The Colonial Office and the Genesis of Development Economics

When he first went to London, Lewis was lonely, shunned by many because he was black, and intellectually isolated. Since the beginning, as we have seen, he had been shy and reticent in nature. This made it still harder for him to form friendships and social networks. But, as he relates, ‘some doors that were supposed to be closed opened as I approached them. I have got used to being the first black to do this or that’. On the other hand, he was ‘subjected to all the usual disabilities – refusal of accommodation, denial of jobs for which [he] had been recommended, generalized discourtesy and the rest’ (Breit and Spencer, 1986). Throughout his life, Lewis was reluctant to speak or write about his very personal experiences of racial discrimination. However, especially after the completion of his PhD in his mid-twenties, the growing support of Plant and others at the LSE gave him confidence, contacts began to be developed, and provided Lewis with a hinterland that could support him in case of need. In the field of development and left-wing politics, these contacts were of two kinds: London’s floating population of ‘anti-imperialists’, and the Fabian Society.