Sad News: Donald Hindley
January 17, 2023
Dear Colleagues,
I write to share the sad news of the passing of Donald Hindley, Professor Emeritus of Politics, who died on December 30, 2022.
Donald Hindley came to Brandeis University in 1962. With an Honors degree in Geography and a graduate diploma in Education from Leeds University, he earned a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Southern California. He went on to earn a PhD in Political Science from the Australian National University. He was the recipient of a Rockefeller Foundation Grant as well as a Fulbright Travel Grant which enabled him to conduct fieldwork in both Southeast Asia and Latin America.
At Brandeis, Professor Hindley taught courses on the Politics of Southeast Asia, Revolution, Latin American Politics, and the Vietnam War. In 1964 he published a book with the University of California Press called The Communist Party of Indonesia (1951-1963), followed by articles on the politics of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand in such journals as American Political Science Review, Asian Survey, The Journal of Asian Studies, Pacific Affairs and The China Quarterly, among others.
Donald Hindley was elected Chair of the Politics Department and served as Director of Undergraduate Studies. He was an active member of the Faculty Senate and served as a leading member of the faculty committees for both Latin American Studies (now Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies) and East Asian Studies.
Outspoken on many issues of the political moment, from the Vietnam War to contemporary politics in the Middle East, Donald Hindley had a strong sense that injustice and inequality based on gender, race, class, ethnicity and nationality should be exposed and combated. One of the longest serving professors in Brandeis’s history, Professor Hindley taught for 52 years. He prized the opportunity to teach students, taught multiple generations in families, and said at his retirement in 2015 that “the chance to interact with (students) and watch them grow…has kept me thrilled and alive and interested.”
Every year Professor Hindley received appreciative emails from former students, including this message from Larry Rosen, Cromwell Professor of Anthropology at Princeton University: “I never forgot the course I took with you, and as I too approach retirement I simply wanted you to know that you had a profound influence on my own work and that, whatever your other experiences at Brandeis, you should know that I, no doubt like many others, remain enormously grateful for all you taught us.”
Donald Hindley was a hill walker and rock climber. He enjoyed his walks with his old Border terrier named Puppy. He reported that, “As usual I am rambling off course. I do enjoy the deer and self-made paths rather than the beaten human trails.”
Donald Hindley was a vital part of the Politics Department for six decades. May he rest in peace.
I am grateful to Eva Bellin, Daniel Kryder and Jytte Klausen of the Department of Politics for their contributions to this memoriam.
Sincerely,
Carol A. Fierke
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs