Stuart Edward Corbridge,

FRGS The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

(born 1957) is a British

geographer A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society, including how society and nature interacts. The Greek prefix "geo" means "earth" a ...

and academic specialising in

geopolitics Geopolitics (from Greek γῆ ''gê'' "earth, land" and πολιτική ''politikḗ'' "politics") is the study of the effects of Earth's geography (human and physical) on politics and international relations. While geopolitics usually refers to ...

development studies Development studies is an interdisciplinary branch of social science. Development studies is offered as a specialized master's degree in a number of reputed universities around the world. It has grown in popularity as a subject of study since the e ...

, and

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. From September 2015 to July 2021, he was Vice-Chancellor and Warden of

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills ( Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_cha ...

. From 2013 to 2015, he was Provost and Deputy Director of the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 milli ...

. He was also Professor of Development Studies at LSE.

Early life

Corbridge was born in 1957. He was brought up in the West Midlands of England. Having gained entry to the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, he studied

geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, an ...

Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Sidney Sussex College (referred to informally as "Sidney") is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England. The College was founded in 1596 under the terms of the will of Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex (1531–1589), wif ...

. His lecturers included Derek Gregory, Polly Hill, and Ajit Singh. He graduated in 1978 with a first class

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

(BA) degree; as per tradition, his BA was later promoted to

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

(MA Cantab). He remained at Cambridge to undertake

postgraduate Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and ...

study at

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corporation established by a charter dated 9 April 1511. The ...

. He completed his

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

(PhD) degree in 1986. His supervisor was Dr Ben H. Farmer and his

thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144 ...

was titled ''"State, Tribe and Region: Policy and Politics in Jharkhand, India, 1880 - 1980"''.

Academic career

From 1981 to 1985, Corbridge was a part-time

lecturer Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...

in geography at Huddersfield Polytechnic. He was first published in 1982 while he was a

student. He moved from Huddersfield Polytechnic to

Royal Holloway, University of London Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic depa ...

, where he was a lecturer in geography for two years. From 1987 to 1988, he held a position in the United States of America: he was an

associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. Overview In the '' North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is ...

of the

Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs (Maxwell School) is the professional public policy school of Syracuse University, a private research university in Syracuse, New York. The school is organized in 11 academic departments and 1 ...

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

. He then returned to his alma mater, the

. From 1988 to 1999, he was a lecturer in South Asian geography and a

fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

. In 1999, he once more moved to the United States and took up his first appointment as a

full professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professo ...

. From 1999 to 2003, he was Professor of

International Studies International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such a ...

at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...

. However, because of internal events at the university he left to return to the United Kingdom. He joined the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 milli ...

(LSE) as Professor of Geography, soon transferring to International Development. He was Head of the Department of International Development from August 2007 to July 2010. Between 2010 and 2013, he served as Pro-Director for Research. In September 2013, he was appointed Provost and Deputy Director of LSE. In March 2015, it was announced that Corbridge had been selected as the next Vice-Chancellor and Warden of

. He took up the appointment in September 2015 and was Durham's 24th

vice-chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor ...

. In April 2020, Corbridge was at the centre of a controversy surrounding proposed changes to the provision of teaching at Durham University. The proposed changes, which would have involved reducing the number of modules delivered in person by 25% in favour of courses taught either primarily or entirely online, were criticized by university staff and students. After significant resistance the plans were retracted from the university senate, with Corbridge commenting that he was "happy to say that I think we misjudged our academics. It is very clear that most academics do not want to let go of their courses". In May 2020, the Chair of Council announced that Corbridge will retire on 31 July 2021.

Personal life

Corbridge's partner is Pilar Saborio de Rocafort, a

Costa Rican Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the ...

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or interna ...

. From 2007 to 2015, she was Costa Rica's ambassador to the United Kingdom. Since February 2015, she has been Costa Rica's

Permanent Representative to the United Nations A permanent representative to the United Nations (sometimes called a "UN ambassador")"History of Ambassadors", United States Mission to the United Nations, March 2011, webpagUSUN-a. is the head of a country's diplomatic mission to the United Nat ...

Scholarly work

Corbridge has made several major contributions to international development theory, beginning in 1986 with his critiques of radical development. His empirical work is on peasant economy and rural development in India, and the nature of the Indian state as that country undergoes rapid transformation into a capitalist economy.

Selected works

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corbridge, Stuart 1957 births People from the West Midlands (region) Living people British geographers Geopoliticians Development specialists Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Alumni of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Academics of the University of Huddersfield Academics of Royal Holloway, University of London Syracuse University faculty Fellows of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge University of Miami faculty Academics of the London School of Economics Vice-Chancellors and Wardens of Durham University Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society