Thinking about Simon

Simon Clarke, aka Clarkie, long-time Professor of Psycho-Social Studies at the University of the West of England (UWE), died at his home in Cornwall during the Christmas holidays of 2018. Writing this piece has been difficult, part of a process of mourning for something that many of us feared would happen when we realised some of the traumas that Simon had recently faced. That is why versions of this piece have been written, deleted and ejected into the recycle bin. How to get this right? Is this a celebration, an obituary, a memorial, a remembrance… what should this short piece be? Should I write this for those who knew Simon well and, if they were fortunate, worked closely with him, or for those who might have come across his work in their own work and found it stimulating? My decision – right or wrong – was that this would, on balance, be a remembrance more than a considered introduction to his work and his many contributions to psycho-social studies. For me, it is, in large measure, a remembrance which also includes writing about some his work and about how I, as one of the founders of the Centre for Psycho-Social Studies at the UWE, remember him. There are many academic writings that provide insights into his work and I am not trying to add to that catalogue. I hope there will be an opportunity in the future to assess his contributions to psycho-social studies so that we do not forget him and his work.

There was tragedy in Simon’s death – he had been hospitalised as a result of a fall which was related to a violent, unprovoked attack he had suffered some years ago. His attacker was imprisoned and released into the same

community of which Simon was a member, leaving Simon vulnerable and anxious. Simon, ever his own man, had discharged himself from hospital and died in his own home. Beyond this tragedy, there is a huge amount of remembering and celebrating we can do in recognition of Simon as a friend and colleague, and as an astute and insightful thinker who pl