Peter Gowan (15 January 1946, Glasgow – 12 June 2009) was a Professor of

International Relations 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 ...

London Metropolitan University London Metropolitan University, commonly known as London Met, is a public research university in London, England. The University of North London (formerly the Polytechnic of North London) and London Guildhall University (formerly the City o ...

, activist, published author and public speaker. He was a member of the editorial committee of ''

New Left Review The ''New Left Review'' is a British bimonthly journal covering world politics, economy, and culture, which was established in 1960. History Background As part of the British "New Left" a number of new journals emerged to carry commentary on m ...

'' and was one of the founders of ''Labour Focus on Eastern Europe''.

Biography

With his older sister and his mother he moved to Belfast in April 1946 and lived there until he was nine. He never knew his father. He went to school at Princess Gardens in Belfast until he was seven and then to Brackenburgh House. When he was nine his mother moved to London to work and he went to prep school in Suffolk, Orwell Park, ultimately becoming head boy. He left there to go to

Haileybury and Imperial Service College Haileybury is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) near Hertford in England. It is a member of the Rugby Group and, though originally a major boys' public school in the Victorian era, it is now co-educational, enrol ...

, in Hertfordshire when he was 13, in 1959 and from there went on to read politics and history at

Southampton University , mottoeng = The Heights Yield to Endeavour , type = Public research university , established = 1862 – Hartley Institution1902 – Hartley University College1913 – Southampton University Coll ...

. Gowan was diagnosed with his fatal illness only a couple of weeks after the onset of the Global Financial Crisis. Despite knowing that his condition was terminal and his health fast-deteriorating, he not only bore it with good humour, but bravely continued to work to the limits of his capacity over the following months: his article "Crisis in the Heartland" for the January–February 2009 issue of ''New Left Review'' provides a succinct account of how he interpreted the origins of the financial crisis. He died at age 63 from the

asbestos Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere ...

related disease, peritoneal mesothelioma on 12 June 2009.Revolutionary History Obituary
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Books

*''A Calculus of Power: Grand Strategy in the Twenty-First Century'' (Verso 2010) *''The Search for Order: Historical Reflections on the Crisis of Grand Strategies'' (Verso 2008)
''The Twisted Road to Kosovo''''Introduction''

''The Global Gamble: Washington's Faustian Bid for World Dominance''(Verso, 1999)
*''Crisis East and West: Must it be Global Barbarism?'' (Spokesman Books 1997) * ''The Question of Europe'' – Peter Gowan & Perry Anderson (eds) (Verso 1997) *''European Union Policy Towards the Visegrad States'' (London Metropolitan University 1996)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gowan, Peter British Marxists Deutscher Memorial Prize winners International Marxist Group members International relations scholars British Trotskyists 1946 births 2009 deaths Academics of London Metropolitan University Alumni of the University of Southampton Writers about globalization