This “wall of condolences” aims to be a place where we can share our condolences and thoughts with the rest of the EMES community. Please write to us at members@emes.net if you’d like to have your condolences posted here.
Carlo, you are forever present and forever missed.
You have given all of us, your colleagues and students, so much and so often that you will be forever present and forever missed. You are the true embodiment and manifestation of the cooperative ideals. Your best known work is Euricse, the cooperative research institute that you set up in Trento in 2008. It is the pride and envy of your colleagues throughout Europe and we have all benefitted from it numerous times, both individually and collectively. Euricse organized the first EMES International Research Conference in 2001 and the third training school in 2012, and this summer you began the organization of the 9th EMES Summer School in Trento. We knew you well and enjoyed your company as a friend and colleague, we admired you as an accomplished scholar, we benefitted from your foresight and experience as a fellow co-founder of the EMES research group that later became the EMES International Research Network. Your leadership in helping to build this as an international research network was outstanding. We had the pleasure of meeting you and hearing you speak at numerous conferences in Europe, Asia and America and participating with you in some international projects. Many of your initiatives were instrumental in helping us achieve our goals to promote critical research on the social economy, social enterprises and cooperatives.
Carlo, your cooperative spirit and kindness as well as your excellence in research have touched all of us, but not just us, you have touched hundreds, probably thousands more, who say you are forever present and forever missed.
Lars Hulgård, Roskilde University, Denmark
Victor Pestoff, Marie Cedershhiöld University College, Sweden
Roger Spear, the Open University, UK & Roskilde University, Denmark
Isabel Vidal, Barcelona University, Spain
From various points of view, the commitments and achievements of Carlo Borzaga are impressive. As a researcher, he developed works and publications which proved to be pioneering contributions in the fields of social cooperative and social enterprise. This evolution was mainly observed in Italy, then at the world level from early 2000s. This growing interest also took institutional forms such as EURICSE and EMES. Last but not the least, I should underline Carlo’s human values and personal deep feelings which we shared through decades.
Jacques Defourny, HEC-University of Liege, Belgium
Carlo is one of the founding fathers of EMES and the concept of social enterprise. His intellectual contribution has been decisive from a scientific and political point of view in the recognition of the unique added value of social enterprises and cooperatives to the economy at both Italian and European levels. Debates with Carlo were always stimulating and passionate. His intellectual commitment was entirely devoted to the common good. He was a source of inspiration for younger generations of scientists. These debates remain engraved in our memories and are part of the collective history of EMES. His many writings, his friendship and human warmth will remain as a precious treasure to be cultivated in the human and intellectual community of EMES.
Thank you Carlo !
Marthe Nyssens, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium
On behalf of EMES, I would like to thank Carlo for his many years of commitment to promoting the concept of social enterprise in Italy, Europe and the rest of the world, together with his colleague and dear friend over all these years, Jacques Defourny. As the new President of EMES, I’d like to thank him for his legacy, and I’m very honoured to be taking up the torch. But I also feel a great responsibility on my shoulders to continue along the path he has mapped out with the other founders, while facing up to the new challenges for EMES.
On a personal note, I would also like to thank him for the source of inspiration that his work has been and still is for me. I’m thinking in particular of his work with Alberto Bacchiega (2001) on social enterprise as an incentive structure, which really formed the basis of my doctoral thesis. I enjoyed our discussions at the various EMES conferences and will never forget these stimulating exchanges….
Francesca Petrella, University of Aix-Marseille, France
I am shocked by this news. I remembered many moments we lived together and I must say that Carlo had a gift for conducting discussions and even controversies in a warm and friendly atmosphere. In the academic world so often dehumanized it is a chance to have been able to know him. Dear Carlo goodbye and dear colleagues I hope to see you soon to remember together all these pleasant moments.
Jean-Louis Laville, CNAM, France
I also share your great memories of Carlo as an inspiring intellectual mentor and great company. I especially enjoyed his fabulous reminiscence of his youth in Italy and his time spent in my own city of Cork learning English with the Presentation Sister Order of Nuns as a young student. I recall him telling me once of having to ‘wake up the convent’ to enter after curfew. Sound familiar of Carlo!
