Gavin Kitching is a British author and professor of

social science Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among members within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the ...

s and

international relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

(formerly head of School Politics and International Relations) at the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...

, where he has taught since 1991. In 2007 Kitching became a fellow of the

Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) is an independent, non-governmental organisation devoted to the advancement of knowledge and research in the social sciences. It has its origins in the Social Science Research Council of Aus ...

Academic and fiction work

Kitching is an expert on the philosophy of

Ludwig Wittgenstein Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein ( ; ; 26 April 1889 – 29 April 1951) was an Austrian philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language. From 1929 to 1947, Witt ...

, and has made contributions to the philosophy behind

Marxism Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflict, ...

. In his latest work, Kitching has argued that

postmodernism Postmodernism encompasses a variety of artistic, Culture, cultural, and philosophical movements that claim to mark a break from modernism. They have in common the conviction that it is no longer possible to rely upon previous ways of depicting ...

is a hollow form of philosophy, setting "an athletic Enlightenment cat among the plump postmodernist pigeons." He argues not only that postmodernism is either boring or wrong, but that it can be a distorting influence in education. Prior to that Kitching made contributions 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 ...

, with the early best-selling course text ''Development and Underdevelopment'' (1989). His first research and published work focussed on development in Africa, particularly

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

and

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

, for which he won the Herskovitz Prize. Since the early 1990s he moved to analysing post-soviet

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

during the process of de-

collectivisation Collective farming and communal farming are various types of "agricultural production in which multiple farmers run their holdings as a joint enterprise". There are two broad types of communal farms: agricultural cooperatives, in which member-o ...

of land. Subsequently, he wrote about the effects of

globalisation Globalization is the process of increasing interdependence and integration among the economies, markets, societies, and cultures of different countries worldwide. This is made possible by the reduction of barriers to international trade, th ...

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

in the twenty-first-century economy, and is familiar to UNSW

international studies International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

students for teaching the introductory globalisation course. Kitching is also a published novelist and playwright. The main characters play out their roles in the North-East of

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, and the novels are whodunnit crime stories.

List of publications

;Academic titles *''Capitalism and Democracy in the 21st Century: A Global Future Beyond Nationalism'' (2020) Routledge, *''The trouble with theory: the educational costs of postmodernism'' (2008) Allen & Unwin, *''Wittgenstein and Society: Essays in Conceptual Puzzlement'' (2003) Ashgate, *''Seeking Social Justice through Globalisation: Escaping a Nationalist Perspective'' (2001) Penn State Press, *''Marxism and Science: Analysis of an Obsession''Link to website
/ref> (1994) Penn State Press, *''Rethinking Socialism'' (1983) Meuthen, *''Development and Underdevelopment in Historical Perspective'' (1989) 2nd Ed. Routledge, *''Class and economic change in Kenya'' (1980) Yale University Press, ;Academic articles
''The modernisation myth''
(2006) *''The Concept of Sebestoimost' in Russian Farm Accounting: A Very Unmagical Mystery Tour'' (2001) 1 Journal of Agrarian Change 57

(2000) ;Fiction work *''The Death of a Politician'' (2007

*''The Truth of the Matter'' (2007

*''Sons and Smugglers'' (2007

*''An Impossible Honesty: Scenes from the life of Ludwig Wittgenstein'' (2003

, freely downloadable *''Karl Marx in Hell'' (2002

, freely downloadable *''A Dream of Gazza'' (2001

, freely downloadable

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kitching, Gavin Living people Academic staff of the University of New South Wales Alumni of St Antony's College, Oxford Year of birth missing (living people) Members of the Fabian Society ASA Best Book Prize winners

Academic and fiction work

List of publications

Further reading

Notes