Professor David M Smith
Emeritus Professor of Geography, Queen Mary, University of London (S3) Geographical aspects of inequality, social justice and morality, including exploration of the interface of geography and ethics; research in the USA, Eastern Europe and South Africa
I was born in Birmingham on 16 July 1936. My secondary education was at Solihull School. I gained a BA in geography with economics at Nottingham University, and went on to do a PhD there in the field of industrial location. After this I worked as a planning assistant with Staffordshire County Council for two years, before being appointed to a lectureship in geography at Manchester University. My early research was on industrial development and regional planning. My first book was a regional study in industrial archaeology. After three years at Manchester I left for for the United States and a post at Southern Illinois University. Here my research interests moved to more social issues, stimulated in part by my late wife Margaret's concern with social problems as a lecturer in sociology. Two years at the University of Florida consolidated an interest in inequality and social justice in a geographical setting. A year in South Africa followed, experiencing the injustice of apartheid first hand. Then after six months in Australia I was appointed Professor of Geography at Queen Mary College, University of London, where I remained until I retired. During this time I wrote a number of books on geographical aspects of inequality, social justice and morality, with a blend of theory and case studies from the United States, Eastern Europe, South Africa and Israel. I have always worked in a multi-disciplinary context, most recently exploring the interface of geography and moral philosophy. I would like to think that my election as FBA was recognition of this inter- disciplinary perspective, and of the importance of a geographical pointy of view to other disciplines. I was happily married to Margaret for more than 40 years. I have a son who is a novelist and a daughter who works for social services in a managerial capacity. | 
