John Darwin (historian)

John Gareth Darwin, FBA (born 29 June 1948) is a British historian and academic, who specialises in the history of the British Empire.^[1] Since 1984, he has been the Beit Lecturer in Commonwealth History at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford.^[2] He was a lecturer in history at the University of Reading between 1972 and 1984. His works are sometimes used in Schools and Sixth Forms.

Early life and education

Darwin was born on 29 June 1948 in Exeter, Devon, England. He was educated at Brockenhurst Grammar School, a mixed-sex state grammar school in Brockenhurst, Hampshire. He studied history at St John's College, Oxford, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree; as per tradition, his BA was promoted to a Master of Arts (MA Oxon) degree. He later undertook postgraduate research at Nuffield College, Oxford, and completed his Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) degree in 1978.^[3]

Academic career

From 1972 to 1984, Darwin was a lecturer in history at the University of Reading.^[3] In 1984, he moved to the University of Oxford where he had been appointed the Beit Lecturer in the History of the Commonwealth.^[3][4] That year, he was also elected a Fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford.^[3] Since October 2014, he had been the Director of the Oxford Centre for Global History.^[5] In November 2014, he was granted a Title of Distinction as Professor of Global and Imperial History.^[6]

Personal life

In 1973, Darwin married Caroline Atkinson. Together they have three daughters.^[3]

Honours

In 2008, Darwin was awarded the Wolfson History Prize for his book After Tamerlane: The Global History of Empire since 1405.^[7] In 2012, he was elected a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA).^[4]

Selected works

• Britain, Egypt, and the Middle East: Imperial Policy in the Aftermath of War, 1918-1922 (May, 1981)^[8]
• The Empire of the Bretaignes, 1175-1688: The Foundations of a Colonial System of Government: Select Documents on the Constitutional History of The ... Volume I (Documents in Imperial History) (May 24, 1985)^[9]
• Triumphs of Big Ben (October 23, 1986)^[10]
• Britain and Decolonisation: The Retreat from Empire in the Post-War World (Making of the 20th Century) (November, 1988)^[11]
• with Johnson, Philip and McAuley, John, Developing Strategies for Change (2001)^[12]
• The End of the British Empire: The Historical Debate (Making Contemporary Britain) (January 10, 1991)^[13]
• After Tamerlane: The Global History of Empire Since 1405 (February 5, 2008)^[14]
• The Empire Project: The Rise and Fall of the British World-System, 1830-1970 (October 30, 2009)^[15]
• Unfinished Empire: The Global Expansion of Britain (February 12, 2013)^[16]

References