 and a Ph.D. in zoology from Duke University in 1985. His early research on population dynamics provided the mathematical and empirical foundation he later brought to the study of historical societies.

His research examines how large-scale cooperation and complex societies evolve, what makes societies resilient to internal and external shocks, and why political communities periodically enter periods of instability and breakdown. A central part of this work is the Seshat: Global History Databank and related historical-data projects.

Peter Turchin has published more than 200 scholarly articles and numerous books.