Stuart Corbridge

Stuart Edward Corbridge, FRGS (born 1957) is a British geographer and academic specialising in geopolitics, development studies, and India. From September 2015 to July 2021, he was Vice-Chancellor and Warden of Durham University. From 2013 to 2015, he was Provost and Deputy Director of the London School of Economics. He was also Professor of Development Studies at LSE.

Early life Corbridge was born in 1957. He was brought up in the West Midlands of England. Having gained entry to the University of Cambridge, he studied geography at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. His lecturers included Derek Gregory, Polly Hill, and Ajit Singh. Between 2010 and 2013, he served as Pro-Director for Research.

In March 2015, it was announced that Corbridge had been selected as the next Vice-Chancellor and Warden of Durham University. In April 2020, Corbridge was at the centre of a controversy surrounding proposed changes to the provision of teaching at Durham University. The proposed changes, which would have involved reducing the number of modules delivered in person by 25% in favour of courses taught either primarily or entirely online, were criticized by university staff and students. After significant resistance the plans were retracted from the university senate, with Corbridge commenting that he was "happy to say that I think we misjudged our academics. It is very clear that most academics do not want to let go of their courses".

In May 2020, the Chair of Council announced that Corbridge would retire on 31 July 2021.

Personal life Corbridge's partner is Pilar Saborio de Rocafort, a former Costa Rican diplomat. From 2007 to 2015, she was Costa Rica's ambassador to the United Kingdom, and held several other positions. In February 2015, she became Costa Rica's Permanent Representative to the United Nations. and now works in corporate diplomacy.

Scholarly work Corbridge has made several major contributions to international development theory, beginning in 1986 with his critiques of radical development. His empirical work is on peasant economy and rural development in India, and the nature of the Indian state as that country undergoes rapid transformation into a capitalist economy.

Selected works