Sylvia Chant was one of the world’s most respected feminist development geographers. Through her influential research and policy work, she fundamentally shaped the field of gender and international development, highlighting the importance of women-headed households and the complex relationships between gender and poverty.
Sylvia was a passionate advocate of women’s roles in international development, and argued influential cases in 18 books and over 150 published papers. She ended her illustrious career as Professor of Development Geography at the London School of Economics.
After completing her PhD and post-doctoral research at UCL, Sylvia spent a year at the University of Liverpool, after which she moved to the London School of Economics for the remainder of her career. Throughout her life, she maintained an important affiliation with the Gender Institute.
Sylvia's legacy will be enduring and immeasurable. She brought generosity, warmth and compassion to her research, a deep commitment to feminist transformation in the global South and an incomparable care for teaching generations of undergraduate, masters and doctoral students.
Our kind thoughts are with her husband, Chris, and the rest of her family, friends and colleagues. Please find a more detailed obituary on the LSE Department of Geography and the Environment webpage and via The Guardian. You can leave messages of remembrance for Sylvia at LSE condolences.
By Professor Cathy McIlwaine, King's College London and Professor Claire Mercer, London School of Economics