It is with great sadness that we announce that Hans Löfgren passed away unexpectedly while travelling in the United States in mid-July. Hans was part of the editorial team of the Australian Journal of Political Science, and an integral part of the team's efforts to bring the journal to Deakin University. As Associate Editor, Hans oversaw the production of the September issue of the journal, and it is sad but fitting that his final efforts should appear at this time.
Hans grew up in Sweden, and held a life-long commitment to progressive social change. He was, however, equally critical of the approaches offered by Swedish social democrats on the one hand and the more authoritarian strategies suggested by Stalinists and Maoists on the other. He joined a small leftist party, for which he helped to produce and sell a weekly newspaper, as well as running a bookshop and café. He worked for a time in a factory, in order to better understand and support workers' struggles. Hans later trained as a librarian.
Hans travelled widely, and his knowledge of languages enhanced his love of travel. He spoke fluent English, had a working knowledge of German and in later years learned some Spanish in order to better communicate with his daughter's new family. Hans spent a year as a young man living in the United States, and while travelling through Europe in his 20s he met his wife Rhonda Small. They settled in Melbourne, which became Hans' adopted home. He worked for a time at the State Library of Victoria, before completing a PhD in public policy at the University of Melbourne. Hans and Rhonda raised three children in Melbourne, and Hans became an active member in his local community, St Kilda. He ran for the local council in 2004, and narrowly missed out on being elected.
Hans embarked on an academic career after the award of his PhD, and spent three years at the Launceston Campus of the University of Tasmania. Most of his career, however, was spent in the (now) School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Deakin University. Hans commenced teaching in Deakin's Politics and Public Policy stream in 2001, and he developed a diverse and wide-ranging teaching repertoire. Hans was particularly pleased to introduce an undergraduate unit devoted to the study of Indian politics. He co-taught the unit with his dear friend and collaborator, Professor K.C. Suri from the University of Hyderabad. Hans had a strong capacity for friendship, which he believed should underpin both academic collegiality and political activism.
To a significant degree his areas of teaching were aligned with his research interests: Hans conducted research into the political economy of the pharmaceutical industry as well as the politics of India, and his work was published in some of the leading journals in the discipline. Hans organised several collaborative research projects, conferences and symposia, and he edited several books as a result. These volumes enabled a number of Indian scholars to present their work to global audiences for the first time. As a supervisor of honours and doctoral students, Hans oversaw several successful completions. His students benefited from his attention to detail, thoughtful, timely and considerate feedback, and continuous encouragement. Hans had several leadership roles in the school, serving as an Associate Head of School in the Research and External Partnerships portfolios, as well as an editor of the AJPS.
Hans was a compassionate, generous, thoughtful, intelligent and well-rounded person. His friends, family, colleagues and students will miss him greatly.