Mastodawn

Emeritus Prof Christopher May

There's been little acknowledgement but Susan George (political scientist as Wikipedia have it, or political economist, as I would prefer) passed on 14th February. I've seen no obituaries, but here is her Wikipedia entry which included the long list of her excellent & insightful books... many of which were always on my reading lists

I'm sure the lack of obits has nothing to do with her being a women or a critique of global capitalism. /s

h/t @AnnPettifor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_George_(political_scientist)

Susan George (political scientist) - Wikipedia

Bruno Nicoletti Feb 22

@ChrisMayLA6 @AnnPettifor That is sad. I still have Ill Fares The Land as well A Fate Worse Than Debt on my book shelves. She certainly influenced me.

@ChrisMayLA6 @AnnPettifor Capitalism appears to lurch from one crisis to the next and appears to believe all stand alone businesses should be profitable except this is not the case. Mix that in with the desperate search for eternal growth and we’ve got the mess we are now in. Add robots (which are getting better and better) and everything will fall apart. An alternative is essential and it’s not slavery!

@ChrisMayLA6 @AnnPettifor PS Which of her books would you recommend? Thanks.

Emeritus Prof Christopher May Feb 22

@alex_p_roe @AnnPettifor

Well partly because I used it in my last book project (before I retired) and its something I still write about, I'd recommend Shadow Sovereigns which is about global corporations - is as good a place to start with her work as any

Mike Waghorne Feb 22

@ChrisMayLA6 @AnnPettifor A wonderful woman and powerful thinker. I'm sorry to hear of her death.

Martin Pigeon Feb 22

@ChrisMayLA6 @AnnPettifor Two obituaries
https://corporateeurope.org/en/2026/02/memory-susan-george

https://www.tni.org/en/article/susan-george-obituary

We will miss her.

In memory of Susan George | Corporate Europe Observatory

The world has lost an important voice committed to social justice and democracy. Susan George was an invaluable author and activist. We at CEO have lost a staunch ally and a dear friend.

Corporate Europe Observatory

Mark Burton Feb 22

@ChrisMayLA6
https://www.tni.org/en/article/susan-george-obituary

Susan George – acclaimed political scientist and TNI’s honorary president – has passed away at the age of 91 | Transnational Institute

Study the rich and powerful, not the poor and powerless. - Susan George, How the Other Half Dies, 1976The Transnational Institute mourns the sad news of the passing of Susan George, on February 14, 2026. No one has done more to shape, energise, and inspire TNI over the decades – she has been our inspiration, our honorary leader, our intellectual soul, and our beloved friend. We will never see her like again.

Transnational Institute

Mark Burton Feb 23

@ChrisMayLA6
In this Spanish left paper too
https://www.elsaltodiario.com/obituario/muere-susan-george-una-gigante-del-movimiento-justicia-global?utm_source=feed

Susan George, una gigante del movimiento por la justicia global

Se nos ha ido Susan George y con ella una activista de pluma afilada, politóloga, científica social y filósofa que jamás perdió calidez humana.

El Salto Diario

Jude🇵🇸Feb 22

@ChrisMayLA6 @AnnPettifor Passed what? Wind.? FFS man, she died... give those stupid euphemisms away.

Emeritus Prof Christopher May Feb 22

@sister_ratched @AnnPettifor

Its difficult to know what term to use, for the simple reason that some people don't like the simpler term(s)... and some people don't like the euphemism(s).

Jude🇵🇸Feb 22

@ChrisMayLA6 @AnnPettifor Go with reality, be brave!

Richard Rathe Feb 22

@ChrisMayLA6 @AnnPettifor

All of her books look interesting! Thanks.

Susan George Bibliography

How the Other Half Dies: The Real Reasons for World Hunger (Penguin), 1976. Reprinted 1986, 1991, ISBN 0-14-013569-3. (An analysis of the real reasons for world hunger.)

Ill Fares the Land (Penguin), 1984. Revised and expanded 1990 ISBN 0-14-012790-9. (Essays on food, hunger and power.)

A Fate Worse Than Debt (Penguin), 1988, ISBN 0-14-022789-X. (An analysis of the reasons for Third World debt.)

The Debt Boomerang (Pluto Press), 1992, ISBN 0-7453-0594-6. (Continuing the theme of Third World debt and its harmful effects.)

Faith and Credit: The World Bank's Secular Empire (with Fabrizio Sabelli) (Westview Press), 1994, ISBN 978-0-8133-2607-8

The Lugano Report: On Preserving Capitalism in the 21st Century, 1999, ISBN 0-7453-1532-1

Another World Is Possible If (Verso Books), 2004, ISBN 1-84467-510-6

Hijacking America: How the Secular and Religious Right Changed What Americans Think (Polity), 2008, ISBN 978-0-7456-4461-5

We the Peoples of Europe, 2008, ISBN 978-0-7453-2633-7

Whose Crisis? Whose Future?, 2010 (Polity), ISBN 978-0-7456-5138-5

How to Win the Class War – The Lugano Report II, 2013, ISBN 978-90-70563-18-9

Les Usurpateurs (The usurpers, in French), 2014, ISBN 978-2-02-121378-2

Shadow Sovereigns: How Global Corporations Are Seizing Power, 2015 (Polity), ISBN 978-0-7456-9782-6

Stoneface Vimes Feb 22

@nickrauchen @ChrisMayLA6 @AnnPettifor oh yes. I certainly remember How The Other Half Dies.

jd 🌍🇪🇺🇭🇺🚀 & 👍🇺🇦🇵🇸+🇮🇷🇨🇺Feb 22

@ChrisMayLA6 @AnnPettifor

I am sorry to hear this news :'( I met her many years ago and interviewed her for a radio show I worked for a community radio station in Budapest. She was smart and very nice with me. I discovered we have some common past connections as Americans living in Europe.

Of all the interviews I did for that show I remember her the most.

RIP Susan George :'(

/jd

Just seen this Chris :
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/obituaries/article/2026/02/23/susan-george-french-american-political-scientist-and-figure-of-the-alter-globalization-movement-dies_6750786_15.html

You can get over the paywall here :
https://archive.ph/1J066

Susan George, French-American political scientist and figure of the alter-globalization movement, dies

The essayist, co-founder of Attac, notably raised awareness among the French and Europeans about the damage caused by globalization. She died on February 14 at the age of 91.

Le Monde

Emeritus Prof Christopher May Feb 24

@GeofCox @AnnPettifor

Thanks, what's clear is there has been a number of Obits, but none of them (as far as I can see) in the mainstream UK press... disappointing, but perhaps not surprising.