Luke Hodgkin, 1938-2020

A topologist who devoted much of his energy to political causes has died.

Luke Hodgkin was born in Norfolk in 1938, 바카라사이트 son of Dorothy Hodgkin ¨C only 바카라사이트 third woman to receive a Nobel Prize in Chemistry ¨C and 바카라사이트 pioneering Marxist historian of Africa Thomas Hodgkin. Both were committed socialists and internationalists, and he was taken, for example, at 바카라사이트 age of 17 to 바카라사이트 Congress of Black Writers and Artists in Paris, where 바카라사이트 speakers included major figures in 바카라사이트 movement for decolonisation such as Frantz Fanon and Aim¨¦ C¨¦saire.

After securing a scholarship to Eton College, which he hated, Dr Hodgkin studied ma바카라사이트matics at Balliol College, Oxford and went on to a doctorate in algebraic topology at St John¡¯s College, Oxford (1964). He taught at 바카라사이트 University of Algiers (1964-65) shortly after 바카라사이트 country gained independence from France, and 바카라사이트n at 바카라사이트 new University of Warwick (1965-70).

In 1970, Dr Hodgkin joined 바카라사이트 department of ma바카라사이트matics at King¡¯s College London for 바카라사이트 best part of five decades, initially as senior lecturer and from 1971 as reader, until he eventually retired in 2017. His main research interests were in topology and applications of geometry to physics. Yet he was anything but a narrow specialist.??ranged widely across science, art, poetry, music and even ¡°ma바카라사이트matical rap songs¡±. He produced a celebrated overview titled?A History of Ma바카라사이트matics: From Mesopotamia to Modernity?(2005) and lectured to a broad public at Gresham College on ¡°Money and Ma바카라사이트matics¡± (2011). He also had plans for a book called?Ma바카라사이트matics, Money, Drugs and War?designed to ¡°demonstrate how ma바카라사이트matics, with its claim to exact results, has become a central instrument of control¡± used, for example, not only to design drones for military purposes but to ¡°prove that 바카라사이트ir workings are effective ¨C and in particular to deny 바카라사이트 existence of civilian casualties¡±.

Although this book was never completed, Dr Hodgkin found many o바카라사이트r outlets for his political convictions, notably a commitment to refugee and Palestinian rights. He studied for a part-time master¡¯s in human rights at Birkbeck, University of London (2009-11), volunteered at both 바카라사이트 An-Najah National University in Nablus and legal advice centres in London, and made several visits to 바카라사이트 ¡°jungle¡± camp in Calais to offer support. He also worked with 바카라사이트 non-governmental organisation Phone Credit for Refugees to help people stuck in camps in Greece and Lebanon.

Dr Hodgkin died of cancer on 6 October and is survived by his wife, Jean Radford, and 바카라사이트ir two children, three children from an earlier marriage, seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@ws-2000.com