Professor Teodor Shanin was a pioneering sociologist, educator, and radical thinker. Best known as the founder of the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences, he devoted his life to understanding and advocating for rural communities and marginalised populations. This posthumous tribute explores his remarkable transnational journey — from the Soviet Union to Israel, Britain, and Russia — and his relentless push to challenge academic norms. Remembering Teodor Shanin is a vital reflection on the life of a scholar who bridged activism and academia, and changed the way we think about development, modernisation, and power.