Nicholas Dirks
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Dirks is the Franz Boas
Professor of Anthropology
and Professor of History
at Columbia University
, where he is also Vice President of Arts and Sciences and Dean
of the Faculty
of Arts and Sciences. Dirks is married to Columbia professor, Janaki Bakhle.
Dirks is the author of numerous books on South Asia
n history and culture, primarily concerned with the impact of British colonial rule. His most famous works include The Hollow Crown: Ethnohistory of an Indian Kingdom (1987), Castes of Mind (2001), and Scandal of Empire (2006). In these works Dirks has advanced research on how the character of British rule shaped the Indian subcontinent to come, as well as how Britain's development came to be influenced by its colonies.
Dirks was born in Illinois but grew up in New Haven, where his father was a professor at Yale University
. When the latter received a Fulbright scholarship in 1963, the Dirks family relocated to Madras, where Nicholas' interest in Indian culture first formed. He attended Wesleyan
, from which he received a B.A. in 1972, and the University of Chicago
, where he earned a Ph.D. in 1981, and where he came under the influence of historical anthropologist Bernard Cohn
. During this period he habitually returned for research purposes to South India. After teaching at the California Institute of Technology
and the University of Michigan
, Dirks moved to Columbia in 1997, where he dramatically altered the direction of the anthropology department, championing postcolonial and multidisciplinary approaches. This he achieved through a variety of strategic appointments. He has acted in a similar way, in his new capacity as an administrator of one of the nation's oldest and most elite institutions, in regard to the university in general. Dirks is married to Janaki Bakhle, an assistant professor of history at Columbia. They divide their time between New York City and the Southern Berkshires in Massachusetts, which Dirks has characterized as a "quiet and gentle sanctuary."
Franz Boas
Franz Boas was a German-American anthropologist and a pioneer of modern anthropology who has been called the "Father of American Anthropology" and "the Father of Modern Anthropology." Like many such pioneers, he trained in other disciplines; he received his doctorate in physics, and did...
Professor of Anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
and Professor of History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, where he is also Vice President of Arts and Sciences and Dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of the Faculty
Faculty (university)
A faculty is a division within a university comprising one subject area, or a number of related subject areas...
of Arts and Sciences. Dirks is married to Columbia professor, Janaki Bakhle.
Dirks is the author of numerous books on South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
n history and culture, primarily concerned with the impact of British colonial rule. His most famous works include The Hollow Crown: Ethnohistory of an Indian Kingdom (1987), Castes of Mind (2001), and Scandal of Empire (2006). In these works Dirks has advanced research on how the character of British rule shaped the Indian subcontinent to come, as well as how Britain's development came to be influenced by its colonies.
Dirks was born in Illinois but grew up in New Haven, where his father was a professor at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. When the latter received a Fulbright scholarship in 1963, the Dirks family relocated to Madras, where Nicholas' interest in Indian culture first formed. He attended Wesleyan
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
, from which he received a B.A. in 1972, and the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, where he earned a Ph.D. in 1981, and where he came under the influence of historical anthropologist Bernard Cohn
Bernard Cohn (anthropologist)
Bernard S. Cohn was an anthropologist and scholar of British colonialism in India, primarily affiliated with the University of Chicago. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Cohn received a B.A. in history from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1949 and a Ph.D. in anthropology from Cornell University...
. During this period he habitually returned for research purposes to South India. After teaching at the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
and the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, Dirks moved to Columbia in 1997, where he dramatically altered the direction of the anthropology department, championing postcolonial and multidisciplinary approaches. This he achieved through a variety of strategic appointments. He has acted in a similar way, in his new capacity as an administrator of one of the nation's oldest and most elite institutions, in regard to the university in general. Dirks is married to Janaki Bakhle, an assistant professor of history at Columbia. They divide their time between New York City and the Southern Berkshires in Massachusetts, which Dirks has characterized as a "quiet and gentle sanctuary."
Selected works
- The Hollow Crown: Ethnohistory of an Indian Kingdom, Cambridge University PressCambridge University PressCambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
, 1988, ISBN 978-0521053723 - Castes of Mind: Colonialism and the Making of Modern India, Princeton University PressPrinceton University Press-Further reading:* "". Artforum International, 2005.-External links:* * * * *...
, 2001, ISBN 0-691-08895-0 - The Scandal of Empire: India and the Creation of Imperial BritainThe Scandal of Empire: India and the Creation of Imperial BritainThe Scandal of Empire: India and the Creation of Imperial Britain is a book written by Nicholas Dirks, Franz Boas Professor of Anthropology and Professor of History at Columbia University, USA...
, Harvard University PressHarvard University PressHarvard University Press is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. In 2005, it published 220 new titles. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. Its current director is William P...
, 2006, ISBN 978-0-674-02724-4
External links
- Member Profile, Committee on Global Thought at Columbia University
- Dirks bio from Columbia's History Department
- "Master Multitasker"- feature article on Dirks from Columbia College Today