Professor Guillermo ODonnell, a former Winant Professor, sadly passed away on 29 November 2011
Professor Guillermo ODonnell held the title John G. Winant Visiting Professorship of American Government while in Oxford in the academic year 2007-08.
Dr Timothy Power, Director of the Latin American Centre, writes:
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Professor Guillermo ODonnell, who passed away in Buenos Aires yesterday at the age of 75.
Guillermo was the most influential political scientist ever to work on Latin America. His ideas and hypotheses about authoritarianism and democratization dominated the study of Latin American politics for four consecutive decades, from the early 1970s until his death. His work will be debated and cited for years to come. However, his influence extended far beyond the region of Latin America: he was also recognized as one of the most creative voices in modern comparative politics.
Guillermo spent the second half of his career in the United States, and founded the Kellogg Institute at the University of Notre Dame. He was also a frequent visitor to Oxford, and especially to Nuffield College. With Laurence Whitehead and Philippe Schmitter, he organized the four-volume series Transitions from Authoritarian Rule, which remains the most important work on comparative democratization some 25 years after its publication. Guillermo also held the John G. Winant Visiting Professorship in DPIR in 2007-2008. His most recent visit to the Latin American Centre was in Hilary Term 2008, when he presented the ideas of his final book, Democracy, Agency, and the State: Theory with Comparative Intent (OUP, 2010).
In Buenos Aires today, the funeral arrangements begin with a public viewing in the Legislatura de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (the city council chambers) followed by burial in the Recoleta Cemetery this afternoon. Guillermos legacy will be honoured frequently in the coming months. We expect to organize a commemorative panel at the LASA meeting in San Francisco in May.
Some obituaries in the Argentine press:
http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1428838-murio-guillermo-odonnell-un-analista-profundo-de-la-politica
http://www.clarin.com/sociedad/Murio-Guillermo-ODonnell-pensador-democracia_0_600540046.html
http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/ultimas/20-182313-2011-11-29.html
