Francis Wilson (17 May 1939 – 24 April 2022) was a South African economist.

Biography

He was the son of the anthropologists

Godfrey Wilson Godfrey Wilson (1908 – 19 May 1944) was a British anthropologist who studied social change in Africa. Wilson first joined Hertford College, Oxford, Hertford College with an open scholarship in 1927, and received a Lit. Hum. degree in 193 ...

and

Monica Wilson Monica Wilson, née Hunter (3 January 1908 – 26 October 1982) was a South African anthropologist, who was professor of social anthropology at the University of Cape Town. Life Monica Hunter was born to missionary parents in Lovedale in t ...

. Wilson attended St. Andrew's College, Grahamstown. He obtained a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in physics from the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...

and a master’s degree in economics as well as a doctorate, both from 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 ...

. Wilson was a member of the academic teaching staff in the School of Economics at the

. He was the founder and director of the Southern African Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU). He was also a visiting professor at the

Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (formerly the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs) is a professional public policy school at Princeton University. The school provides an array of comprehensive course ...

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

. In 2001 Wilson chaired the

International Social Science Council The International Social Science Council (ISSC) was an international non-governmental organization promoting the social sciences, including the economic and behavioural sciences. It was founded in Paris, France between 6 and 9 October 1952, un ...

’s Scientific Committee of the International Comparative Research Program on Poverty. Wilson was the Pro-Vice Chancellor of

UCT The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university stat ...

in 2012.

Awards and honours

In 2016, Wilson was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Cape Town for his more than 30 years teaching at UCT’s School of Economics, where he made seminal contributions to unearthing the exploitation of South Africa’s migrant labourers, particularly in the gold mines.

Works

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References

* 1939 births 2022 deaths Alumni of St. Andrew's College, Grahamstown Academic staff of the University of Cape Town 20th-century South African economists Members of the Academy of Science of South Africa Alumni of the University of Cambridge University of Cape Town alumni White South African people 21st-century South African economists People from Livingstone, Zambia South African people of British descent {{SouthAfrica-academic-bio-stub