Erik Olin Wright was Vilas Distinguished Research Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. A giant in the field of contemporary Marxian sociology, Wright’s research mainly involved large-scale quantitative investigations of various themes connected to social inequality. Wright was the author of many books, including Class Counts, Interrogating Inequality, and Classes. He also organized what he called the “Real Utopias Project,” which is also a series of books for Verso, that explored a wide range of radical proposals for transforming the core institutions of contemporary society. In addition, he founded the A. E. Havens Center at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, whose mission is to foster dialogue between activists and academics and to encourage critical perspectives on contemporary social issues.