David Marsden—An Appreciation

Abstract

Some readers will know that Dr David Marsden, formerly of the University of Swansea and the World Bank, died in early October and the CDJ wanted to acknowledge his very considerable contribution to the development of the CDJ. The CDJ originated as a newsletter in 1966, reflecting on what were then seen as key community development issues. Many of the early Board members had worked in British colonies before and shortly after political independence struggles had been completed, and had returned to work in the UK, in administrative and academic posts. The early issues of the Journal were still dominated by an immediately post-colonial outlook, often reflecting these Board members’ employment as administrators and educators. However, during the early 1970s, both community development specialists working in the emerging profession in the UK and a new breed of social development academics began to join the Board. In the mid-1970s, David, and his key colleague Peter Oakley, from the University of Reading, as leading instances of the latter group, joined the Board and made an immediate impact.