McGill confers honorary degrees on renowned sociologist and bass-baritone

McGill University conferred degrees today upon some 200 students from its Faculty of Law and Schulich School of Music and awarded honorary degrees to Boaventura De Sousa Santos and Max van Egmond, in recognition of their outstanding contributions to their fields.

Boaventura De Sousa Santos, Doctor of Laws, honoris causa

Boaventura De Sousa Santos is a professor of sociology in the School of Economics at the University of Coimbra, where he also directs its Center for Social Studies. Professor De Sousa Santos’ work started with studies of informal legality and social structures in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro and has continued with hundreds of articles and almost 50 books on legal pluralism and the Global South. These have transformed the perception of how local cultures work towards securing justice and prosperity in the Global South. Professor Boaventura De Sousa Santos is considered one of the leading sociologists of law of his generation.

Max van Egmond, Doctor of Music

Max (Rudolf) van Egmond is among the world’s most respected bass-baritones and known figures in the field of Early Music performance. In 1959, he was among the winners of the Hertogenbosch international vocal competition, marking the beginning of his distinguished and remarkable career as a singer of oratorio, lieder and Baroque opera. Over his long career, van Egmond’s association with Montreal has spanned four decades; he first performed here at Expo 67. Max van Egmond is widely considered to be one of the prime movers of the post-1950 early-music revival.

McGill’s Convocation ceremonies can be followed live at: http://bcooltv.mcgill.ca/ConvocationLive/