Norman Girvan: in Memoriam

Abstract

Norman Paul Girvan, Professor Emeritus of the University of the West Indies, passed away on 9th April 2014 in Cuba. His contribution to the Caribbean and broader Global South - as an intellectual, policymaker and diplomat - was immeasurable. At the age of 72, he was still supervising graduate research, he was a member of the advisory board of this journal as well as many other international organisations such as The South Centre, and he was the UN Secretary General's Personal Representative on the Border Controversy between Guyana and Venezuela. Previously, he had held numerous eminent academic positions in the Caribbean and beyond, as well as serving as Secretary General of the Association of Caribbean States. Since his passing, tributes have poured in from across the globe from many of the people he touched during his remarkable life. We have collated here a number of tributes which give an insight into Norman's impact on a wide range of different people: these include his family, influential regional and global policymakers, as well as his colleagues within the Caribbean academic community, including some of the research students that he left behind. A number of these tributes are edited versions of eulogies which were given at the different memorial events that took place shortly after his death at The UWI, others are republished from elsewhere, and some have been specially written for this collection.