We
have created this blog for sharing of photos, comments and reminiscences
on
Norman Girvan.
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UCWI Pelican Annual 1960-61, by Carlyle Dunkley:
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Reflections on Nyak
Michael Witter
April 11, 2014
“Nyak”
is what GBeck called Norman Girvan, and I followed suit in all the years that I
enjoyed his friendship and shared the many projects on which we
collaborated. I had met his ideas on
multinational corporations as mechanisms of underdeveloping the Caribbean and
the wider Third World, in my first attempt at a doctoral thesis on the growth
of multinational corporations. This work
led me to the wider world of dependency economics and structuralist thought on
economic development, and back through the writings of the New World thinkers
of the 1960s in the Caribbean. This was
one path. The other path led me from
George Beckford’s Persistent Poverty back to the same core of critical thinking
that distinguished Norman and the Caribbean scholars of his generation.
Till
the painful imprisonment of his fertile and extremely active mind in the broken
body that led to his untimely passing, Norman was a beacon of scholarship in
the service of the Caribbean people. To
be sure, he was heir to the work of his father, D. T. M. Girvan, and the other
pioneers of community development as a strategy for national development of the
1940s and 1950s in anti-colonial, pre-Independence Jamaica. In addition, he was profoundly influenced by
the remarkable minds of the New World scholars, and their counterparts in Latin
America immediately, and the wider world of radical critique with which he was
always engaged. But, to my certain
knowledge, he brought to those with whom he exchanged ideas, an unshakeable
abhorrence of injustice, an instinct for service to, and respect for, his
fellow human beings, an openness to learning, a mind of exceptional critical
capacities, a boundless energy for disciplined work, commitment to principled
positions that allowed for compromise but never betrayal, and the courage to
stand up to the abuse of authority and power.
In the
last five or so years, Nyak seemed to acquire a new flow of intellectual energy
that he creatively shared through his remarkable web site that became a major
research source for contemporary issues of Caribbean development, especially as
they were shaped by the unfolding of global capitalism through its various
crises. He was one of the few
intellectuals from the Anglo-Caribbean who engaged fully with the rest of the
Caribbean, and particularly the Hispanic Caribbean, on a consistent and
comprehensive basis. I recall being
profoundly moved by the citation and his response in Spanish, at a ceremony in
Havana at which he received one of Cuba’s highest honours. Many were the compliments paid to his
intellectual leadership by English-, Spanish-, French-, and Dutch-speaking
scholars for his leadership of the Association of Caribbean Economists. His leadership as secretary-general of the
Association of Caribbean States and most recently his appointment by the UN secretary-general
to mediate the border disagreements between Venezuela and Guyana are just two
of many instances of international recognition for his intellectual work, his
personal integrity and his leadership.
Even
his critics from both the right and the left who cast slurs on the positions he
took in what he believed was in the interest of the people of the Caribbean,
acknowledged his profound contribution to critical thought in their own back
foremost ways. For some, he was out of
touch with the narrowing concerns of mainstream economics, and for others, he
was propagating out-dated radical nationalism.
Both views had to engage his intellectual campaigns, and in so doing,
recognize the import of his ideas.
Nyak
has left a body of work that will support research for many years to come. Too few of his students have become academic
partisans like him in the cause of social and economic development for the
Caribbean people, but these few will live the values of critical thought, courage,
and social justice that he espoused. The
older ones of us will give thanks to Norman, each in his or her own way. But, it is the younger ones who will stand on
his shoulders, and see further, that will keep his memory alive in the academic
journals and the popular mind.
There
are two projects that the older and the younger generations can collaborate in
to give Norman a sense of intellectual closure.
He wanted a critical review of the struggles over development policy in
Jamaica in the 1970s, properly situated in the global context, the history of
the Caribbean, and the class struggles of Jamaica. And he wanted the volumes of the New World
Journal to be re-published for the benefit of the young. Academics can honour his memory with these
two publications.
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Condolences to family and friends of Professor Girvan.
ReplyDeleteThe regional integration project has lost an important critical voice and champion in the passing of Norman. He has inspired a generation of us to strive for a regional project that is better equipped to address the real challenges of viability and meaningful independence with which our individual countries struggle. His deep commitment will continue to inspire those of us who strive for the same goals.
ReplyDeleteLife does not shower us consistently with happiness, but all good things must come to an end. Difficult though to come to terms with such a cruel, senseless accident..
ReplyDeleteAn old friend, my brother-in-law, a brother. A beautiful person. Yes, we will miss him and share the loss of Jasmine, Alatashe, Alexander and Ramon.
Not as I remember him, warm and human, but as a tribute to the academic and statesman I found this unusual photo of him in Barbados Underground. Some would say he's in a better place, but selfishly, we would prefer him to stay down here with us. I will miss my former brother-in-law, still a brother, and continue to admire him for his gift of finding ways to unite nations and heal their wounds. The Caribbean, and the whole hemisphere, owe him SO MUCH !! Marie Lombal-Bent
Saddened to hear of the death of Prof. Girvan. I count it an extreme honor to have met him. A gentle and humble individual, yet one who possessed an extraordinary intellect. The region is forever the poorer by your passing. RIP Prof. Girvan.
ReplyDelete10 April 2014
ReplyDeleteIt was with astonishment and sadness that we received the news of Normanís sudden passing as a result of injuries sustained during an outing in Dominica. On behalf of the entire faculty and staff of the International Development Studies Program here at Saint Maryís University, I would like to extend to you all our heartfelt condolences on this your loss of a well-loved and internationally esteemed family member, scholar, diplomat, teacher, international and regional advisor, and administrator.
Norman was a major contributor to our IDS Program, and was, on a number of occasions, our Distinguished Visiting Professor. In addition, he was a frequent contributor to our Speakers Series and workshops. He was unsparing of his time with graduate students, and contributed extensively to the international reputation of our research and instruction. Norman was an Adjunct Professor in IDS, which meant that he was considered a regular member of our faculty, and we were honoured to have him as such.
Besides his professional excellence in so many capacities, Normanís cheerful demeanour, highly developed sense of humour, and seriousness of purpose, all finding a home in a mind of the highest intellectual calibre, contributed to the warm and sustained relationships he formed with faculty and students here at SMU IDS.
We will miss him very much.
I am sending you these lines with the hope that it will be of some comfort to you in this time of your loss to know that both at home and abroad Norman will be remembered for his contributions to making this world a better place for all humanity, and for his contributions to advancing the education of those with whom he came into contact, and, not least of all, improving and enhancing the lives of many by his affectionate and inimitable presence.
Sincerely,
Anthony Holland OíMalley
Program Coordinator, Saint Maryís University IDS
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Saint Maryís University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H3C3
I join with jamaica, the greater Caribbean region and the world in mourning the untimely departure of an unrivalled statesman, diplomat and academic luminary.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who has had the opportunity to feast at the lavish and extensive table of Professor Girvan's writings would agree that today we are intellectually poorer for his loss.
Having been fortunate to have interacted with him, on numerous occasions the latest being in October 2013, I remember a man whose physical "smallness" masked a gigantuan length, breadth and height of knowledge and a penchant for creativity with the pen which could put the mightiest sword out of business.
Rest in peace Professor and may your work continue to inspire our region as we press forward
I will always be grateful for Norman Girvan's inspiration in my own quest to grapple with my disappointment with the regional process, without losing hope in the vision of an integrated Caribbean. His encouragement to a young scholar was touching. The need to maintain a sense of optimism about a better Caribbean future in the face of challenges has never left me. Rest In Peace, Professor Girvan
ReplyDelete