BARBOUR, (Kenneth) Michael 1921-2004

OBITUARY NOTICE— See index for CA sketch: Born October 8, 1921, in Naini Tal, India; died September 20, 2004. Geographer, educator, and author. Barbour is best remembered as a prominent educator at African universities and for his 1961 book, The Republic of Sudan, which is now considered a classic work in the field of geography. After serving in the Royal Navy during World War II, he studied at New College, Oxford, taking a B.A. in 1947, a B.Litt. in 1953, and later earning a doctorate. Much of Barbour's academic career was spent in Africa, first at University College in Khartoum, Sudan, from 1948 to 1955, and then at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria from 1962 to 1972. In between those appointments, he lectured in geography at the University of London. In 1973, he accepted a post as professor of geography at the New University of Ulster. After he retired from Ulster, he returned to Africa to teach for two years at the University of Nairobi. During his time in Africa, Barbour helped establish respected academic programs, while also conducting research in such areas as the economy and agriculture of Egypt and Sudan. He wrote and edited several geography books about Africa in addition to his debut classic, The Republic of Sudan, including Population in Africa (1962) and The Growth, Location, and Structure of Industry in Egypt (1972).

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

periodicals

Times (London, England), November 25, 2004, p. 74.