In Memoriam Norman Long

British anthropologist Norman Long is one of the ‘founding fathers’ of Wageningen development sociology as we know it today. Over a period of twenty years, he led the chair group Rural Development Sociology (RDS), now Sociology of Development and Change (SDC). During this time he made a strong and lasting imprint on the field of development sociology and anthropology, foregrounding the lived experiences, knowledge and agency of local people and those “doing” development and insisting on the value of ethnographic methods. With his research, writing, teaching and supervision he inspired and equipped generations of students, PhDs, scholars, and practitioners around the world to approach development and social change as an interactive, negotiated and often contested process, the outcomes of which could not be predicted by linear schemes.

Norman Long’s choice for anthropology was inspired by his experiences during two years of service at the Royal Airforce in Malaya (then a British colony), where he developed an interest in local worldviews, culture and colonialism. He was formed as an anthropologist in what has become known as the “Manchester school”, counting Max Gluckman amongst his teachers. He conducted long term fieldwork in Zambia, Peru, and Mexico. Towards the end of his career, he developed an interest in China.

Norman Long was a prolific author. Amongst his most notable works are Encounters at the interface: a perspective on social discontinuities in rural development (1989); Battlefields of knowledge: the interlocking of theory and practice in social research and development (1992; edited jointly with his wife Ann Long); Anthropology, development and modernities (2000, Routledge; edited jointly with long-term collaborator Alberto Arce) and the book that brings together the decades of his work and thought: Development Sociology: Actor perspectives (2001, Routledge).

At SDC today, even as only few of us have worked with him directly, we cherish and carry forward the legacy of Norman Long and the group of collaborators he formed at WUR. His work is a constant reminder to take real people, their stories, their problems, and their strategies seriously.

Norman Long developed a strong relationship with Latin America, and, in particular, with Mexico. He and Ann, his wife, enjoyed many years of living in Ajijic. It is there that he passed away peacefully surrounded by family and friends. The family shares that Norman had a simple funeral, being covered in a handwoven Mexican cloth, accompanied by flowers and his favorite piece of music, Ralph Vaughan Williams’ ‘The Lark Ascending’. Norman is survived by Ann, their children, Alison and Andrew, seven grand-children and two great-grand-children. We wish them, other family members and loved ones, much strength in dealing with this great loss.

Gemma van der Haar and Martijn Koster, on behalf of SDC