Although he never spoke with a “Cork” accent he certainly enjoyed his time there and it was always an ambition of ours that I might share the pleasure of hosting him in Cork and revisiting his old haunts.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h’anam dílis (May he rest in peace).
Mary O’Shaughnessy, UCC, Ireland
Situations of fruitful cooperation with Carlo came to my mind – not only the many planning meetings we had but as well a joint journy he did with me at various Institutions in Japan, where we acted as kind of “messengers” of the social enterprise concept. The cooperation with Carlo was not only instructive and stimulating but often it was as well fun.
A great colleague!
Adalbert Evers, Heidelberg University, Germany
Like many others paying tribute to Carlo Borzaga, I am very saddened by the news of his death. I had the pleasure and the privilege to know Carlo for many years and to participate in conferences, seminars, formal and informal discussions on our common interests and passion for the social and solidarity economy. As a researcher from Quebec, my conversations with Carlo about the importance of our shared experience of the SSE rooted in the cooperative movement were always inspiring and enlightening. I so enjoyed our meetings in his home city of Trento. Carlo Borzaga was an intellectual giant. He was also a kind, warm, generous man and a delightful dinner companion, full of good humour and enjoyable conversation. RIP Carlo Borzaga. My life has been enriched by your friendship and collaboration.
Margie Mendell, Karl Polanyi Institute of Political Economy, Concordia University, Montreal
I met Carlo in the late nineties, in my very early years at the OECD, where i started to work on the social economy. I have learnt so much from him over these 27 years at the OECD that I cannot imagine what my professional trajectory and the OECD work would have been without our conversations, exchanges, his contributions to our publications, conferences, events. Carlo was a passionate believer in the power of social economy. In one of our latest exchanges, one year ago, when I reminded him the long walk we had walked to increase awareness on the importance of the social economy for our societies and economies, he replied “We have been the promoters of what is not yet an economic revolution but could still become it. But there is still a lot to do”.
I know that Carlo has worked till the very end of his life. He leaves us an important legacy that we need to nurture, take care of and build on.
Carlo was also a very generous man in sharing his knowledge, loving life and fun. I have found memories of the time we spent together in Trento, Paris or in different conferences around the world.Mi mancherai Carlo, ti voglio bene,buon viaggio!
Antonella Noya, Head of Social Economy and Innovation Unit OECD, Paris
As others have said, we have lost a beautiful man who inspired us all. From the smile in his eyes to his immense intellect, passion, commitment, curiosity and generosity, Carlo was a unique and brilliant leader, motivator and mentor. Working with him from the early days of EMES was a privilege – his deep knowledge and experience of the social economy helped us to understand its value and relevance. His influence across Europe and further afield is visible and lasting and will continue through those he inspired. Sleep well Carlo.
Patricia O’Hara, formerly University College, Cork and Maynooth University
I remember being so intimidated meeting Carlos for the first time in 2019. We were in the vaulted hall of the wine co-operative in Trento, and here was this titan, someone I had cited many times, whose thinking was the foundation of so much of our work in South Africa. When he spoke, I had so many firework moments – that flash of understanding, when what you’ve been struggling with, suddenly all makes sense. I will never forget the time he gave me that day when I approached him afterwards. His warmth. His care. His energy. His ability to make sense of out such complexity. His friendliness and patience. He has gone, but I am so grateful we had him, and we have all learnt from him.
Kerryn Krige, London School of Economics, UK/South Africa
So many good memories at EMES events are linked with Carlo… He was someone whose commitment to the values he believed in was deep and true. I know he’s done so much as a researcher and professor, but for my part, what I’ll remember most is the beautiful human being he was ❤️ Ciao, Carlo 😢
Sophie Adam, a former member of the Coordination Unit
When I met Carlo first, he looked very critical at our approach. Later on, we had very fruitful co-operation and could lean on mutual understanding on the SSE. He has been wise and very supportive. In my view, we lost the most important scientist in this field.
Günther Lorenz, TechNet, Berlin
I cannot think of any better words for Carlo, than those written in there. I would just want to pay my respect to his life by using the words we use in my homeland, Euskalherria, to wish a farewell to kind and admirable people. So it be:
CARLO BORZAGA, AGUR ETA OHORE!
