From: glevy@PRATT.EDU
Date: Wed Dec 26 2007 - 13:56:57 EST
I have been searching for obituaries on Andrew Glyn and, ironically, found an obit written by Bob Sutcliffe and Andrew on John Harrison. Harrison's death was noted on OPE-L a year ago this month: <http://ricardo.ecn.wfu.edu/~cottrell/ope/archive/0612/0183.html> In solidarity, Jerry To see this story with its related links on the Guardian Unlimited site, go to http://www.guardian.co.uk John Harrison Andrew Glyn and Bob Sutcliffe Friday January 26 2007 The Guardian The economist John Harrison, who has died suddenly aged 57, was an inspiring teacher with a rare gift for communication. In the mid-1970s, he started talks on socialist and Marxist economics for non-economists, initially at the Greyhound pub, Oxford. The talks developed into lectures, with London venues including the Architectural Association and Workers' Educational Association classes. Out of these lectures came a wonderfully understandable book, Marxist Economics for Socialists: a Critique of Reformism (1978). Born in Liverpool, John was educated at Birkenhead school. He read philosophy, politics and economics at Oriel College, Oxford, where he was an outstanding student of economic development. After an MA in economics at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, he returned to Oxford, where his research resulted in the co-authored The British Economic Disaster (1980), and Capitalism Since World War II (1984). In the 1980s, John edited the Pluto Press series of books, Arguments for Socialism. He also served on the editorial board of Capital and Class, the journal of the Conference of Socialist Economists; his pionering article analysing the role of housework in capitalist economies sparked an important debate. >From 1978 to 1992, his quirky lecturing technique developed at Thames Polytechnic (now Greenwich University). Students of Thatcherism, for instance, faced a lecturer wearing a Spitting Image mask of the former Tory leader. He was popular with students, who appreciated his easygoing, egalitarian style, and the fact that he was comfortable saying "I don't know." But in debates with peers, he could be tenacious and competitive, though there were no hard feelings afterwards, and over a drink John would revert to his witty, amiable self. In the mid-1970s, John was fleetingly involved in two far-left groups, but his temperament was illsuited to such activity. He remained an active supporter of the labour movement, and made an important contribution to the Greater London Council's discussion of economic policy in the early 1980s. He spent time off at stand-up comedy, alternative theatre and jazz gigs, and travelled widely, to Cuba, Nicaragua, Algeria, the Soviet Union, the US and Estonia, firing off surreal postcards to friends. He possessed extremely contemporary views on society, personal relations and style, but his modernism did not extend to computers or cars, and he rode a bike only after extreme cajoling. Then his health deteriorated, and he retired to Faversham, Kent. Friends who visited noted that he kept a strong sense of the absurd and still wore his trademark hats, but that detective novels were displacing the economics and politics collections. He is survived by his parents, Rylva and Derrick. · Has someone you know died since October who should feature in Other lives? Please send contributions of up to 500 words to: Other lives, Obituaries, The Guardian, 119 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3ER, email other.lives@guardian.co.uk Copyright Guardian News and Media Limited
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