The UP Third World Studies Center (TWSC) condoles with the family of Prof. Laura L. Samson, who passed away this morning, September 10, 2020. She was a retired professor of sociology at the University of the Philippines Diliman. Professor Samson also served as deputy director of TWSC from 2017 to 2019. Her active engagement and support for TWSC went back to its early formative years in the late '70s and in the '80s. In 2010, she co-edited with then TWSC director Prof. Teresa S. Encarnacion Tadem the book Marxism in the Philippines: Continuing Engagements. She was also highly instrumental in elevating the standard and the quality of work that went into the publication of TWSC's in-house journal, the Kasarinlan: Philippine Journal of Third World Studies. In 2004 she became the journal's editorial consultant/supervisor, a post she held until her appointment as deputy director. Professor Samson, "Ma'am Lau" to the staff, was as caring to her work colleagues as she was deeply dedicated in turning in scholarly works that were not only well-argued, but must also be well-written (she made a virtue of almost always knowing the precise word or punctuation to use). Disagreements between Kasarinlan's editorial staff and Professor Samson regarding the journal's content were not uncommon. But it was precisely this constant, but always mutually respectful back-and-forth that continues to drive the staff to be their own worst critics in their research and publications endeavors. It was mentorship at its best. She will be deeply missed.
