A tribute to Keith Watson

At the end of last year, the BAICE Executive Committee learned of the death of Keith Watson. Keith’s working life preceded that of many of us on the Executive Committee, but his influence is central to BAICE’s existence, and his intellectual legacy is evident in how our field thinks and writes about comparative education today.

Keith Watson

Keith was the outgoing President of BCIES (the British Comparative and International Education Society); in 1998 BCIES and BATROE (the British Association of Teachers and Researchers in Overseas Education) merged to form BAICE as we know it. Keith also played key roles in the establishment of the International Journal of Educational Development (IJED) and UKFIET.

BAICE recently contributed a chapter to a book edited by the World Council for Comparative and Education Societies (WCCES). We were asked to reflect on the relevance of BAICE in this current period of global instability and uncertainty. With somewhat grim reassurance we drew on Keith’s contribution to BAICE’s inauguration, in which he referenced the unprecedented period of global instability that was the backdrop to BAICE’s launch. We agreed with Keith’s perspective that uncertainty does not diminish the potential for comparative work, rather it strengthens the need for more openness to different practices and ways of knowing.

Keith was well-known and well-respected by many. He published individually and in collaboration with other leading colleagues, and supervised and supported early career researchers who went on to have distinguished careers across academia and politics. He will be remembered as an influential scholar, a generous colleague and an inspiring mentor.

Alison Buckler and Tejendra Pherali