Remembering those dear to LSE
← Sergio Carlos Obando Indacochea, 1971-2019
Professor Anthony Leslie Hall (1947 – 2019)
Posted on May 28, 2019 by LSE Internal Communications
Anthony Hall
Tony will be much missed, both for his calm steady presence and his sense of humour. Since joining LSE in 1983, he was instrumental in linking social policy with international development and in making the Department's MSc in Social Policy and Development a success. His longstanding research on Brazil and the Amazon region has been highly influential. More recently Tony's interests in climate change adaptation and conditional cash transfers led to important research in both fields. The care and attention he always took with his students set an example to us all.
Professor David Lewis, Department of Social Policy
Tony Hall made a vital contribution to the evolving field of developmental social policy – a 'supradisciplinary' field that seeks to integrate the insights of development studies and social policy to promote a comprehensive approach to understanding how social wellbeing can be fostered globally.
He joined the Department in the early 1980s to work with me on the social policy and planning courses Richard Titmuss and Brian Abel-Smith had established in 1971, and after I left for the United States in 1985, we continued to collaborate on several initiatives that helped shape the field. In addition to our book, Social Policy for Development (2004), we worked together on several edited collections and international conferences. His own research on Amazonian development, which is widely commended, was of critical importance in linking rural and environmental issues to developmental social policy research. He was an accomplished scholar, an inspiring teacher and effective administrator. The graduates of the social planning courses, who have assumed leading roles in government agencies, international non-profits and development organisations committed to developmental social policy, owe much to his leadership.
He was also a great friend and together with his late wife, Rejane, a generous host. My wife Dija and I were privileged to share their family life and know their children Julie and Joe. We send our deepest condolences to them and other members of their family. I will miss Tony's quite humour, critical mind and steadfast friendship.
Professor James (Jimmy) Midgley, University of California Berkeley
It was with great sadness that I received the news of Tony passing on Monday 20 May 2019.
I became familiar with Tony's work while writing my masters dissertation on the globalisation of the Brazilian Amazon in the Department of Geography, at King's. I decided to stay at King's after my Masters, and we invited him to be the 3rd reader for my PhD. I continued to follow his work, which showed his passion for the region, by attending his talks and discussing with him my research in the Amazon.
Despite conducting work in Brazil for 40 years, Tony was humble about his impressive contribution to social policy, environment and development scholarship, particularly concerning the Brazil North-East and Amazonia. He never seemed to notice how much his work has been touching so many people. Tony's research, accurate accounts and relevant inputs have had an impact beyond academia, as he acted as OXFAM's country representative and as a consultant for the World Bank.
Tony was an inspiration to many PhD researchers working on environmental policies. My friends from CLOSER, a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research group focusing on Brazilian environmental politics, were no different. Tony has been a source of inspiration for every member of our research group. We were six young PhD students with various research backgrounds, from different London universities who had some things in common: an interest in Brazil from a social and environmental perspective and a willingness to improve and share our knowledge. Tony was a doctoral thesis examiner to some, advisor to others, and research godfather to all of us.
His legacy shall endure in every former PhD student and the many peers whose work has crossed paths with him.
Dr. Grace Iara Souza, SOAS, University of London
A tribute and donation page can be found at Dementia UK.
9 Responses to Professor Anthony Leslie Hall (1947 – 2019)
Dr G. Raul Diaz says:
My condolences go to Prof. Anthony L. Hall family and colleagues. We will surely miss him for his exceptional expertise in this field.
Dr. Charles Palmer says:
I knew Tony as an LSE colleague with shared research interests in the Brazilian Amazon. I am very sorry to hear of this sad loss and send my condolences to his family.
Dianne Josephs says:
I worked for Tony as the Programme Administrator for Social Policy & Development for 11 years. I am deeply saddened to hear of his passing. We had a most wonderful working relationship, he was a kind man and very passionate about his research. My condolences to his family, and colleagues of the programme he taught.
