CMI mourns the loss of Thomas Hylland Eriksen

CMI mourns the loss of Thomas Hylland Eriksen, a prominent anthropologist, a colleague, and a friend.

During his affiliation with CMI and later visits and collaborations, Thomas always had a positive influence thank to his contagious curiosity, creative energy, and encyclopedic knowledge across disciplines and regions. He was a brilliant example of how anthropology can, and should, effectively tackle “real-world problems”, as it is also reflected in CMI's mission. Thomas’ warm personality, generosity, and engaging approach made him an excellent discussion partner. A few days before he passed away, some of us attended the World Anthropological Union congress in Johannesburg, South Africa, where Thomas received yet another recognition of his work from the anthropological community, being elected as an honorary member. As the General Assembly applauded his election, we felt both happy for this recognition and sad for his declining health conditions. When we informed him, he was moved and said that the news "made my day".

We will remember him as an inspiring scholar but also as someone who embraced life and fought the disease with stamina and humor.