Hassan Nawaz Gardezi

Dr. Hassan Nawaz Gardezi, Professor Emeritus, Algoma University passed away 19 April 2017, in Peterborough, Ontario, following a brief illness. 

Born 19 February 1933 in Mianwali, pre-independence Pakistan, he received his doctorate in Sociology and Anthropology at Washington State University. He would go on to become a scholar with an international reputation, recognized for his writings on social and political developments in his native land. Dr. Gardezi has lectured at academic institutions in Canada, Pakistan, and the United States and has written countless articles as well as editing and authoring many books on political economy, sociology, and socio-political history.

While well known internationally, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, he is best known for the key role he played in the formative years of Algoma University, where he helped launch the careers of countless alumni and worked tirelessly to establish the institution’s academic reputation. He spent his retired life in Peterborough, Ontario, where he continued writing and was active in progressive causes both in Canada and internationally, even as he struggled with the debilitating effects of Parkinson’s disease.

Throughout his life, Dr. Gardezi was inspired by the poetry and music of Pakistan and the mystic traditions of Sufism. He wrote poems in his mother tongue, Siraiki, and edited and translated a book of Siraiki poems by Syed Hassan Raza Gardezi. His 1997 Urdu autobiography is entitled Ghubar-e-Zindagi.

Hassan was born to the old and respected Gardezi family of Multan, Pakistan, son of Syed Muhammed Nawaz and Saeedah (Bibi) and brother of Taiba, Ali Nawaz, Ali Raza, Qudsia, and Nuzhet. He is survived by his wife Rosalie and his children Tariq, Fauzia, Shahid, Shella and Jaffer, as well as his brother Dr. Ali Raza, his sister Qudsia, his nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews. He will be dearly missed by his wife, family, and many colleagues, students, and friends. A private funeral will be held at Highland Park Cemetery, Peterborough. A memorial service will follow at a later date and location, to be announced. At the request of the family, memorial donations may be made to The Council of Canadians and The Malala Fund. Arrangements entrusted to the HIGHLAND PARK FUNERAL CENTRE 2510 Bensfort Rd., Peterborough.  On line condolences may be made at www.highlandparkfuneralcentre.com

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