Professor Norma Correa Aste, Department of Social Sciences, School of Government and Public Policy, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú says:
I studied the Msc. Social Policy and Development in 2006-2007 and had the immense privilege to have been taught and mentored by Dr. Anthony Hall. Tony had a tremendous impact in my professional life. He introduced me to the world of public policy and encouraged me to create new linkages between Anthropology and policymaking processes, particularly regarding the Amazon region. He was a generous, inspiring and rigorous thesis advisor. My professional work on social protection, policy innovations for poverty reduction and ethnicity across Latin America has been deeply influenced by Tony´s lessons and questions. My condolences go to his family and colleagues.
Saima Saeed says:
I am deeply saddened to know that Tony is no more and will not be able to see his smiling face and meet him on my next visit to LSE. It was an honour to know him as a teacher and as a person. He was a great teacher and a wonderful person. Can't imagine social policy department without him. Since I left LSE in 2008, it was my ritual to visit him whenever I was in London. He was always kind to receive me in his office and keen to hear about my work. He will definitely be missed.
My sincere condolences to his family and the SPD family.
May his soul rest in peace
Hakan Seckinelgin says:
I worked with Tony for many years teaching social policy in developing countries. I am deeply saddened to learn his passing. Tony was a gentle and thoughtful person towards both his colleagues and students. Even in difficult situations he always maintained his good manners and good humour to deal with them. It was always good to work with him. Generations of students benefited greatly from his teaching and his research. We all learned a lot about environmental change in Brazil from his research that evolved over the years contributing to the state of the art in his field. He was a witty person and was a good mimic. He loved photography which we all benefited from as he traditionally took the group photos at the end of the annual Cumberland Lodge visits for many years. While he was a charming public person he was also a private person who was very of proud his children's achievements. My heartfelt condolences to his children and his larger family.
Professor Sylvia Chant says:
I learned of this tragic news from my friend and LSE colleague, Professor Sandra Jovchelovitch, just a few days after Tony passed. Like Sandra, I was totally shocked, and saddened, to hear of Tony's passing. He was one of LSE's most friendly faces when I first joined the staff of the Department of Geography in 1988, and was a colleague whose work I always found accessible and incisive, and used liberally in my 'development' teaching. What a great loss to the School and to the wider community of Brazilian/Brazilianist and Latin American/Latin Americanist scholars. My thoughts are with Tony's family and all those who had the pleasure of knowing him.
Dr Armine Ishkanian says:
I worked with Tony on the MSc in Social Policy and Development. I was very sad to hear of his passing. He will be much missed by both colleagues and students. He was a generous and kind colleague and he had a great sense of humour. The MSc students loved Tony's course on Basic Education and his longstanding research on social and environmental policies in Brazil and the Amazon region has been highly influential. It is indeed sad to know that we will not see him anymore, but his work and contributions to the field of social policy in developing countries endure. My thoughts go out to Tony's family in this difficult time.
Dr Konstantina Davaki says:
Tony's premature death came as a shock. A rare combination of knowledge, wit and warmth. Humble and approachable, always ready to offer advice and to listen to his younger colleagues and students who loved him.The last years were very difficult for Tony but he 'bore the accidents of life with dignity and grace' as Aristotle says. In addition to his very influential work and contribution to the field, Tony led by example, showing collegiality and generosity in a fiercely competitive environment. We will miss his smiling and friendly face and great sense of humour so much but his memory and legacy will live on. I would like to express my deepest sympathy to his children and family.
Sergio Carlos Obando Indacochea, 1971-2019
Michael Coops
Professor David Held
Martin Wright, 1952 – 2019
Dr Konstantina Davaki on Professor Anthony Leslie Hall (1947 – 2019)
Dr Armine Ishkanian on Professor Anthony Leslie Hall (1947 – 2019)
Professor Sylvia Chant on Professor Anthony Leslie Hall (1947 – 2019)
Hakan Seckinelgin on Professor Anthony Leslie Hall (1947 – 2019)
Dina Davaki on Martin Wright, 1952 – 2019
Centre for the Study of Human Rights;
Department of Geography & Environment
Department of International Development
Department of Social Psychology
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