Deborah James, Gerry Simpson, Leslie Hannah: (Deborah Jame by Maurice Weiss)
Professor Gerry Simpson, Professor Deborah James and Professor Leslie Hannah from the London School of Economics and Political Science have all been made Fellows of The British Academy, the UK voice for the humanities and social sciences.
They are among 76 distinguished scholars to be elected to the prestigious fellowship this year in recognition of their work. They also join a community of over 1400 of the leading minds that make up the UK’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences. As British Academy Fellows they join many School colleagues, past and present, and follow in the footsteps of historic figures such as LSE co-founder Beatrice Webb.
Gerry Simpson, Professor of Public International Law, is to be elected to the Fellowship in recognition of his contributions to research in international law.
Deborah James, Professor of Anthropology, is to be elected to the Fellowship in recognition of her work on the systemic repercussions for the poor, and more recently also the new middle classes, of state policies of: land reform, pensions, banking regulation and public health, including reproductive health and HIV-AIDS.
Leslie Hannah, Emeritus Professor of Business History, is to be elected to the Fellowship in recognition of his status as an influential and widely-cited British business historian. A longstanding LSE colleague, Professor Hannah was previously Director of the LSE’s Business History Unit, Pro-Director and also Acting Director of the School from 1996-97.
As well as a fellowship, the British Academy is a funding body for research, nationally and internationally, and a forum for debate and engagement.
Welcoming the news, Professor Leslie Hannah said:
"As someone who has taught in both the management and economic history departments at LSE and also worked in business schools, I'm honoured to be one of the three LSE names in this year’s crop of new Fellows. Interdisciplinary work is more often advocated than practised: as the Nobel-prizewinning economist Herbert Simon pointed out, it’s much harder in this age of academic specialisms to be a Renaissance man."
Professor Deborah James said:
“I’m honoured to join the ranks of these fellow-academics whose work I so admire. I once worked on a sub-panel of the British Academy whose remit was to foster links between academics in the UK and those in Africa - I look forward to joining colleagues in the Academy as they take this work forward. I hope especially to be able to campaign against the harsh visa regime currently in place for visiting academics from Africa.”
Professor Gerry Simpson said:
“I am also honoured to have been elected a Fellow of the British Academy, and to have had my scholarship (and that of my collaborators) recognised in this way. I look forward to joining other LSE Law Department Fellows in contributing to the work of the Academy.”