In Memory of Paul Mepschen

Paul, you were a true inspiration. You taught me to love Anthropology, taught me to admire Gramsci, taught me when to be critical and when to take a much needed break. As someone who had mastered the art of sarcasm, you always knew how to make us laugh. You will be missed. 

- C

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On the one hand, Paul was an outspoken advocate, who didn't shy away from sharing his opinion and speaking truth to power (sometimes aggressively). On the other hand, Paul was also committed to inclusive dialogue, respecting diversity and building relations across differences. In his work, he drew on Charles Taylor's focus on 'sharing identity space' and Delanty's emphasis on building inclusive society as 'a learning process', which we are all responsible for working towards. This is how I will remember Paul. My ongoing learning and work will be how I honour his legacy.

- Corey Wright, Assistant Professor 

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I admired how Paul could start a lecture and delve so deep in a topic, often jumping from one thought to another until he realized it was time to move to the next slide. Another thing that of course happened frequently, was when Paul overshared about his personal life. I think that was one of the nicest ways of learning in class, because it truly is such an exception here at UCU that you really get to know your professors. Paul was very down to earth. This was very much seen in his political activism, seen in the shift from lectures on Gaza, to people with disabilities, to racial violence, Muslims and immigrants. Though he sometimes expressed his pessimism about the state of the world, I hope that he knows how much compassion he brought into it. 

Nonetheless, I think we all knew that Paul was struggling. We saw it when he was so repetitive in his apologies, always apologizing for not being 100% fit yet, or when he did not recognize that even through all these challenges that he was a great professor, and certainly an individual worthy of so much love and recognition. When rereading my WhatsApp chat with Paul, I often responded to his apologies and self-critical comments of himself, that he is too critical of himself. From these snippets of things that were shared to us students, I know that Paul struggled with insecurities and self-esteem, and I hope that he now gets to see himself through the eyes of his family, his colleagues and friends, and his students who admired his teaching in many ways. 

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