Tribute for Richard Bruce
25 February 2019
It is with great sadness that we have learnt of the death of Richard Bruce, former UCL Anthropology PhD student, husband of Professor Leslie Aiello, who was UCL Anthropology Head of Department. As a graduate student Richard participated in the Department’s academic link programme with Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria, where he taught and carried out his PhD research among various groups on the Jos Plateau. Richard kept up these links, revisiting in recent years the families with whom he had worked. His anthropological training carried through into his lifelong interest in social justice and political engagement. He acted as Union representative for Royal Mail, as councillor in Hackney and, following his and Leslie’s move to the USA, as campaigner for the Democratic Party from their New York home. In their retirement they shared their enjoyment of travel through Africa, South America and South Asia as well as Europe and the States. Richard was ever a source of wry humour and cutting insight, a person of steadfast and deeply held principles, and a lover of cricket, politics and the odd whisky.
Image: Richard’s 1970s work in Nigeria