Barbara E. Ward

Barbara E. Ward (1919–1983) was a British social anthropologist and academic, who specialized in sinological anthropology. For the next five years she taught in England and West Africa.

In 1950, Ward moved to Hong Kong where she focused her attention to the fishing community. For three years, she spent performing field work among the Kau Sai group in the Eastern New Territories. She taught sociology at Chinese University of Hong Kong, rising to the rank of reader.

In 1973, she was invited to act as the head of the International Institute for Environmental Affairs. However she only agreed on the condition that the name be changed to the International Institute for Environment and Development to which it still remains today.

During her academic career, she lectured at the University of London, Cornell University, the University of Cambridge, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

At the end of her life she was preparing a book on the boat people of Hong Kong. Selected works