Like so many others I was saddened to hear about Neil Smith’s untimely passing. People who knew him have all mentioned what a kind, warm, down to earth, and funny person he was—in this, I hope I follow his footsteps. In terms of his intellectual work, this blog has posted notes on his writings on uneven development and scale. His influence on geography and beyond will be missed.
Eric Hobsbawm also died this week. I have not read his massive “Age of…” books, but I’ve posted about his Bandits and Primitive Rebels. The two books inspired a raft of studies I’ve also posted about—from Colombia, Italy, Mexico, and beyond—that build on and critique his work.
All this is just to say that both thinkers changed my thinking and it’s a huge loss that they’re gone.